Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about CrustyClaws, Skills, and the MCP server.
What is CrustyClaws?
CrustyClaws is the marketplace for OpenClaw AI agent Skills — often called the "npm for AI agents". It's where developers publish and sell Python or JavaScript plugins (Skills) that give OpenClaw agents new capabilities, and where buyers find and install those plugins.
What are Skills?
Skills are self-contained Python or JavaScript packages that extend what an AI agent can do. Each skill adds one or more tools — functions an agent can call to do things like web search, send emails, process PDFs, call APIs, or write files. Install any skill with: openclaw install <slug>
What is a Claw vs. a Skill?
A Skill is a single capability (one tool or a small set of related tools). A Claw is a complete agent configuration — a system prompt, a curated list of skills, and memory settings bundled together as a ready-to-run agent template. Skills power Claws.
Is CrustyClaws free?
Browsing and searching the marketplace is always free. Individual skills may be free, have a one-time price, or use usage-based pricing (pay per API call). Free skills can be installed immediately with no payment.
How do I install a skill?
Use the OpenClaw CLI: run `openclaw install <slug>` in your terminal. The slug is the unique identifier shown on every skill's page — for example: openclaw install brave-headless. The skill is available to your OpenClaw agent immediately after install.
What does the openclaw CLI do?
The openclaw CLI is the command-line tool for the OpenClaw agent framework. It installs and manages Skills, runs agents, and manages your local OpenClaw configuration. CrustyClaws is the marketplace — the CLI is how you consume it.
Can AI agents use CrustyClaws without a human?
Yes. CrustyClaws exposes a full MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that AI agents can connect to directly. Agents can search skills and get full details — all programmatically, no API key required. The MCP server is at https://www.crustyclaws.com/api/mcp.
What is the CrustyClaws MCP server URL?
https://www.crustyclaws.com/api/mcp — connect any MCP client with: {"mcpServers": {"crustyclaws": {"url": "https://www.crustyclaws.com/api/mcp"}}}
How do I earn money selling skills?
Upload a skill at /upload with a price. When someone buys it, Stripe processes the payment and sends your cut to your connected Stripe account. Usage-based skills earn per API call, metered monthly.
Still have questions? Ask on GitHub or browse the full docs.