--- summary: "Plugin manifest + JSON schema requirements (strict config validation)" read_when: - You are building an OpenClaw plugin - You need to ship a plugin config schema or debug plugin validation errors title: "Plugin Manifest" --- # Plugin manifest (openclaw.plugin.json) This page is for the **native OpenClaw plugin manifest** only. For compatible bundle layouts, see [Plugin bundles](/plugins/bundles). Compatible bundle formats use different manifest files: - Codex bundle: `.codex-plugin/plugin.json` - Claude bundle: `.claude-plugin/plugin.json` or the default Claude component layout without a manifest - Cursor bundle: `.cursor-plugin/plugin.json` OpenClaw auto-detects those bundle layouts too, but they are not validated against the `openclaw.plugin.json` schema described here. For compatible bundles, OpenClaw currently reads bundle metadata plus declared skill roots, Claude command roots, Claude bundle `settings.json` defaults, Claude bundle LSP defaults, and supported hook packs when the layout matches OpenClaw runtime expectations. Every native OpenClaw plugin **must** ship a `openclaw.plugin.json` file in the **plugin root**. OpenClaw uses this manifest to validate configuration **without executing plugin code**. Missing or invalid manifests are treated as plugin errors and block config validation. See the full plugin system guide: [Plugins](/tools/plugin). For the native capability model and current external-compatibility guidance: [Capability model](/plugins/architecture#public-capability-model). ## What this file does `openclaw.plugin.json` is the metadata OpenClaw reads before it loads your plugin code. Use it for: - plugin identity - config validation - auth and onboarding metadata that should be available without booting plugin runtime - cheap activation hints that control-plane surfaces can inspect before runtime loads - cheap setup descriptors that setup/onboarding surfaces can inspect before runtime loads - alias and auto-enable metadata that should resolve before plugin runtime loads - shorthand model-family ownership metadata that should auto-activate the plugin before runtime loads - static capability ownership snapshots used for bundled compat wiring and contract coverage - cheap QA runner metadata that the shared `openclaw qa` host can inspect before plugin runtime loads - channel-specific config metadata that should merge into catalog and validation surfaces without loading runtime - config UI hints Do not use it for: - registering runtime behavior - declaring code entrypoints - npm install metadata Those belong in your plugin code and `package.json`. ## Minimal example ```json { "id": "voice-call", "configSchema": { "type": "object", "additionalProperties": false, "properties": {} } } ``` ## Rich example ```json { "id": "openrouter", "name": "OpenRouter", "description": "OpenRouter provider plugin", "version": "1.0.0", "providers": ["openrouter"], "modelSupport": { "modelPrefixes": ["router-"] }, "cliBackends": ["openrouter-cli"], "providerAuthEnvVars": { "openrouter": ["OPENROUTER_API_KEY"] }, "providerAuthAliases": { "openrouter-coding": "openrouter" }, "channelEnvVars": { "openrouter-chatops": ["OPENROUTER_CHATOPS_TOKEN"] }, "providerAuthChoices": [ { "provider": "openrouter", "method": "api-key", "choiceId": "openrouter-api-key", "choiceLabel": "OpenRouter API key", "groupId": "openrouter", "groupLabel": "OpenRouter", "optionKey": "openrouterApiKey", "cliFlag": "--openrouter-api-key", "cliOption": "--openrouter-api-key ", "cliDescription": "OpenRouter API key", "onboardingScopes": ["text-inference"] } ], "uiHints": { "apiKey": { "label": "API key", "placeholder": "sk-or-v1-...", "sensitive": true } }, "configSchema": { "type": "object", "additionalProperties": false, "properties": { "apiKey": { "type": "string" } } } } ``` ## Top-level field reference | Field | Required | Type | What it means | | ----------------------------------- | -------- | -------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | | `id` | Yes | `string` | Canonical plugin id. This is the id used in `plugins.entries.`. | | `configSchema` | Yes | `object` | Inline JSON Schema for this plugin's config. | | `enabledByDefault` | No | `true` | Marks a bundled plugin as enabled by default. Omit it, or set any non-`true` value, to leave the plugin disabled by default. | | `legacyPluginIds` | No | `string[]` | Legacy ids that normalize to this canonical plugin id. | | `autoEnableWhenConfiguredProviders` | No | `string[]` | Provider ids that should auto-enable this plugin when auth, config, or model refs mention them. | | `kind` | No | `"memory"` \| `"context-engine"` | Declares an exclusive plugin kind used by `plugins.slots.*`. | | `channels` | No | `string[]` | Channel ids owned by this plugin. Used for discovery and config validation. | | `providers` | No | `string[]` | Provider ids owned by this plugin. | | `modelSupport` | No | `object` | Manifest-owned shorthand model-family metadata used to auto-load the plugin before runtime. | | `cliBackends` | No | `string[]` | CLI inference backend ids owned by this plugin. Used for startup auto-activation from explicit config refs. | | `commandAliases` | No | `object[]` | Command names owned by this plugin that should produce plugin-aware config and CLI diagnostics before runtime loads. | | `providerAuthEnvVars` | No | `Record` | Cheap provider-auth env metadata that OpenClaw can inspect without loading plugin code. | | `providerAuthAliases` | No | `Record` | Provider ids that should reuse another provider id for auth lookup, for example a coding provider that shares the base provider API key and auth profiles. | | `channelEnvVars` | No | `Record` | Cheap channel env metadata that OpenClaw can inspect without loading plugin code. Use this for env-driven channel setup or auth surfaces that generic startup/config helpers should see. | | `providerAuthChoices` | No | `object[]` | Cheap auth-choice metadata for onboarding pickers, preferred-provider resolution, and simple CLI flag wiring. | | `activation` | No | `object` | Cheap activation hints for provider, command, channel, route, and capability-triggered loading. Metadata only; plugin runtime still owns actual behavior. | | `setup` | No | `object` | Cheap setup/onboarding descriptors that discovery and setup surfaces can inspect without loading plugin runtime. | | `qaRunners` | No | `object[]` | Cheap QA runner descriptors used by the shared `openclaw qa` host before plugin runtime loads. | | `contracts` | No | `object` | Static bundled capability snapshot for speech, realtime transcription, realtime voice, media-understanding, image-generation, music-generation, video-generation, web-fetch, web search, and tool ownership. | | `channelConfigs` | No | `Record` | Manifest-owned channel config metadata merged into discovery and validation surfaces before runtime loads. | | `skills` | No | `string[]` | Skill directories to load, relative to the plugin root. | | `name` | No | `string` | Human-readable plugin name. | | `description` | No | `string` | Short summary shown in plugin surfaces. | | `version` | No | `string` | Informational plugin version. | | `uiHints` | No | `Record` | UI labels, placeholders, and sensitivity hints for config fields. | ## providerAuthChoices reference Each `providerAuthChoices` entry describes one onboarding or auth choice. OpenClaw reads this before provider runtime loads. | Field | Required | Type | What it means | | --------------------- | -------- | ----------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | `provider` | Yes | `string` | Provider id this choice belongs to. | | `method` | Yes | `string` | Auth method id to dispatch to. | | `choiceId` | Yes | `string` | Stable auth-choice id used by onboarding and CLI flows. | | `choiceLabel` | No | `string` | User-facing label. If omitted, OpenClaw falls back to `choiceId`. | | `choiceHint` | No | `string` | Short helper text for the picker. | | `assistantPriority` | No | `number` | Lower values sort earlier in assistant-driven interactive pickers. | | `assistantVisibility` | No | `"visible"` \| `"manual-only"` | Hide the choice from assistant pickers while still allowing manual CLI selection. | | `deprecatedChoiceIds` | No | `string[]` | Legacy choice ids that should redirect users to this replacement choice. | | `groupId` | No | `string` | Optional group id for grouping related choices. | | `groupLabel` | No | `string` | User-facing label for that group. | | `groupHint` | No | `string` | Short helper text for the group. | | `optionKey` | No | `string` | Internal option key for simple one-flag auth flows. | | `cliFlag` | No | `string` | CLI flag name, such as `--openrouter-api-key`. | | `cliOption` | No | `string` | Full CLI option shape, such as `--openrouter-api-key `. | | `cliDescription` | No | `string` | Description used in CLI help. | | `onboardingScopes` | No | `Array<"text-inference" \| "image-generation">` | Which onboarding surfaces this choice should appear in. If omitted, it defaults to `["text-inference"]`. | ## commandAliases reference Use `commandAliases` when a plugin owns a runtime command name that users may mistakenly put in `plugins.allow` or try to run as a root CLI command. OpenClaw uses this metadata for diagnostics without importing plugin runtime code. ```json { "commandAliases": [ { "name": "dreaming", "kind": "runtime-slash", "cliCommand": "memory" } ] } ``` | Field | Required | Type | What it means | | ------------ | -------- | ----------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------- | | `name` | Yes | `string` | Command name that belongs to this plugin. | | `kind` | No | `"runtime-slash"` | Marks the alias as a chat slash command rather than a root CLI command. | | `cliCommand` | No | `string` | Related root CLI command to suggest for CLI operations, if one exists. | ## activation reference Use `activation` when the plugin can cheaply declare which control-plane events should activate it later. ## qaRunners reference Use `qaRunners` when a plugin contributes one or more transport runners beneath the shared `openclaw qa` root. Keep this metadata cheap and static; the plugin runtime still owns actual CLI registration through a lightweight `runtime-api.ts` surface that exports `qaRunnerCliRegistrations`. ```json { "qaRunners": [ { "commandName": "matrix", "description": "Run the Docker-backed Matrix live QA lane against a disposable homeserver" } ] } ``` | Field | Required | Type | What it means | | ------------- | -------- | -------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------ | | `commandName` | Yes | `string` | Subcommand mounted beneath `openclaw qa`, for example `matrix`. | | `description` | No | `string` | Fallback help text used when the shared host needs a stub command. | This block is metadata only. It does not register runtime behavior, and it does not replace `register(...)`, `setupEntry`, or other runtime/plugin entrypoints. Current consumers use it as a narrowing hint before broader plugin loading, so missing activation metadata usually only costs performance; it should not change correctness while legacy manifest ownership fallbacks still exist. ```json { "activation": { "onProviders": ["openai"], "onCommands": ["models"], "onChannels": ["web"], "onRoutes": ["gateway-webhook"], "onCapabilities": ["provider", "tool"] } } ``` | Field | Required | Type | What it means | | ---------------- | -------- | ---------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------- | | `onProviders` | No | `string[]` | Provider ids that should activate this plugin when requested. | | `onCommands` | No | `string[]` | Command ids that should activate this plugin. | | `onChannels` | No | `string[]` | Channel ids that should activate this plugin. | | `onRoutes` | No | `string[]` | Route kinds that should activate this plugin. | | `onCapabilities` | No | `Array<"provider" \| "channel" \| "tool" \| "hook">` | Broad capability hints used by control-plane activation planning. | Current live consumers: - command-triggered CLI planning falls back to legacy `commandAliases[].cliCommand` or `commandAliases[].name` - channel-triggered setup/channel planning falls back to legacy `channels[]` ownership when explicit channel activation metadata is missing - provider-triggered setup/runtime planning falls back to legacy `providers[]` and top-level `cliBackends[]` ownership when explicit provider activation metadata is missing ## setup reference Use `setup` when setup and onboarding surfaces need cheap plugin-owned metadata before runtime loads. ```json { "setup": { "providers": [ { "id": "openai", "authMethods": ["api-key"], "envVars": ["OPENAI_API_KEY"] } ], "cliBackends": ["openai-cli"], "configMigrations": ["legacy-openai-auth"], "requiresRuntime": false } } ``` Top-level `cliBackends` stays valid and continues to describe CLI inference backends. `setup.cliBackends` is the setup-specific descriptor surface for control-plane/setup flows that should stay metadata-only. When present, `setup.providers` and `setup.cliBackends` are the preferred descriptor-first lookup surface for setup discovery. If the descriptor only narrows the candidate plugin and setup still needs richer setup-time runtime hooks, set `requiresRuntime: true` and keep `setup-api` in place as the fallback execution path. Because setup lookup can execute plugin-owned `setup-api` code, normalized `setup.providers[].id` and `setup.cliBackends[]` values must stay unique across discovered plugins. Ambiguous ownership fails closed instead of picking a winner from discovery order. ### setup.providers reference | Field | Required | Type | What it means | | ------------- | -------- | ---------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | | `id` | Yes | `string` | Provider id exposed during setup or onboarding. Keep normalized ids globally unique. | | `authMethods` | No | `string[]` | Setup/auth method ids this provider supports without loading full runtime. | | `envVars` | No | `string[]` | Env vars that generic setup/status surfaces can check before plugin runtime loads. | ### setup fields | Field | Required | Type | What it means | | ------------------ | -------- | ---------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | `providers` | No | `object[]` | Provider setup descriptors exposed during setup and onboarding. | | `cliBackends` | No | `string[]` | Setup-time backend ids used for descriptor-first setup lookup. Keep normalized ids globally unique. | | `configMigrations` | No | `string[]` | Config migration ids owned by this plugin's setup surface. | | `requiresRuntime` | No | `boolean` | Whether setup still needs `setup-api` execution after descriptor lookup. | ## uiHints reference `uiHints` is a map from config field names to small rendering hints. ```json { "uiHints": { "apiKey": { "label": "API key", "help": "Used for OpenRouter requests", "placeholder": "sk-or-v1-...", "sensitive": true } } } ``` Each field hint can include: | Field | Type | What it means | | ------------- | ---------- | --------------------------------------- | | `label` | `string` | User-facing field label. | | `help` | `string` | Short helper text. | | `tags` | `string[]` | Optional UI tags. | | `advanced` | `boolean` | Marks the field as advanced. | | `sensitive` | `boolean` | Marks the field as secret or sensitive. | | `placeholder` | `string` | Placeholder text for form inputs. | ## contracts reference Use `contracts` only for static capability ownership metadata that OpenClaw can read without importing the plugin runtime. ```json { "contracts": { "speechProviders": ["openai"], "realtimeTranscriptionProviders": ["openai"], "realtimeVoiceProviders": ["openai"], "mediaUnderstandingProviders": ["openai", "openai-codex"], "imageGenerationProviders": ["openai"], "videoGenerationProviders": ["qwen"], "webFetchProviders": ["firecrawl"], "webSearchProviders": ["gemini"], "tools": ["firecrawl_search", "firecrawl_scrape"] } } ``` Each list is optional: | Field | Type | What it means | | -------------------------------- | ---------- | -------------------------------------------------------------- | | `speechProviders` | `string[]` | Speech provider ids this plugin owns. | | `realtimeTranscriptionProviders` | `string[]` | Realtime-transcription provider ids this plugin owns. | | `realtimeVoiceProviders` | `string[]` | Realtime-voice provider ids this plugin owns. | | `mediaUnderstandingProviders` | `string[]` | Media-understanding provider ids this plugin owns. | | `imageGenerationProviders` | `string[]` | Image-generation provider ids this plugin owns. | | `videoGenerationProviders` | `string[]` | Video-generation provider ids this plugin owns. | | `webFetchProviders` | `string[]` | Web-fetch provider ids this plugin owns. | | `webSearchProviders` | `string[]` | Web-search provider ids this plugin owns. | | `tools` | `string[]` | Agent tool names this plugin owns for bundled contract checks. | ## channelConfigs reference Use `channelConfigs` when a channel plugin needs cheap config metadata before runtime loads. ```json { "channelConfigs": { "matrix": { "schema": { "type": "object", "additionalProperties": false, "properties": { "homeserverUrl": { "type": "string" } } }, "uiHints": { "homeserverUrl": { "label": "Homeserver URL", "placeholder": "https://matrix.example.com" } }, "label": "Matrix", "description": "Matrix homeserver connection", "preferOver": ["matrix-legacy"] } } } ``` Each channel entry can include: | Field | Type | What it means | | ------------- | ------------------------ | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | `schema` | `object` | JSON Schema for `channels.`. Required for each declared channel config entry. | | `uiHints` | `Record` | Optional UI labels/placeholders/sensitive hints for that channel config section. | | `label` | `string` | Channel label merged into picker and inspect surfaces when runtime metadata is not ready. | | `description` | `string` | Short channel description for inspect and catalog surfaces. | | `preferOver` | `string[]` | Legacy or lower-priority plugin ids this channel should outrank in selection surfaces. | ## modelSupport reference Use `modelSupport` when OpenClaw should infer your provider plugin from shorthand model ids like `gpt-5.4` or `claude-sonnet-4.6` before plugin runtime loads. ```json { "modelSupport": { "modelPrefixes": ["gpt-", "o1", "o3", "o4"], "modelPatterns": ["^computer-use-preview"] } } ``` OpenClaw applies this precedence: - explicit `provider/model` refs use the owning `providers` manifest metadata - `modelPatterns` beat `modelPrefixes` - if one non-bundled plugin and one bundled plugin both match, the non-bundled plugin wins - remaining ambiguity is ignored until the user or config specifies a provider Fields: | Field | Type | What it means | | --------------- | ---------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | `modelPrefixes` | `string[]` | Prefixes matched with `startsWith` against shorthand model ids. | | `modelPatterns` | `string[]` | Regex sources matched against shorthand model ids after profile suffix removal. | Legacy top-level capability keys are deprecated. Use `openclaw doctor --fix` to move `speechProviders`, `realtimeTranscriptionProviders`, `realtimeVoiceProviders`, `mediaUnderstandingProviders`, `imageGenerationProviders`, `videoGenerationProviders`, `webFetchProviders`, and `webSearchProviders` under `contracts`; normal manifest loading no longer treats those top-level fields as capability ownership. ## Manifest versus package.json The two files serve different jobs: | File | Use it for | | ---------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | `openclaw.plugin.json` | Discovery, config validation, auth-choice metadata, and UI hints that must exist before plugin code runs | | `package.json` | npm metadata, dependency installation, and the `openclaw` block used for entrypoints, install gating, setup, or catalog metadata | If you are unsure where a piece of metadata belongs, use this rule: - if OpenClaw must know it before loading plugin code, put it in `openclaw.plugin.json` - if it is about packaging, entry files, or npm install behavior, put it in `package.json` ### package.json fields that affect discovery Some pre-runtime plugin metadata intentionally lives in `package.json` under the `openclaw` block instead of `openclaw.plugin.json`. Important examples: | Field | What it means | | ----------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | `openclaw.extensions` | Declares native plugin entrypoints. | | `openclaw.setupEntry` | Lightweight setup-only entrypoint used during onboarding and deferred channel startup. | | `openclaw.channel` | Cheap channel catalog metadata like labels, docs paths, aliases, and selection copy. | | `openclaw.channel.configuredState` | Lightweight configured-state checker metadata that can answer "does env-only setup already exist?" without loading the full channel runtime. | | `openclaw.channel.persistedAuthState` | Lightweight persisted-auth checker metadata that can answer "is anything already signed in?" without loading the full channel runtime. | | `openclaw.install.npmSpec` / `openclaw.install.localPath` | Install/update hints for bundled and externally published plugins. | | `openclaw.install.defaultChoice` | Preferred install path when multiple install sources are available. | | `openclaw.install.minHostVersion` | Minimum supported OpenClaw host version, using a semver floor like `>=2026.3.22`. | | `openclaw.install.allowInvalidConfigRecovery` | Allows a narrow bundled-plugin reinstall recovery path when config is invalid. | | `openclaw.startup.deferConfiguredChannelFullLoadUntilAfterListen` | Lets setup-only channel surfaces load before the full channel plugin during startup. | `openclaw.install.minHostVersion` is enforced during install and manifest registry loading. Invalid values are rejected; newer-but-valid values skip the plugin on older hosts. `openclaw.install.allowInvalidConfigRecovery` is intentionally narrow. It does not make arbitrary broken configs installable. Today it only allows install flows to recover from specific stale bundled-plugin upgrade failures, such as a missing bundled plugin path or a stale `channels.` entry for that same bundled plugin. Unrelated config errors still block install and send operators to `openclaw doctor --fix`. `openclaw.channel.persistedAuthState` is package metadata for a tiny checker module: ```json { "openclaw": { "channel": { "id": "whatsapp", "persistedAuthState": { "specifier": "./auth-presence", "exportName": "hasAnyWhatsAppAuth" } } } } ``` Use it when setup, doctor, or configured-state flows need a cheap yes/no auth probe before the full channel plugin loads. The target export should be a small function that reads persisted state only; do not route it through the full channel runtime barrel. `openclaw.channel.configuredState` follows the same shape for cheap env-only configured checks: ```json { "openclaw": { "channel": { "id": "telegram", "configuredState": { "specifier": "./configured-state", "exportName": "hasTelegramConfiguredState" } } } } ``` Use it when a channel can answer configured-state from env or other tiny non-runtime inputs. If the check needs full config resolution or the real channel runtime, keep that logic in the plugin `config.hasConfiguredState` hook instead. ## JSON Schema requirements - **Every plugin must ship a JSON Schema**, even if it accepts no config. - An empty schema is acceptable (for example, `{ "type": "object", "additionalProperties": false }`). - Schemas are validated at config read/write time, not at runtime. ## Validation behavior - Unknown `channels.*` keys are **errors**, unless the channel id is declared by a plugin manifest. - `plugins.entries.`, `plugins.allow`, `plugins.deny`, and `plugins.slots.*` must reference **discoverable** plugin ids. Unknown ids are **errors**. - If a plugin is installed but has a broken or missing manifest or schema, validation fails and Doctor reports the plugin error. - If plugin config exists but the plugin is **disabled**, the config is kept and a **warning** is surfaced in Doctor + logs. See [Configuration reference](/gateway/configuration) for the full `plugins.*` schema. ## Notes - The manifest is **required for native OpenClaw plugins**, including local filesystem loads. - Runtime still loads the plugin module separately; the manifest is only for discovery + validation. - Native manifests are parsed with JSON5, so comments, trailing commas, and unquoted keys are accepted as long as the final value is still an object. - Only documented manifest fields are read by the manifest loader. Avoid adding custom top-level keys here. - `providerAuthEnvVars` is the cheap metadata path for auth probes, env-marker validation, and similar provider-auth surfaces that should not boot plugin runtime just to inspect env names. - `providerAuthAliases` lets provider variants reuse another provider's auth env vars, auth profiles, config-backed auth, and API-key onboarding choice without hardcoding that relationship in core. - `channelEnvVars` is the cheap metadata path for shell-env fallback, setup prompts, and similar channel surfaces that should not boot plugin runtime just to inspect env names. - `providerAuthChoices` is the cheap metadata path for auth-choice pickers, `--auth-choice` resolution, preferred-provider mapping, and simple onboarding CLI flag registration before provider runtime loads. For runtime wizard metadata that requires provider code, see [Provider runtime hooks](/plugins/architecture#provider-runtime-hooks). - Exclusive plugin kinds are selected through `plugins.slots.*`. - `kind: "memory"` is selected by `plugins.slots.memory`. - `kind: "context-engine"` is selected by `plugins.slots.contextEngine` (default: built-in `legacy`). - `channels`, `providers`, `cliBackends`, and `skills` can be omitted when a plugin does not need them. - If your plugin depends on native modules, document the build steps and any package-manager allowlist requirements (for example, pnpm `allow-build-scripts` - `pnpm rebuild `). ## Related - [Building Plugins](/plugins/building-plugins) — getting started with plugins - [Plugin Architecture](/plugins/architecture) — internal architecture - [SDK Overview](/plugins/sdk-overview) — Plugin SDK reference