Skill Doc Formatter
by @austindixson
Formats SKILL.md (OpenClaw/Cursor skill docs) for optimal display on ClawHub. Produces a consistent structure—Description, Installation, Usage with benefit-f...
clawhub install skill-doc-formatter📖 About This Skill
name: skill-doc-formatter displayName: Skill Doc Formatter | ClawHub description: Formats SKILL.md (OpenClaw/Cursor skill docs) for optimal display on ClawHub. Produces a consistent structure—Description, Installation, Usage with benefit-focused examples, and Commands—so skill pages are clear and scannable. version: 1.0.0
Skill Doc Formatter | ClawHub
Description
Formats SKILL.md (OpenClaw/Cursor skill docs) for optimal display on ClawHub. Produces a consistent structure—Description, Installation, Usage with benefit-focused examples, and Commands—so skill pages are clear and scannable.
Skill Doc Formatter | ClawHub
Formats SKILL.md skill documentation for optimal display on ClawHub. Output uses a consistent structure so skill pages are easy to scan: Description, Installation, Usage (with examples that showcase benefits), and Commands.
Clear description: what the skill does and when to use it. Scannable.
Installation
clawhub install your-skill
or: git clone https://github.com/Org/your-skill.git workspace/skills/your-skill
Usage
1. Step or scenario one. 2. Step or scenario two. 3. When to run which command (point to Commands below).
Examples
Example 1: [benefit]
*Scenario:* User wants to do X.
*Action:* Run your-command --foo.
*Outcome:* Brief result that showcases the benefit.
Example 2: [benefit] (Same pattern.)
Commands
python3 /scripts/script.py command [options] # What it does
python3 /scripts/script.py other # What it does
Target structure (ClawHub-optimized)
The formatter produces or normalizes these sections:
| Section | Purpose |
|--------|--------|
| Description | One clear blurb (from frontmatter description + optional short intro). What the skill does and when to use it. |
| Installation | How to install: clawhub install , git clone, or other steps. Copy-paste ready. |
| Usage | How to use the skill: steps, scenarios, or workflow. Concise. |
| Examples | Concrete examples that showcase benefits (e.g. before/after, sample commands with outcomes). Generated if missing. |
| Commands | All CLI commands in one block with brief descriptions. Absolute paths or placeholders like . |
How to run
From the skill you want to format, or from the formatter skill:
bash
Format a skill by path (output to stdout)
python3 /path/to/skill-doc-formatter/scripts/format_skill_doc.py /path/to/other-skill/SKILL.mdWrite formatted result back to a new file
python3 scripts/format_skill_doc.py /path/to/skill/SKILL.md -o /path/to/skill/SKILL.clawhub.mdUse formatter's own SKILL.md as input (demo)
python3 scripts/format_skill_doc.py SKILL.md
Options:-o FILE — Write output to FILE instead of stdout.
--generate-examples — Generate example usage blocks from the description when Examples section is missing or thin.
--inplace — Overwrite the input SKILL.md with the formatted version (use with care; prefer -o for review).
--security-check — Run security review checks after formatting to identify ClawHub security scan issues.Security Review
The formatter includes a security review checker (security_review.py) that helps identify issues that may cause ClawHub security scans to flag skills as "Suspicious". Run it with:
bash
python3 scripts/security_review.py
Or use the --security-check flag when formatting:bash
python3 scripts/format_skill_doc.py
The security review checks for:Missing Requirements: Skills that use system dependencies (CLI tools like openclaw, lsof, ps, launchctl) but don't declare them in SKILL.md
Secret Logging: Commands or values containing secrets/tokens/passwords being written to log files
Missing Files: Install scripts referencing files that don't exist in the skill package
Environment Variables: Scripts using env vars that aren't documented
Persistent Behavior: LaunchAgent/daemon installations without always: true in _meta.json
File Permissions: Log files containing sensitive data without restricted permissions
Metadata vs docs consistency: Env vars in _meta.json env (required) vs optionalEnv must match SKILL.md/README (no "optional" for required, no "required" for optional)
openclaw.json read disclosure: If scripts read openclaw.json, SKILL.md/README must disclose it and which fields are used; recommend a "Before installing" / "verify you are comfortable granting read access" note
CLI vs safe subprocess: If docs show CLI examples with user-supplied task/message in quotes (e.g. spawn --json "..."), docs must warn that programmatic use must use subprocess with a list of arguments (no shell interpolation) Common fixes for ClawHub security reviews:
1. Add Requirements section listing all CLI tools and system dependencies
2. Mask secrets in logs - don't log full command strings with --token or --password arguments
3. Document environment variables in SKILL.md Requirements section
4. Add always: true to _meta.json if the skill runs persistently (LaunchAgent/daemon)
5. Set restrictive permissions on log files containing sensitive data (os.chmod(log_path, 0o600))
6. Align env metadata and docs - Keep requires.env / optionalEnv in _meta.json in sync with SKILL.md/README (required vs optional)
7. Disclose openclaw.json reads - State which fields are read (e.g. tools.exec.host / tools.exec.node only) and add "Before installing, verify you are comfortable granting read access to that file"
8. Warn about safe invocation - Above Commands/CLI, add that bash examples are for manual/CLI use only and that from code callers must use subprocess.run(..., [..., user_message], ...) with a list of arguments
What the script does
1. Parse the existing SKILL.md (YAML frontmatter + markdown body).
2. Map existing ## sections to Description / Installation / Usage / Examples / Commands (by title and content).
3. Normalize section order and headings to the ClawHub structure.
4. Extract or generate:
- Description: frontmatter description + first paragraph or intro.
- Installation: looks for "install", "clawhub", "clone", "npm" etc.; otherwise adds a placeholder.
- Usage: keeps or merges "Usage", "When to use", "How to use" content.
- Examples: keeps existing examples; with --generate-examples, adds 1–2 benefit-focused examples from the description.
- Commands: collects fenced bash/code blocks and list items that look like CLI commands; merges into one Commands section.
5. Emit a single markdown document with clean headings and optional table of contents.
6. Security Review (optional): Run security checks to identify issues that may affect ClawHub security scans.
Manual template
If you prefer to edit by hand, use this structure in your SKILL.md:
markdown
name: your-skill displayName: Your Skill | OpenClaw Skill description: One-sentence description. Use when [trigger scenarios]. version: 1.0.0
Your Skill Name
Short intro: what it does and why it matters (1–2 sentences).
Requirements
name, description).Files in this skill
SKILL.md — This file (instructions for the formatter skill).scripts/format_skill_doc.py — Parser and formatter script.TEMPLATE_CLAWHUB_SKILL.md — Copy-paste template for ClawHub-optimized SKILL.md.💡 Examples
Example 1: [benefit]
*Scenario:* User wants to do X.
*Action:* Run your-command --foo.
*Outcome:* Brief result that showcases the benefit.
Example 2: [benefit] (Same pattern.)