moltbot/AGENTS.md

AGENTS.MD

Telegraph style. Root rules only. Read scoped AGENTS.md before subtree work. Skills own workflows; root owns hard policy and routing.

Start

• Repo: https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw
• Replies: repo-root refs only: extensions/telegram/src/index.ts:80. No absolute paths, no ~/.
• Docs/user-visible work: pnpm docs:list, then read relevant docs only.
• Fix/triage answers need source, tests, current/shipped behavior, and dependency contract proof.
• Dependency-backed behavior: read upstream docs/source/types first. No API/default/error/timing guesses.
• Live-verify when feasible. Never print secrets.
• Missing deps: pnpm install, retry once, then report first actionable error.
• CODEOWNERS: maint/refactor/tests ok. Larger behavior/product/security/ownership: owner ask/review.
• Product/docs/UI/changelog wording: "plugin/plugins"; extensions/ is internal.
• New channel/plugin/app/doc surface: update .github/labeler.yml + GH labels.
• New AGENTS.md: add sibling CLAUDE.md symlink; edit AGENTS.md only.

Map

• Core TS: src/, ui/, packages/; plugins: extensions/; SDK: src/plugin-sdk/*; channels: src/channels/*; loader: src/plugins/*; protocol: src/gateway/protocol/*; docs/apps: docs/, apps/.
• Installers: sibling ../openclaw.ai.
• Scoped guides: extensions/, src/{plugin-sdk,channels,plugins,gateway,gateway/protocol,agents}/, test/helpers*/, docs/, ui/, scripts/.

Architecture

• Core stays plugin-agnostic. No bundled ids/defaults/policy in core when manifest/registry/capability contracts work.
• Plugins cross into core only via openclaw/plugin-sdk/*, manifest metadata, injected runtime helpers, documented barrels (api.ts, runtime-api.ts).
• Plugin prod code: no core src/**, src/plugin-sdk-internal/**, other plugin src/**, or relative outside package.
• Core/tests: no deep plugin internals (extensions/*/src/**, onboard.js). Use public barrels, SDK facade, generic contracts.
• Owner boundary: owner-specific repair/detection/onboarding/auth/defaults/provider behavior lives in owner plugin. Shared/core gets generic seams only.
• Dependency ownership follows runtime ownership: plugin-only deps stay plugin-local; root deps only for core imports or intentionally internalized bundled plugin runtime.
• Legacy config repair belongs in openclaw doctor --fix, not startup/load-time core migrations. Runtime paths use canonical contracts.
• New seams: backward-compatible, documented, versioned. Third-party plugins exist.
• Channels are implementation under src/channels/**; plugin authors get SDK seams. Providers own auth/catalog/runtime hooks; core owns generic loop.
• Hot paths should carry prepared facts forward: provider id, model ref, channel id, target, capability family, attachment class. Do not rediscover with broad plugin/provider/channel/capability loaders.
• Do not fix repeated request-time discovery with scattered caches. Move the canonical fact earlier; reuse prepared runtime objects; delete duplicate lookup branches.
• Gateway protocol changes: additive first; incompatible needs versioning/docs/client follow-through.
• Config contract: exported types, schema/help, metadata, baselines, docs aligned. Retired public keys stay retired; compat in raw migration/doctor only.
• Prompt cache: deterministic ordering for maps/sets/registries/plugin lists/files/network results before model/tool payloads. Preserve old transcript bytes when possible.

Commands

• Runtime: Node 22+. Keep Node + Bun paths working.
• Package manager/runtime: repo defaults only. No swaps without approval.
• Install: pnpm install (keep Bun lock/patches aligned if touched).
• CLI: pnpm openclaw ... or pnpm dev; build: pnpm build.
• Tests: pnpm test <path-or-filter> [vitest args...], pnpm test:changed, pnpm test:serial, pnpm test:coverage; never raw vitest.
• Checks: pnpm check:changed; lanes: pnpm changed:lanes --json; staged: pnpm check:changed --staged; full: pnpm check.
• Extension tests: pnpm test:extensions, pnpm test extensions, pnpm test extensions/<id>.
• Typecheck: tsgo lanes only (pnpm tsgo*, pnpm check:test-types); never add tsc --noEmit, typecheck, check:types.
• Formatting: oxfmt, not Prettier. Use repo wrappers (pnpm format:*, pnpm lint:*, scripts/run-oxlint.mjs).
• Build before push when build output, packaging, lazy/module boundaries, dynamic imports, or published surfaces can change.

Validation

• Use $openclaw-testing for test/CI choice and $crabbox for remote/full/E2E proof.
• Small/narrow tests, lints, format checks, and type probes are fine locally.
• Full suites, broad changed gates, Docker/package/E2E/live/cross-OS proof, or anything that bogs down the Mac: Crabbox/Testbox.
• One/few files local. If a local command fans out, stop and move broad proof to Crabbox/Testbox.
• Before handoff/push: prove touched surface. Before landing to main: issue proof plus appropriate full/broad proof unless scope is clearly narrow.
• If proof is blocked, say exactly what is missing and why.
• Do not land related failing format/lint/type/build/tests. If unrelated on latest origin/main, say so with scoped proof.
• Docs/changelog-only and CI/workflow metadata-only: git diff --check plus relevant docs/workflow sanity; escalate only if scripts/config/generated/package/runtime behavior changed.

GitHub / PRs

• Use $openclaw-pr-maintainer immediately for maintainer-side OpenClaw issue/PR review, triage, duplicates, labels, comments, close, land, or evidence. Contributor PR creation/refresh follows the requested contributor workflow; linked refs alone do not require maintainer archive tooling.
• PR refs: gh pr view/diff or gh api, not web search. Prefer gitcrawl for maintainer discovery; missing/stale gitcrawl falls through to live gh, not contributor setup. Verify live with gh before mutation.
• Bare issue/PR URL/number means review/report in chat. Suggest comment/close/merge when appropriate; mutate only when asked.
• No unsolicited PR comments/reviews/labels/retitles/rebases/fixups/landing. Exception: close/duplicate action that needs a reason comment after explicit close/sweep/landing request.
• Maintainer decision closes the cluster: if deciding reported behavior/proposed fix is not planned, comment+close all directly associated open issues/PRs unless explicitly told to keep one open. Associated means linked PRs/issues, duplicates, companion workaround PRs, and the canonical issue for the rejected behavior.
• Do not leave associated issues open for hypothetical future repros. Close with rationale; ask for a new issue or reopen only if concrete new evidence appears. Close comment states: decision, why, supported alternative, and what evidence would change the decision.
• PR review answer: bug/behavior, URL(s), affected surface, best-fix judgment, evidence from code/tests/CI/current or shipped behavior.
• Issue/PR final answer: last line is the full GitHub URL.
• Changelog: PR landings/fixes need one unless pure test/internal. Do not mention missing changelog as a review finding; Codex handles it during fix/landing.
• PR verification: before merge, post exact local commands, CI/Testbox run IDs, before/after proof when used, and known proof gaps.
• Issue fixed on main with proof: comment proof + commit/PR, then close.
• After landing or requested close/sweep: search duplicates; comment proof + canonical commit/PR/release before closing.
• ship that fixes an issue: after push, comment proof + commit link, then close the issue.
• GH comments with backticks, $, or shell snippets: use heredoc/body file, not inline double-quoted --body.
• PR create: real body required. Include Summary + Verification; mention refs, behavior, and proof.
• PR artifacts/screenshots: attach to PR/comment/external artifact store. Do not commit .github/pr-assets.
• CI polling: exact SHA, relevant checks only, minimal fields. Skip routine noise (Auto response, Labeler, docs agents, performance/stale). Logs only after failure/completion or concrete need.
• Maintainers: ignore Real behavior proof failures that only say PR body lacks real after-fix evidence.
• /landpr: use ~/.codex/prompts/landpr.md; do not idle on auto-response or check-docs.

Code

• TS ESM, strict. Avoid any; prefer real types, unknown, narrow adapters.
• No @ts-nocheck. Lint suppressions only intentional + explained.
• External boundaries: prefer zod or existing schema helpers.
• Runtime branching: discriminated unions/closed codes over freeform strings. Avoid semantic sentinels (?? 0, empty object/string).
• Dynamic import: no static+dynamic import for same prod module. Use *.runtime.ts lazy boundary. After edits: pnpm build; check [INEFFECTIVE_DYNAMIC_IMPORT].
• Cycles: keep pnpm check:import-cycles + architecture/madge green.
• Classes: no prototype mixins/mutations. Prefer inheritance/composition. Tests prefer per-instance stubs.
• Comments: brief, only non-obvious logic.
• Split files around ~700 LOC when clarity/testability improves.
• Naming: OpenClaw product/docs; openclaw CLI/package/path/config.
• English: American spelling.

Tests

• Vitest. Colocated *.test.ts; e2e *.e2e.test.ts; example models sonnet-4.6, gpt-5.5; test GPT with 5.5 preferred, 5.4 ok; no GPT-4.x agent-smoke defaults.
• Prefer behavior tests over workflow/docs string greps. Put operator policy reminders in AGENTS/docs.
• Clean timers/env/globals/mocks/sockets/temp dirs/module state; --isolate=false safe.
• Prefer injection and narrow *.runtime.ts mocks over broad barrels or openclaw/plugin-sdk/*.
• Do not edit baseline/inventory/ignore/snapshot/expected-failure files to silence checks without explicit approval.
• Do not run independent pnpm test/Vitest commands concurrently in one worktree; Vitest cache races with ENOTEMPTY. Group one command or use distinct OPENCLAW_VITEST_FS_MODULE_CACHE_PATH.
• Test workers max 16. Memory pressure: OPENCLAW_VITEST_MAX_WORKERS=1 pnpm test.
• Live: OPENCLAW_LIVE_TEST=1 pnpm test:live; verbose OPENCLAW_LIVE_TEST_QUIET=0.
• Guide: docs/reference/test.md.

Docs / Changelog

• Use $openclaw-docs for docs writing/review. Docs change with behavior/API.
• Codex harness upgrade (extensions/codex/package.json @openai/codex): refresh docs/plugins/codex-harness.md model snapshot from the new harness model/list.
• Docs final answers: include relevant full https://docs.openclaw.ai/... URL(s). If issue/PR work too, GitHub URL last.
• Changelog entries: active version ### Changes/### Fixes; single-line bullets only.
• Contributor PR authors should not edit CHANGELOG.md; maintainer/AI adds entries during landing/merge.
• Contributor-facing changelog entries thank credited human @author. Never thank bots, @openclaw, @clawsweeper, or @steipete; if unknown, omit thanks.

Git

• Commit via scripts/committer "<msg>" <file...>; stage intended files only.
• Commits: conventional-ish, concise, grouped.
• No manual stash/autostash unless explicit. No branch/worktree changes unless requested.
• main: no merge commits; rebase on latest origin/main before push. After one green run plus clean rebase sanity, do not chase moving main with repeated full gates.
• User says commit: your changes only. commit all: all changes in grouped chunks. push: may git pull --rebase first.
• User says ship it: changelog if needed, commit intended changes, pull --rebase, push.
• Do not delete/rename unexpected files; ask if blocking, else ignore.
• Bulk PR close/reopen >5: ask with count/scope.

Security / Release

• Never commit real phone numbers, videos, credentials, live config.
• Secrets: channel/provider creds in ~/.openclaw/credentials/; model auth profiles in ~/.openclaw/agents/<agentId>/agent/auth-profiles.json.
• Dependency patches/overrides/vendor changes need explicit approval. pnpm-workspace.yaml patched dependencies use exact versions only.
• Carbon pins owner-only: do not change @buape/carbon unless Shadow (@thewilloftheshadow, verified by gh) asks.
• Releases/publish/version bumps need explicit approval. Use $openclaw-release-maintainer.
• GHSA/advisories: $openclaw-ghsa-maintainer / $security-triage. Secret scanning: $openclaw-secret-scanning-maintainer.
• Beta tag/version match: vYYYY.M.D-beta.N -> npm YYYY.M.D-beta.N --tag beta.

Platform / Ops

• Before simulator/emulator testing, check real iOS/Android devices.
• "restart iOS/Android apps" = rebuild/reinstall/relaunch, not kill/launch.
• SwiftUI: Observation (@Observable, @Bindable) over new ObservableObject.
• Mac gateway: dev watch = pnpm gateway:watch; managed installs = openclaw gateway restart/status --deep; logs = ./scripts/clawlog.sh. No launchd/ad-hoc tmux.
• Version bump surfaces live in $openclaw-release-maintainer.
• Parallels: $openclaw-parallels-smoke; Discord roundtrip: $parallels-discord-roundtrip.
• Crabbox/WebVNC human demos: keep remote desktop visible/windowed; no fullscreen remote browser unless video/capture-style output.
• ClawSweeper ops: $clawsweeper. Deployed hook sessions may post one concise #clawsweeper note only when surprising/actionable/risky; if using message tool, reply exactly NO_REPLY.
• Memory wiki prompt digest stays tiny; prefer wiki_search / wiki_get; verify contact data before use; source-class provenance for generated people facts.
• Rebrand/migration/config warnings: run openclaw doctor.
• Never edit node_modules.
• Local-only .agents ignores: .git/info/exclude, not repo .gitignore.
• Provider tool schemas: prefer flat string enum helpers over Type.Union([Type.Literal(...)]); some providers reject anyOf.
• External messaging: no token-delta channel messages. Follow docs/concepts/streaming.md.