Hooks

Hooks provide an extensible event-driven system for automating actions in response to agent commands and events. Hooks are automatically discovered from directories and can be managed via CLI commands, similar to how skills work in OpenClaw.

Getting Oriented

Hooks are small scripts that run when something happens. There are two kinds:

Hooks (this page): run inside the Gateway when agent events fire, like /new, /reset, /stop, or lifecycle events.
Webhooks: external HTTP webhooks that let other systems trigger work in OpenClaw. See Webhook Hooks or use openclaw webhooks for Gmail helper commands.

Hooks can also be bundled inside plugins; see Plugins. Common uses:

Save a memory snapshot when you reset a session
Keep an audit trail of commands for troubleshooting or compliance
Trigger follow-up automation when a session starts or ends
Write files into the agent workspace or call external APIs when events fire

If you can write a small TypeScript function, you can write a hook. Hooks are discovered automatically, and you enable or disable them via the CLI.

Overview

The hooks system allows you to:

Save session context to memory when /new is issued
Log all commands for auditing
Trigger custom automations on agent lifecycle events
Extend OpenClaw’s behavior without modifying core code

Getting Started

Bundled Hooks

OpenClaw ships with four bundled hooks that are automatically discovered:

💾 session-memory: Saves session context to your agent workspace (default ~/.openclaw/workspace/memory/) when you issue /new
📎 bootstrap-extra-files: Injects additional workspace bootstrap files from configured glob/path patterns during agent:bootstrap
📝 command-logger: Logs all command events to ~/.openclaw/logs/commands.log
🚀 boot-md: Runs BOOT.md when the gateway starts (requires internal hooks enabled)

List available hooks:

openclaw hooks list

Enable a hook:

openclaw hooks enable session-memory

Check hook status:

openclaw hooks check

Get detailed information:

openclaw hooks info session-memory

Onboarding

During onboarding (openclaw onboard), you’ll be prompted to enable recommended hooks. The wizard automatically discovers eligible hooks and presents them for selection.

Hook Discovery

Hooks are automatically discovered from three directories (in order of precedence):

Workspace hooks: <workspace>/hooks/ (per-agent, highest precedence)
Managed hooks: ~/.openclaw/hooks/ (user-installed, shared across workspaces)
Bundled hooks: <openclaw>/dist/hooks/bundled/ (shipped with OpenClaw)

Managed hook directories can be either a single hook or a hook pack (package directory). Each hook is a directory containing:

my-hook/
├── HOOK.md          # Metadata + documentation
└── handler.ts       # Handler implementation

Hook Packs (npm/archives)

Hook packs are standard npm packages that export one or more hooks via openclaw.hooks in package.json. Install them with:

openclaw hooks install <path-or-spec>

Npm specs are registry-only (package name + optional exact version or dist-tag). Git/URL/file specs and semver ranges are rejected. Bare specs and @latest stay on the stable track. If npm resolves either of those to a prerelease, OpenClaw stops and asks you to opt in explicitly with a prerelease tag such as @beta/@rc or an exact prerelease version. Example package.json:

{
  "name": "@acme/my-hooks",
  "version": "0.1.0",
  "openclaw": {
    "hooks": ["./hooks/my-hook", "./hooks/other-hook"]
  }
}

Each entry points to a hook directory containing HOOK.md and handler.ts (or index.ts). Hook packs can ship dependencies; they will be installed under ~/.openclaw/hooks/<id>. Each openclaw.hooks entry must stay inside the package directory after symlink resolution; entries that escape are rejected. Security note: openclaw hooks install installs dependencies with npm install --ignore-scripts (no lifecycle scripts). Keep hook pack dependency trees “pure JS/TS” and avoid packages that rely on postinstall builds.

Hook Structure

HOOK.md Format

The HOOK.md file contains metadata in YAML frontmatter plus Markdown documentation:

---
name: my-hook
description: "Short description of what this hook does"
homepage: https://docs.openclaw.ai/automation/hooks#my-hook
metadata:
  { "openclaw": { "emoji": "🔗", "events": ["command:new"], "requires": { "bins": ["node"] } } }
---

# My Hook

Detailed documentation goes here...

## What It Does

- Listens for `/new` commands
- Performs some action
- Logs the result

## Requirements

- Node.js must be installed

## Configuration

No configuration needed.

Metadata Fields

The metadata.openclaw object supports:

emoji: Display emoji for CLI (e.g., "💾")
events: Array of events to listen for (e.g., ["command:new", "command:reset"])
export: Named export to use (defaults to "default")
homepage: Documentation URL
requires: Optional requirements
- bins: Required binaries on PATH (e.g., ["git", "node"])
- anyBins: At least one of these binaries must be present
- env: Required environment variables
- config: Required config paths (e.g., ["workspace.dir"])
- os: Required platforms (e.g., ["darwin", "linux"])
always: Bypass eligibility checks (boolean)
install: Installation methods (for bundled hooks: [{"id":"bundled","kind":"bundled"}])

Handler Implementation

The handler.ts file exports a HookHandler function:

const myHandler = async (event) => {
  // Only trigger on 'new' command
  if (event.type !== "command" || event.action !== "new") {
    return;
  }

  console.log(`[my-hook] New command triggered`);
  console.log(`  Session: ${event.sessionKey}`);
  console.log(`  Timestamp: ${event.timestamp.toISOString()}`);

  // Your custom logic here

  // Optionally send message to user
  event.messages.push("✨ My hook executed!");
};

export default myHandler;

Event Context

Each event includes:

{
  type: 'command' | 'session' | 'agent' | 'gateway' | 'message',
  action: string,              // e.g., 'new', 'reset', 'stop', 'received', 'sent'
  sessionKey: string,          // Session identifier
  timestamp: Date,             // When the event occurred
  messages: string[],          // Push messages here to send to user
  context: {
    // Command events:
    sessionEntry?: SessionEntry,
    sessionId?: string,
    sessionFile?: string,
    commandSource?: string,    // e.g., 'whatsapp', 'telegram'
    senderId?: string,
    workspaceDir?: string,
    bootstrapFiles?: WorkspaceBootstrapFile[],
    cfg?: OpenClawConfig,
    // Message events (see Message Events section for full details):
    from?: string,             // message:received
    to?: string,               // message:sent
    content?: string,
    channelId?: string,
    success?: boolean,         // message:sent
  }
}

Event Types

Command Events

Triggered when agent commands are issued:

command: All command events (general listener)
command:new: When /new command is issued
command:reset: When /reset command is issued
command:stop: When /stop command is issued

Session Events

session:compact:before: Right before compaction summarizes history
session:compact:after: After compaction completes with summary metadata

Internal hook payloads emit these as type: "session" with action: "compact:before" / action: "compact:after"; listeners subscribe with the combined keys above. Specific handler registration uses the literal key format ${type}:${action}. For these events, register session:compact:before and session:compact:after.

Agent Events

agent:bootstrap: Before workspace bootstrap files are injected (hooks may mutate context.bootstrapFiles)

Gateway Events

Triggered when the gateway starts:

gateway:startup: After channels start and hooks are loaded

Message Events

Triggered when messages are received or sent:

message: All message events (general listener)
message:received: When an inbound message is received from any channel. Fires early in processing before media understanding. Content may contain raw placeholders like <media:audio> for media attachments that haven’t been processed yet.
message:transcribed: When a message has been fully processed, including audio transcription and link understanding. At this point, transcript contains the full transcript text for audio messages. Use this hook when you need access to transcribed audio content.
message:preprocessed: Fires for every message after all media + link understanding completes, giving hooks access to the fully enriched body (transcripts, image descriptions, link summaries) before the agent sees it.
message:sent: When an outbound message is successfully sent

Message Event Context

Message events include rich context about the message:

// message:received context
{
  from: string,           // Sender identifier (phone number, user ID, etc.)
  content: string,        // Message content
  timestamp?: number,     // Unix timestamp when received
  channelId: string,      // Channel (e.g., "whatsapp", "telegram", "discord")
  accountId?: string,     // Provider account ID for multi-account setups
  conversationId?: string, // Chat/conversation ID
  messageId?: string,     // Message ID from the provider
  metadata?: {            // Additional provider-specific data
    to?: string,
    provider?: string,
    surface?: string,
    threadId?: string,
    senderId?: string,
    senderName?: string,
    senderUsername?: string,
    senderE164?: string,
  }
}

// message:sent context
{
  to: string,             // Recipient identifier
  content: string,        // Message content that was sent
  success: boolean,       // Whether the send succeeded
  error?: string,         // Error message if sending failed
  channelId: string,      // Channel (e.g., "whatsapp", "telegram", "discord")
  accountId?: string,     // Provider account ID
  conversationId?: string, // Chat/conversation ID
  messageId?: string,     // Message ID returned by the provider
  isGroup?: boolean,      // Whether this outbound message belongs to a group/channel context
  groupId?: string,       // Group/channel identifier for correlation with message:received
}

// message:transcribed context
{
  body?: string,          // Raw inbound body before enrichment
  bodyForAgent?: string,  // Enriched body visible to the agent
  transcript: string,     // Audio transcript text
  channelId: string,      // Channel (e.g., "telegram", "whatsapp")
  conversationId?: string,
  messageId?: string,
}

// message:preprocessed context
{
  body?: string,          // Raw inbound body
  bodyForAgent?: string,  // Final enriched body after media/link understanding
  transcript?: string,    // Transcript when audio was present
  channelId: string,      // Channel (e.g., "telegram", "whatsapp")
  conversationId?: string,
  messageId?: string,
  isGroup?: boolean,
  groupId?: string,
}

Example: Message Logger Hook

const isMessageReceivedEvent = (event: { type: string; action: string }) =>
  event.type === "message" && event.action === "received";
const isMessageSentEvent = (event: { type: string; action: string }) =>
  event.type === "message" && event.action === "sent";

const handler = async (event) => {
  if (isMessageReceivedEvent(event as { type: string; action: string })) {
    console.log(`[message-logger] Received from ${event.context.from}: ${event.context.content}`);
  } else if (isMessageSentEvent(event as { type: string; action: string })) {
    console.log(`[message-logger] Sent to ${event.context.to}: ${event.context.content}`);
  }
};

export default handler;

Tool Result Hooks (Plugin API)

These hooks are not event-stream listeners; they let plugins synchronously adjust tool results before OpenClaw persists them.

tool_result_persist: transform tool results before they are written to the session transcript. Must be synchronous; return the updated tool result payload or undefined to keep it as-is. See Agent Loop.

Plugin Hook Events

Compaction lifecycle hooks exposed through the plugin hook runner:

before_compaction: Runs before compaction with count/token metadata
after_compaction: Runs after compaction with compaction summary metadata

Future Events

Planned event types:

session:start: When a new session begins
session:end: When a session ends
agent:error: When an agent encounters an error

Creating Custom Hooks

1. Choose Location

Workspace hooks (<workspace>/hooks/): Per-agent, highest precedence
Managed hooks (~/.openclaw/hooks/): Shared across workspaces

2. Create Directory Structure

mkdir -p ~/.openclaw/hooks/my-hook
cd ~/.openclaw/hooks/my-hook

3. Create HOOK.md

---
name: my-hook
description: "Does something useful"
metadata: { "openclaw": { "emoji": "🎯", "events": ["command:new"] } }
---

# My Custom Hook

This hook does something useful when you issue `/new`.

4. Create handler.ts

const handler = async (event) => {
  if (event.type !== "command" || event.action !== "new") {
    return;
  }

  console.log("[my-hook] Running!");
  // Your logic here
};

export default handler;

5. Enable and Test

# Verify hook is discovered
openclaw hooks list

# Enable it
openclaw hooks enable my-hook

# Restart your gateway process (menu bar app restart on macOS, or restart your dev process)

# Trigger the event
# Send /new via your messaging channel

Configuration

New Config Format (Recommended)

{
  "hooks": {
    "internal": {
      "enabled": true,
      "entries": {
        "session-memory": { "enabled": true },
        "command-logger": { "enabled": false }
      }
    }
  }
}

Per-Hook Configuration

Hooks can have custom configuration:

{
  "hooks": {
    "internal": {
      "enabled": true,
      "entries": {
        "my-hook": {
          "enabled": true,
          "env": {
            "MY_CUSTOM_VAR": "value"
          }
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Extra Directories

Load hooks from additional directories:

{
  "hooks": {
    "internal": {
      "enabled": true,
      "load": {
        "extraDirs": ["/path/to/more/hooks"]
      }
    }
  }
}

Legacy Config Format (Still Supported)

The old config format still works for backwards compatibility:

{
  "hooks": {
    "internal": {
      "enabled": true,
      "handlers": [
        {
          "event": "command:new",
          "module": "./hooks/handlers/my-handler.ts",
          "export": "default"
        }
      ]
    }
  }
}

Note: module must be a workspace-relative path. Absolute paths and traversal outside the workspace are rejected. Migration: Use the new discovery-based system for new hooks. Legacy handlers are loaded after directory-based hooks.

CLI Commands

List Hooks

# List all hooks
openclaw hooks list

# Show only eligible hooks
openclaw hooks list --eligible

# Verbose output (show missing requirements)
openclaw hooks list --verbose

# JSON output
openclaw hooks list --json

Hook Information

# Show detailed info about a hook
openclaw hooks info session-memory

# JSON output
openclaw hooks info session-memory --json

Check Eligibility

# Show eligibility summary
openclaw hooks check

# JSON output
openclaw hooks check --json

Enable/Disable

# Enable a hook
openclaw hooks enable session-memory

# Disable a hook
openclaw hooks disable command-logger

Bundled hook reference

session-memory

Saves session context to memory when you issue /new. Events: command:new Requirements: workspace.dir must be configured Output: <workspace>/memory/YYYY-MM-DD-slug.md (defaults to ~/.openclaw/workspace) What it does:

Uses the pre-reset session entry to locate the correct transcript
Extracts the last 15 lines of conversation
Uses LLM to generate a descriptive filename slug
Saves session metadata to a dated memory file

Example output:

# Session: 2026-01-16 14:30:00 UTC

- **Session Key**: agent:main:main
- **Session ID**: abc123def456
- **Source**: telegram

Filename examples:

2026-01-16-vendor-pitch.md
2026-01-16-api-design.md
2026-01-16-1430.md (fallback timestamp if slug generation fails)

Enable:

openclaw hooks enable session-memory

bootstrap-extra-files

Injects additional bootstrap files (for example monorepo-local AGENTS.md / TOOLS.md) during agent:bootstrap. Events: agent:bootstrap Requirements: workspace.dir must be configured Output: No files written; bootstrap context is modified in-memory only. Config:

{
  "hooks": {
    "internal": {
      "enabled": true,
      "entries": {
        "bootstrap-extra-files": {
          "enabled": true,
          "paths": ["packages/*/AGENTS.md", "packages/*/TOOLS.md"]
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Notes:

Paths are resolved relative to workspace.
Files must stay inside workspace (realpath-checked).
Only recognized bootstrap basenames are loaded.
Subagent allowlist is preserved (AGENTS.md and TOOLS.md only).

Enable:

openclaw hooks enable bootstrap-extra-files

command-logger

Logs all command events to a centralized audit file. Events: command Requirements: None Output: ~/.openclaw/logs/commands.log What it does:

Captures event details (command action, timestamp, session key, sender ID, source)
Appends to log file in JSONL format
Runs silently in the background

Example log entries:

{"timestamp":"2026-01-16T14:30:00.000Z","action":"new","sessionKey":"agent:main:main","senderId":"+1234567890","source":"telegram"}
{"timestamp":"2026-01-16T15:45:22.000Z","action":"stop","sessionKey":"agent:main:main","senderId":"[email protected]","source":"whatsapp"}

View logs:

# View recent commands
tail -n 20 ~/.openclaw/logs/commands.log

# Pretty-print with jq
cat ~/.openclaw/logs/commands.log | jq .

# Filter by action
grep '"action":"new"' ~/.openclaw/logs/commands.log | jq .

Enable:

openclaw hooks enable command-logger

boot-md

Runs BOOT.md when the gateway starts (after channels start). Internal hooks must be enabled for this to run. Events: gateway:startup Requirements: workspace.dir must be configured What it does:

Reads BOOT.md from your workspace
Runs the instructions via the agent runner
Sends any requested outbound messages via the message tool

Enable:

openclaw hooks enable boot-md

Best Practices

Keep Handlers Fast

Hooks run during command processing. Keep them lightweight:

// ✓ Good - async work, returns immediately
const handler: HookHandler = async (event) => {
  void processInBackground(event); // Fire and forget
};

// ✗ Bad - blocks command processing
const handler: HookHandler = async (event) => {
  await slowDatabaseQuery(event);
  await evenSlowerAPICall(event);
};

Handle Errors Gracefully

Always wrap risky operations:

const handler: HookHandler = async (event) => {
  try {
    await riskyOperation(event);
  } catch (err) {
    console.error("[my-handler] Failed:", err instanceof Error ? err.message : String(err));
    // Don't throw - let other handlers run
  }
};

Filter Events Early

Return early if the event isn’t relevant:

const handler: HookHandler = async (event) => {
  // Only handle 'new' commands
  if (event.type !== "command" || event.action !== "new") {
    return;
  }

  // Your logic here
};

Use Specific Event Keys

Specify exact events in metadata when possible:

metadata: { "openclaw": { "events": ["command:new"] } } # Specific

Rather than:

metadata: { "openclaw": { "events": ["command"] } } # General - more overhead

Debugging

Enable Hook Logging

The gateway logs hook loading at startup:

Registered hook: session-memory -> command:new
Registered hook: bootstrap-extra-files -> agent:bootstrap
Registered hook: command-logger -> command
Registered hook: boot-md -> gateway:startup

Check Discovery

List all discovered hooks:

openclaw hooks list --verbose

Check Registration

In your handler, log when it’s called:

const handler: HookHandler = async (event) => {
  console.log("[my-handler] Triggered:", event.type, event.action);
  // Your logic
};

Verify Eligibility

Check why a hook isn’t eligible:

openclaw hooks info my-hook

Look for missing requirements in the output.

Testing

Gateway Logs

Monitor gateway logs to see hook execution:

# macOS
./scripts/clawlog.sh -f

# Other platforms
tail -f ~/.openclaw/gateway.log

Test Hooks Directly

Test your handlers in isolation:

import { test } from "vitest";
import myHandler from "./hooks/my-hook/handler.js";

test("my handler works", async () => {
  const event = {
    type: "command",
    action: "new",
    sessionKey: "test-session",
    timestamp: new Date(),
    messages: [],
    context: { foo: "bar" },
  };

  await myHandler(event);

  // Assert side effects
});

Architecture

Core Components

src/hooks/types.ts: Type definitions
src/hooks/workspace.ts: Directory scanning and loading
src/hooks/frontmatter.ts: HOOK.md metadata parsing
src/hooks/config.ts: Eligibility checking
src/hooks/hooks-status.ts: Status reporting
src/hooks/loader.ts: Dynamic module loader
src/cli/hooks-cli.ts: CLI commands
src/gateway/server-startup.ts: Loads hooks at gateway start
src/auto-reply/reply/commands-core.ts: Triggers command events

Discovery Flow

Gateway startup
    ↓
Scan directories (workspace → managed → bundled)
    ↓
Parse HOOK.md files
    ↓
Check eligibility (bins, env, config, os)
    ↓
Load handlers from eligible hooks
    ↓
Register handlers for events

Event Flow

User sends /new
    ↓
Command validation
    ↓
Create hook event
    ↓
Trigger hook (all registered handlers)
    ↓
Command processing continues
    ↓
Session reset

Troubleshooting

Hook Not Discovered

Check directory structure:

ls -la ~/.openclaw/hooks/my-hook/
# Should show: HOOK.md, handler.ts

Verify HOOK.md format:

cat ~/.openclaw/hooks/my-hook/HOOK.md
# Should have YAML frontmatter with name and metadata

List all discovered hooks:
openclaw hooks list

Hook Not Eligible

Check requirements:

openclaw hooks info my-hook

Look for missing:

Binaries (check PATH)
Environment variables
Config values
OS compatibility

Hook Not Executing

Verify hook is enabled:

openclaw hooks list
# Should show ✓ next to enabled hooks

Restart your gateway process so hooks reload.
Check gateway logs for errors:
./scripts/clawlog.sh | grep hook

Handler Errors

Check for TypeScript/import errors:

# Test import directly
node -e "import('./path/to/handler.ts').then(console.log)"

Migration Guide

From Legacy Config to Discovery

Before:

{
  "hooks": {
    "internal": {
      "enabled": true,
      "handlers": [
        {
          "event": "command:new",
          "module": "./hooks/handlers/my-handler.ts"
        }
      ]
    }
  }
}

After:

Create hook directory:

mkdir -p ~/.openclaw/hooks/my-hook
mv ./hooks/handlers/my-handler.ts ~/.openclaw/hooks/my-hook/handler.ts

Create HOOK.md:

---
name: my-hook
description: "My custom hook"
metadata: { "openclaw": { "emoji": "🎯", "events": ["command:new"] } }
---

# My Hook

Does something useful.

Update config:

{
  "hooks": {
    "internal": {
      "enabled": true,
      "entries": {
        "my-hook": { "enabled": true }
      }
    }
  }
}

Verify and restart your gateway process:

openclaw hooks list
# Should show: 🎯 my-hook ✓

Benefits of migration:

Automatic discovery
CLI management
Eligibility checking
Better documentation
Consistent structure

​Hooks

​Getting Oriented

​Overview

​Getting Started

​Bundled Hooks

​Onboarding

​Hook Discovery

​Hook Packs (npm/archives)

​Hook Structure

​HOOK.md Format

​Metadata Fields

​Handler Implementation

​Event Context

​Event Types

​Command Events

​Session Events

​Agent Events

​Gateway Events

​Message Events

​Message Event Context

​Example: Message Logger Hook

​Tool Result Hooks (Plugin API)

​Plugin Hook Events

​Future Events

​Creating Custom Hooks

​1. Choose Location

​2. Create Directory Structure

​3. Create HOOK.md

​4. Create handler.ts

​5. Enable and Test

​Configuration

​New Config Format (Recommended)

​Per-Hook Configuration

​Extra Directories

​Legacy Config Format (Still Supported)

​CLI Commands

​List Hooks

​Hook Information

​Check Eligibility

​Enable/Disable

​Bundled hook reference

​session-memory

​bootstrap-extra-files

​command-logger

​boot-md

​Best Practices

​Keep Handlers Fast

​Handle Errors Gracefully

​Filter Events Early

​Use Specific Event Keys

​Debugging

​Enable Hook Logging

​Check Discovery

​Check Registration

​Verify Eligibility

​Testing

​Gateway Logs

​Test Hooks Directly

​Architecture

​Core Components

​Discovery Flow

​Event Flow

​Troubleshooting

​Hook Not Discovered

​Hook Not Eligible

​Hook Not Executing

​Handler Errors

​Migration Guide

​From Legacy Config to Discovery

​See Also

Hooks

Getting Oriented

Overview

Getting Started

Bundled Hooks

Onboarding

Hook Discovery

Hook Packs (npm/archives)

Hook Structure

HOOK.md Format

Metadata Fields

Handler Implementation

Event Context

Event Types

Command Events

Session Events

Agent Events

Gateway Events

Message Events

Message Event Context

Example: Message Logger Hook

Tool Result Hooks (Plugin API)

Plugin Hook Events

Future Events

Creating Custom Hooks

1. Choose Location

2. Create Directory Structure

3. Create HOOK.md

4. Create handler.ts

5. Enable and Test

Configuration

New Config Format (Recommended)

Per-Hook Configuration

Extra Directories

Legacy Config Format (Still Supported)

CLI Commands

List Hooks

Hook Information

Check Eligibility

Enable/Disable

Bundled hook reference

session-memory

bootstrap-extra-files

command-logger

boot-md

Best Practices

Keep Handlers Fast

Handle Errors Gracefully

Filter Events Early

Use Specific Event Keys

Debugging

Enable Hook Logging

Check Discovery

Check Registration

Verify Eligibility

Testing

Gateway Logs

Test Hooks Directly

Architecture

Core Components

Discovery Flow

Event Flow

Troubleshooting

Hook Not Discovered

Hook Not Eligible

Hook Not Executing

Handler Errors

Migration Guide

From Legacy Config to Discovery

See Also