Agent Builder

Build high-performing OpenClaw agents end-to-end. Use when you want to design a new agent (persona + operating rules) and generate the required OpenClaw workspace files (SOUL.md, IDENTITY.md, AGENTS.m

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Last updated: April 23, 2026

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Agent Builder (OpenClaw)

Design and generate a complete OpenClaw agent workspace with strong defaults and advanced-user-oriented clarifying questions.

Canonical references

Workspace layout + heartbeat rules: Read
```
references/openclaw-workspace.md
```
File templates/snippets: Read
```
references/templates.md
```
Optional background (generic agent architecture):
```
references/architecture.md
```

Workflow: build an agent from scratch

Phase 1 — Interview (ask clarifying questions)

Ask only what you need; keep it tight. Prefer multiple short rounds over one giant questionnaire.

Minimum question set (advanced):

Job statement: What is the agent’s primary mission in one sentence?
Surfaces: Which channels (Telegram/WhatsApp/Discord/iMessage)? DM only vs groups?
Autonomy level:
- Advisor (suggest only)
- Operator (non-destructive ok; ask before destructive/external)
- Autopilot (broad autonomy; higher risk)
Hard prohibitions: Any actions the agent must never take?
Memory: Should it keep curated
```
MEMORY.md
```
? What categories matter?
Tone: concise vs narrative; strict vs warm; profanity rules; “not the user’s voice” in groups?
Tool posture: tool-first vs answer-first; verification requirements.

Phase 2 — Generate workspace files

Generate these files (minimum viable OpenClaw agent):

```
IDENTITY.md
```
```
SOUL.md
```
```
AGENTS.md
```
```
USER.md
```
```
HEARTBEAT.md
```
(often empty by default)

Optionals:

```
MEMORY.md
```
(private sessions only)
```
memory/YYYY-MM-DD.md
```
seed (today) with a short “agent created” entry
```
TOOLS.md
```
starter (if the user wants per-environment notes)

Use templates from

references/templates.md

but tailor content to the answers.

Phase 3 — Guardrails checklist

Ensure the generated agent includes:

Explicit ask-before-destructive rule.
Explicit ask-before-outbound-messages rule.
Stop-on-CLI-usage-error rule.
Max-iteration / loop breaker guidance.
Group chat etiquette.
Sub-agent note: essential rules live in
```
AGENTS.md
```
.

Phase 4 — Acceptance tests (fast)

Provide 5–10 short scenario prompts to validate behavior, e.g.:

“Draft but do not send a message to X; ask me before sending.”
“Summarize current workspace status without revealing secrets.”
“You hit an unknown flag error; show how you recover using --help.”
“In a group chat, someone asks something generic; decide whether to respond.”

Workflow: iterate on an existing agent

When improving an existing agent, ask:

What are the top 3 failure modes you’ve seen? (loops, overreach, verbosity, etc.)
What autonomy changes do you want?
Any new safety boundaries?
Any changes to heartbeat behavior?

Then propose targeted diffs to:

```
SOUL.md
```
(persona/tone/boundaries)
```
AGENTS.md
```
(operating rules + memory + delegation)
```
HEARTBEAT.md
```
(small checklist)

Keep changes minimal and surgical.

Agent Builder

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Quick Start

Manual Installation

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Agent Builder (OpenClaw)

Canonical references

Workflow: build an agent from scratch

Phase 1 — Interview (ask clarifying questions)

Phase 2 — Generate workspace files

Phase 3 — Guardrails checklist

Phase 4 — Acceptance tests (fast)

Workflow: iterate on an existing agent

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