Requirements
- Target platform
- OpenClaw
- Install method
- Manual import
- Extraction
- Extract archive
- Prerequisites
- OpenClaw
- Primary doc
- SKILL.md
High-speed, memory-efficient file transfer between OpenClaw nodes using Node.js native streams and token-secured HTTP streaming without Base64 encoding.
High-speed, memory-efficient file transfer between OpenClaw nodes using Node.js native streams and token-secured HTTP streaming without Base64 encoding.
Hand the extracted package to your coding agent with a concrete install brief instead of figuring it out manually.
I downloaded a skill package from Yavira. Read SKILL.md from the extracted folder and install it by following the included instructions. Tell me what you changed and call out any manual steps you could not complete.
I downloaded an updated skill package from Yavira. Read SKILL.md from the extracted folder, compare it with my current installation, and upgrade it while preserving any custom configuration unless the package docs explicitly say otherwise. Summarize what changed and any follow-up checks I should run.
High-speed, memory-efficient file transfer between OpenClaw nodes using native Node.js streams.
Problem Solved Architecture Requirements Installation Usage API Reference Troubleshooting
When transferring large files between OpenClaw nodes using the standard nodes.invoke mechanism, we encountered several critical issues: IssueImpactBase64 Encoding Overhead33% larger payload, slower transfersMemory Exhaustion (OOM)Loading multi-GB files into memory crashes the processTransfer LatencyJSON serialization/deserialization adds significant delay9-Minute DeploymentsRe-deploying scripts on every transfer
node-transfer uses native HTTP streaming with Node.js streams, providing: โ Zero memory overhead - Files stream directly from disk to network โ No Base64 encoding - Raw binary transfer โ Speed - Line-speed limited only by network bandwidth โ Install Once, Run Many - Scripts persist on nodes after first deployment
MetricBase64 Transfernode-transferImprovement1GB file transfer time~15-30 min~8 sec~150x fasterMemory usage1GB+<10MB99% reductionFirst transfer overheadN/A~30 sec (one-time install)-Subsequent transfers~15-30 min<1 sec check + ~8 sec transfer~200x faster
โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ HTTP Stream โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ โ send.js โ โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโบ โ receive.js โ โ (Source) โ (Token-protected) โ (Destination)โ โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ โ โ โผ โผ โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ โ Read Stream โ โ Write Stream โ โ (fs.create โ โ (fs.create โ โ ReadStream)โ โ WriteStream)โ โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ โ โ โผ โผ โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ โ File on โ โ File on โ โ Disk โ โ Disk โ โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ
One-time Token: 256-bit cryptographically random token (64 hex chars) Single Connection: Only one download allowed per token Auto-shutdown: Server closes after transfer completes or disconnects Token Validation: Every request must include the correct token
Sender (send.js): Generates random port and security token Starts HTTP server on ephemeral port Streams file directly from disk to HTTP response Auto-shutdown after transfer or timeout (5 min default) Receiver (receive.js): Connects to sender URL with token Streams HTTP response directly to disk Reports progress, speed, and completion status Validates received bytes match expected size
Node.js: 14.0.0 or higher Network: TCP connectivity between nodes (any port 1024-65535) Firewall: Must allow outbound connections and inbound on ephemeral ports Disk Space: Sufficient space on destination for received files
Instead of deploying scripts on every transfer, we deploy them once per node and use a fast version check for subsequent transfers.
# Generate deployment script for a target node node deploy.js E3V3 # This outputs a PowerShell script that you can execute via nodes.invoke()
On each target node, create the directory and copy files: # Create directory mkdir C:/openclaw/skills/node-transfer/scripts -Force # Copy these files (ensure UTF-8 without BOM encoding): # - send.js # - receive.js # - ensure-installed.js # - version.js
// 1. Check if already installed (< 100ms) const check = await nodes.invoke({ node: 'E3V3', command: ['node', 'C:/openclaw/skills/node-transfer/scripts/ensure-installed.js', 'C:/openclaw/skills/node-transfer/scripts'] }); const checkResult = JSON.parse(check.output); if (!checkResult.installed) { // 2. Deploy if needed (one-time, ~30 seconds) // Use the deploy.js output or manually copy files console.log('Deploying node-transfer to E3V3...'); // ... deployment code ... }
const INSTALL_DIR = 'C:/openclaw/skills/node-transfer/scripts'; const SOURCE_NODE = 'E3V3'; const DEST_NODE = 'E3V3-Docker'; // Step 1: Check installation on both nodes (fast!) const [sourceCheck, destCheck] = await Promise.all([ nodes.invoke({ node: SOURCE_NODE, command: ['node', `${INSTALL_DIR}/ensure-installed.js`, INSTALL_DIR] }), nodes.invoke({ node: DEST_NODE, command: ['node', `${INSTALL_DIR}/ensure-installed.js`, INSTALL_DIR] }) ]); // Deploy if needed (usually only once per node ever) // ... deployment code if not installed ... // Step 2: Start sender on source node const sendResult = await nodes.invoke({ node: SOURCE_NODE, command: ['node', `${INSTALL_DIR}/send.js`, 'C:/data/large-file.zip'] }); const { url, token, fileSize, fileName } = JSON.parse(sendResult.output); // Step 3: Start receiver on destination node const receiveResult = await nodes.invoke({ node: DEST_NODE, command: ['node', `${INSTALL_DIR}/receive.js`, url, token, '/incoming/file.zip'] }); const result = JSON.parse(receiveResult.output); console.log(`Transferred ${result.bytesReceived} bytes in ${result.duration}s at ${result.speedMBps} MB/s`);
Sender node send.js /path/to/file.zip Output: { "url": "http://192.168.1.10:54321/transfer", "token": "a1b2c3d4e5f6789...", "fileSize": 1073741824, "fileName": "file.zip", "sourceIp": "192.168.1.10", "port": 54321, "version": "1.0.0" } Options: node send.js /path/to/file.zip --port 8080 --timeout 10 node send.js --help node send.js --version Receiver node receive.js "http://192.168.1.10:54321/transfer" "token-here..." /path/to/save.zip Output: { "success": true, "bytesReceived": 1073741824, "totalBytes": 1073741824, "duration": 8.42, "speedMBps": 121.5, "outputPath": "/path/to/save.zip" } Options: node receive.js <url> <token> <output> --timeout 60 --no-progress node receive.js --help node receive.js --version
Starts an HTTP server to stream a file. Usage: node send.js <filePath> [options] Arguments: filePath (required): Path to the file to send Options: --port <n>: Use specific port (default: random ephemeral) --timeout <n>: Timeout in minutes (default: 5) Output (JSON): FieldTypeDescriptionurlstringHTTP URL for receiver to connect totokenstringSecurity token (64 hex chars)fileSizenumberFile size in bytesfileNamestringOriginal filenamesourceIpstringIP address of senderportnumberTCP port usedversionstringVersion of send.js Exit Codes: 0: Success (transfer completed or info displayed) 1: Error (check stderr for JSON error details) Error Output (JSON): { "error": "ERROR_CODE", "message": "Human-readable description" } Error codes: FILE_NOT_FOUND, NOT_A_FILE, SERVER_ERROR, TIMEOUT, READ_ERROR, RESPONSE_ERROR
Connects to a sender and downloads a file. Usage: node receive.js <url> <token> <outputPath> [options] Arguments: url (required): URL from send.js output token (required): Security token from send.js output outputPath (required): Path to save the received file Options: --timeout <n>: Connection timeout in seconds (default: 30) --no-progress: Suppress progress updates Output (JSON): FieldTypeDescriptionsuccessbooleanAlways true on successbytesReceivednumberActual bytes receivedtotalBytesnumberExpected bytes (from Content-Length)durationnumberTransfer time in secondsspeedMBpsnumberAverage speed in MB/soutputPathstringAbsolute path to saved file Progress Updates (when not using --no-progress): { "progress": true, "receivedBytes": 536870912, "totalBytes": 1073741824, "percent": 50, "speedMBps": 125.4 } Exit Codes: 0: Success 1: Error (check stderr for JSON error details) Error codes: INVALID_ARGS, INVALID_URL, CONNECTION_ERROR, HTTP_ERROR, TIMEOUT, WRITE_ERROR, SIZE_MISMATCH, FILE_EXISTS, NO_DATA
Fast check if node-transfer is installed on a node. Usage: node ensure-installed.js <targetDir> Arguments: targetDir (required): Directory to check Output (JSON): Installed: { "installed": true, "version": "1.0.0", "message": "node-transfer is installed and up-to-date" } Needs installation: { "installed": false, "missing": ["send.js"], "mismatched": [], "currentVersion": null, "requiredVersion": "1.0.0", "action": "DEPLOY", "message": "Installation needed: 1 missing, 0 outdated" } Exit Codes: 0: Already installed and up-to-date 1: Needs installation/update 2: Error (invalid directory, etc.)
Generates deployment scripts for the main agent. Usage: node deploy.js <nodeId> [targetDir] Output: JSON with: script: PowerShell script to deploy files escapedScript: Escaped version for command-line use usage: Example code for JavaScript and CLI usage
Cause: Network connectivity issue or firewall blocking connection. Solutions: Verify both nodes can reach each other Check firewall rules allow outbound connections Try specifying a specific port with --port Increase timeout with --timeout
Cause: Token mismatch or URL manipulation. Solutions: Use the exact token from send.js output Don't modify the URL Ensure the token hasn't expired (sender times out after 5 minutes)
Cause: Multiple connections attempted with same token. Solutions: Each sender URL/token can only be used once Start a new sender if you need to retry
Cause: Invalid file path on sender. Solutions: Use absolute paths Verify file exists Check file permissions
Cause: Connection interrupted or network error. Solutions: Retry the transfer Check network stability The partial file is automatically cleaned up
Cause: Files were modified or corrupted. Solutions: Re-deploy scripts using deploy.js Ensure files are copied without modification Check encoding (must be UTF-8 without BOM)
Cause: Not using ensure-installed.js check pattern. Solutions: Always check installation first (< 100ms) Only deploy if installed: false Follow the "Install Once, Run Many" pattern
FilePurposesend.jsHTTP server that streams files to receiversreceive.jsHTTP client that downloads files from sendersensure-installed.jsFast version/integrity check for deploymentversion.jsVersion manifest for update detectiondeploy.jsGenerates deployment scripts for agents
See CONTRIBUTING_PROPOSAL.md for information on how this could be integrated into OpenClaw core. Built for OpenClaw - No Base64, No OOM, No Waiting.
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