OpenClaw Skill Lazy Loader

OpenClaw Skill Lazy Loader

Stop loading every skill file at session start. Load what you need, when you need it — and cut your token usage by 40–70%.

The Problem

• Most OpenClaw agents load their entire skill library at startup:
• # AGENTS.md (naive approach)
• Read ALL of these before starting:
• skills/python/SKILL.md
• skills/git/SKILL.md
• skills/docker/SKILL.md
• skills/aws/SKILL.md
• skills/browser/SKILL.md
• ... (20 more)
• Each session burns 3,000–15,000 tokens just loading context that may never be used. At scale, this is your biggest cost.

The Solution: Lazy Loading

Instead of loading skills upfront, agents check a SKILLS catalog (a lightweight index) and load individual skill files only when a task requires them. Before: Load 20 skill files = ~12,000 tokens/session After: Load catalog (300 tokens) + 1–2 relevant skills (~800 tokens) = ~1,100 tokens/session That's an 89% reduction on context loading alone.

Step 1: Create Your SKILLS Catalog

Create SKILLS.md in your agent workspace — a lightweight index of all available skills: # Available Skills | Skill | File | Use When | |-------|------|----------| | Python | skills/python/SKILL.md | Writing/debugging Python code | | Git | skills/git/SKILL.md | Git operations, PRs, branches | | Docker | skills/docker/SKILL.md | Containers, images, compose | | Browser | skills/browser/SKILL.md | Web scraping, UI automation | | AWS | skills/aws/SKILL.md | Cloud deployments, S3, Lambda | This catalog is the ONLY file loaded at session start. ~200–400 tokens instead of 10,000+. See SKILLS.md.template for a complete starter template.

Step 2: Update Your AGENTS.md

Replace bulk loading with the catalog pattern: ## Skills At session start: Read SKILLS.md (the index only). When a task needs a skill: Read the specific SKILL.md for that skill. Never load all skills upfront. ### Loading Decision Before loading any skill file: 1. Does the current task need it? (yes → load it, no → skip) 2. Has it already been loaded this session? (yes → skip, no → load once) See AGENTS.md.template for the full recommended AGENTS.md skills section.

Step 3: Use the Context Optimizer (Optional)

The included context_optimizer.py analyzes your task description and recommends which skills to load: python3 context_optimizer.py recommend "Write a Python script to push to S3" # Output: # Recommended skills to load: # - skills/python/SKILL.md (confidence: high — Python task) # - skills/aws/SKILL.md (confidence: high — S3 mentioned) # - skills/git/SKILL.md (confidence: low — skip unless pushing to GitHub)

Step 4: Apply to Memory Files Too

• The same pattern works for memory and context files:
• ## Memory Loading (AGENTS.md)
• At session start: Read MEMORY.md (summary only).
• Load daily files (memory/YYYY-MM-DD.md) only when:
• User asks about past work
• Task references a specific date or project
• Debugging requires historical context

Token Savings Calculator

ScenarioBeforeAfterSavings5 skills loaded~3,000 tokens~600 tokens80%10 skills loaded~6,500 tokens~750 tokens88%20 skills loaded~13,000 tokens~900 tokens93%+Memory files (5)+4,000 tokens+400 tokens90% Estimates based on average SKILL.md size of ~600 tokens. Catalog averages ~150 tokens.

Integration with Token Optimizer

This skill pairs directly with OpenClaw Token Optimizer. Lazy loading handles context loading costs; Token Optimizer handles model routing, heartbeat budgeting, and runtime costs. Together they cover the full token lifecycle. Install both: clawhub install openclaw-skill-lazy-loader clawhub install openclaw-token-optimizer

Files in This Skill

FilePurposeSKILL.mdThis guideSKILLS.md.templateStarter SKILLS catalog templateAGENTS.md.templateLazy loading AGENTS.md sectioncontext_optimizer.pyCLI helper — recommends skills to load per taskREADME.mdClawHub listing descriptionSECURITY.mdSecurity audit and script disclosure.clawhubsafeFile integrity manifest

Quick Start (5 minutes)

# 1. Install clawhub install openclaw-skill-lazy-loader # 2. Copy templates to your agent workspace cp ~/.openclaw/skills/openclaw-skill-lazy-loader/SKILLS.md.template ~/my-agent/SKILLS.md cp ~/.openclaw/skills/openclaw-skill-lazy-loader/AGENTS.md.template ~/my-agent/AGENTS.lazy.md # 3. Edit SKILLS.md — fill in your actual skills # 4. Merge AGENTS.lazy.md into your AGENTS.md # 5. Test with context_optimizer.py python3 ~/.openclaw/skills/openclaw-skill-lazy-loader/context_optimizer.py recommend "your next task" By M Asif Rahman (@Asif2BD) · Apache 2.0 · https://clawhub.ai/Asif2BD/openclaw-skill-lazy-loader