Skill Development

Skills are pluggable tool bundles that extend agent capabilities in LibreFang. A skill packages one or more tools with their implementation, letting agents do things that built-in tools do not cover. This guide covers skill creation, the manifest format, Python and WASM runtimes, publishing to FangHub, and CLI management.

Table of Contents

• Overview
• Skill Format
• Skill Config Variables
• Python Skills
• WASM Skills
• Skill Requirements
• Installing Skills
• Publishing to FangHub
• CLI Commands
• OpenClaw Compatibility
• Skill Self-Evolution
• Best Practices

Overview

A skill consists of:

1. A manifest (skill.toml or SKILL.md) that declares metadata, runtime type, provided tools, and requirements.
2. An entry point (Python script, WASM module, Node.js module, or prompt-only Markdown) that implements the tool logic.

Skills are installed to ~/.librefang/skills/. Official skills are available in the registry and can be installed from the dashboard.

Supported Runtimes

60 Bundled Skills

LibreFang provides 60 expert knowledge skills available for installation from the dashboard:

These are prompt_only skills using the SKILL.md format -- expert knowledge that gets injected into the agent's system prompt.

SKILL.md Format

The SKILL.md format (also used by OpenClaw) uses YAML frontmatter and a Markdown body:

---
name: rust-expert
description: Expert Rust programming knowledge
---

# Rust Expert

## Key Principles
- Ownership and borrowing rules...
- Lifetime annotations...

## Common Patterns
...

SKILL.md files are automatically parsed and converted to prompt_only skills. All SKILL.md files pass through an automated prompt injection scanner that detects override attempts, data exfiltration patterns, and shell references before inclusion.

Skill Format

Directory Structure

my-skill/
  skill.toml          # Manifest (required)
  src/
    main.py           # Entry point (for Python skills)
  README.md           # Optional documentation

Manifest (skill.toml)

[skill]
name = "web-summarizer"
version = "0.1.0"
description = "Summarizes any web page into bullet points"
author = "librefang-community"
license = "MIT"
tags = ["web", "summarizer", "research"]

[runtime]
type = "python"
entry = "src/main.py"

[[tools.provided]]
name = "summarize_url"
description = "Fetch a URL and return a concise bullet-point summary"
input_schema = { type = "object", properties = { url = { type = "string", description = "The URL to summarize" } }, required = ["url"] }

[[tools.provided]]
name = "extract_links"
description = "Extract all links from a web page"
input_schema = { type = "object", properties = { url = { type = "string" } }, required = ["url"] }

[requirements]
tools = ["web_fetch"]
capabilities = ["NetConnect(*)"]

Manifest Sections

[skill] -- Metadata

[runtime] -- Execution Configuration

[[tools.provided]] -- Tool Definitions

Each [[tools.provided]] entry defines one tool that the skill provides:

[requirements] -- Host Requirements

Skill Config Variables

Skills can declare configuration variables in skill.toml. At agent startup, LibreFang resolves each variable from the user's ~/.librefang/config.toml and injects the resolved values into the agent's system prompt, making them available to the skill without hard-coding secrets or environment-specific values.

Declaring variables in skill.toml

Add one [[config_vars]] entry per variable:

[[config_vars]]
key = "wiki.base_url"
description = "Base URL of the internal wiki"
default = "https://wiki.example.com"

[[config_vars]]
key = "db.host"
description = "Database hostname"

Storing values in ~/.librefang/config.toml

The namespace before the first dot maps to a TOML table under [skills.config]:

[skills.config.wiki]
base_url = "https://wiki.corp.example.com"

[skills.config.db]
host = "postgres.internal"

System prompt injection

Resolved variables are appended to the system prompt as a labeled block before the skill's own prompt content:

## Skill Config Variables
wiki.base_url = https://wiki.corp.example.com
db.host = postgres.internal

Resolution rules

• Default fallback: If a key is not present in ~/.librefang/config.toml but the skill declares a default, the default value is used.
• Missing without default: If a key is absent from both the user config and the skill declaration (no default), the variable is silently omitted from the injected block.
• Deduplication: When multiple installed skills declare the same key, the value from the first skill loaded takes precedence. Subsequent declarations of the same key are ignored for injection purposes, though each skill may still specify its own default for documentation.

Environment Variable Passthrough

Skill subprocesses run with env_clear() by default — no host environment variables are inherited. This is the right default for third-party code: API keys, tokens, and other secrets in the host environment must not silently leak into a skill's subprocess.

Some skills legitimately need a specific host variable. The canonical example is a skill that wraps a CLI tool which uses an env-based credential helper (e.g. gog's file-backed keyring needs GOG_KEYRING_PASSWORD).

This works as a two-party opt-in: the skill author declares which variables the skill wants, and the operator (the person running LibreFang) decides which of those requests to grant.

Skill author: declare in skill.toml

Add env_passthrough at the top level of the manifest, sibling to [skill] and [runtime]:

env_passthrough = ["GOG_KEYRING_PASSWORD", "GOG_KEYRING_BACKEND"]

[skill]
name = "gog"
# …

The variable names are public (they live in the manifest); only their host-side values cross the subprocess boundary, and only when the operator has not blocked the name.

Operator: gate via [skills] config

The operator's config in ~/.librefang/config.toml decides which requests are honored:

[skills]
# Glob patterns that block matching env-var names regardless of what the
# skill manifest declares. These are the defaults; replace with your own
# list, or set to [] to disable the deny check.
env_passthrough_denied_patterns = [
    "*_KEY",
    "*_TOKEN",
    "*_PASSWORD",
    "*_SECRET",
    "*_API_KEY",
    "AWS_*",
    "GITHUB_*",
]

# Per-skill explicit allow overrides. Lets you grant a specific skill an
# env var that would otherwise be blocked by env_passthrough_denied_patterns.
[skills.env_passthrough_per_skill]
gog = ["GOG_KEYRING_PASSWORD"]

If you don't configure [skills] at all, the defaults above apply.

Resolution

For each variable name in a skill's env_passthrough, in order:

1. Hard block — names like LD_PRELOAD, PYTHONPATH, NODE_OPTIONS, etc. are dropped regardless of skill manifest or operator config. These either inject code or redirect imports/library lookup, and would defeat the env_clear isolation. The full list is in librefang-skills::loader::FORBIDDEN_PASSTHROUGH.
2. Kernel-reserved — PATH, HOME, PYTHONIOENCODING, etc. are dropped. The kernel sets these explicitly per-runtime (it may have deliberately narrowed PATH); skills cannot override them.
3. Operator deny — names matching env_passthrough_denied_patterns are dropped unless listed under env_passthrough_per_skill for the running skill.
4. Anything that survives is forwarded if it's set in the host environment. Variables not present in the host environment are silently skipped.

Each rejection is logged at WARN level so operators can debug why a declared variable did not reach a skill subprocess.

When to use it

• Use env_passthrough when a skill calls out to a CLI that authenticates via env-based credential helpers (keyring backends, *_PASSWORD vars, etc.).
• Don't use env_passthrough for API keys/tokens. Use Skill Config Variables instead — those go through ~/.librefang/config.toml and are injected via the system prompt without giving the skill subprocess access to host secrets.

Python Skills

Python skills are the simplest to write. They run as subprocesses and communicate via JSON over stdin/stdout.

Protocol

1. LibreFang sends a JSON payload to the script's stdin:

{
  "tool": "summarize_url",
  "input": {
    "url": "https://example.com"
  },
  "agent_id": "uuid-...",
  "agent_name": "researcher"
}

2. The script processes the input and writes a JSON result to stdout:

{
  "result": "- Point one\n- Point two\n- Point three"
}

If an error occurs, return an error object:

{
  "error": "Failed to fetch URL: connection refused"
}

Example: Web Summarizer

src/main.py:

#!/usr/bin/env python3
"""LibreFang skill: web-summarizer"""
import json
import sys
import urllib.request


def summarize_url(url: str) -> str:
    """Fetch a URL and return a basic summary."""
    req = urllib.request.Request(url, headers={"User-Agent": "LibreFang-Skill/1.0"})
    with urllib.request.urlopen(req, timeout=30) as resp:
        content = resp.read().decode("utf-8", errors="replace")

    # Simple extraction: first 500 chars as summary
    text = content[:500].strip()
    return f"Summary of {url}:\n{text}..."


def extract_links(url: str) -> str:
    """Extract all links from a web page."""
    import re

    req = urllib.request.Request(url, headers={"User-Agent": "LibreFang-Skill/1.0"})
    with urllib.request.urlopen(req, timeout=30) as resp:
        content = resp.read().decode("utf-8", errors="replace")

    links = re.findall(r'href="(https?://[^"]+)"', content)
    unique_links = list(dict.fromkeys(links))
    return "\n".join(unique_links[:50])


def main():
    payload = json.loads(sys.stdin.read())
    tool_name = payload["tool"]
    input_data = payload["input"]

    try:
        if tool_name == "summarize_url":
            result = summarize_url(input_data["url"])
        elif tool_name == "extract_links":
            result = extract_links(input_data["url"])
        else:
            print(json.dumps({"error": f"Unknown tool: {tool_name}"}))
            return

        print(json.dumps({"result": result}))
    except Exception as e:
        print(json.dumps({"error": str(e)}))


if __name__ == "__main__":
    main()

Using the LibreFang Python SDK

For more advanced skills, use the Python SDK (sdk/python/librefang_sdk.py):

#!/usr/bin/env python3
from librefang_sdk import SkillHandler

handler = SkillHandler()

@handler.tool("summarize_url")
def summarize_url(url: str) -> str:
    # Your implementation here
    return "Summary..."

@handler.tool("extract_links")
def extract_links(url: str) -> str:
    # Your implementation here
    return "link1\nlink2"

if __name__ == "__main__":
    handler.run()

WASM Skills

WASM skills run inside a sandboxed Wasmtime environment. They are ideal for security-sensitive operations because the sandbox enforces resource limits and capability restrictions.

Building a WASM Skill

1. Write your skill in Rust (or any language that compiles to WASM):

// src/lib.rs
use std::io::{self, Read};

#[no_mangle]
pub extern "C" fn _start() {
    let mut input = String::new();
    io::stdin().read_to_string(&mut input).unwrap();

    let payload: serde_json::Value = serde_json::from_str(&input).unwrap();
    let tool = payload["tool"].as_str().unwrap_or("");
    let input_data = &payload["input"];

    let result = match tool {
        "my_tool" => {
            let param = input_data["param"].as_str().unwrap_or("");
            format!("Processed: {param}")
        }
        _ => format!("Unknown tool: {tool}"),
    };

    println!("{}", serde_json::json!({"result": result}));
}

2. Compile to WASM:

cargo build --target wasm32-wasi --release

3. Reference the .wasm file in your manifest:

[runtime]
type = "wasm"
entry = "target/wasm32-wasi/release/my_skill.wasm"

Sandbox Limits

The WASM sandbox enforces:

• Fuel limit: Maximum computation steps (prevents infinite loops).
• Memory limit: Maximum memory allocation.
• Capabilities: Only the capabilities granted to the agent apply.

These are derived from the agent's [resources] section in its manifest.

Skill Requirements

Skills can declare requirements in the [requirements] section:

Tool Requirements

If your skill needs to call built-in tools (e.g., web_fetch to download a page before processing it):

[requirements]
tools = ["web_fetch", "file_read"]

The skill registry validates that the agent has these tools available before loading the skill.

Capability Requirements

If your skill needs specific capabilities:

[requirements]
capabilities = ["NetConnect(*)", "ShellExec(python3)"]

Installing Skills

From a Local Directory

librefang skill install /path/to/my-skill

This reads the skill.toml, validates the manifest, and copies the skill to ~/.librefang/skills/my-skill/.

From FangHub

librefang skill install web-summarizer

This downloads the skill from the FangHub marketplace registry.

From a Git Repository

librefang skill install https://github.com/user/librefang-skill-example.git

Listing Installed Skills

librefang skill list

Output:

3 skill(s) installed:

NAME                 VERSION    TOOLS    DESCRIPTION
----------------------------------------------------------------------
web-summarizer       0.1.0      2        Summarizes any web page into bullet points
data-analyzer        0.2.1      3        Statistical analysis tools
code-formatter       1.0.0      1        Format code in 20+ languages

Removing Skills

librefang skill remove web-summarizer

Publishing to FangHub

FangHub is the community skill marketplace for LibreFang.

Preparing Your Skill

1. Ensure your skill.toml has complete metadata:
   • name, version, description, author, license, tags
2. Include a README.md with usage instructions.
3. Test your skill locally:

librefang skill install /path/to/my-skill
# Spawn an agent with the skill's tools and test them

Searching FangHub

librefang skill search "web scraping"

Output:

Skills matching "web scraping":

  web-summarizer (42 stars)
    Summarizes any web page into bullet points
    https://fanghub.dev/skills/web-summarizer

  page-scraper (28 stars)
    Extract structured data from web pages
    https://fanghub.dev/skills/page-scraper

Publishing

Publishing to FangHub will be available via:

librefang skill publish

This validates the manifest, packages the skill, and uploads it to the FangHub registry.

CLI Commands

Full Skill Command Reference

# Install a skill (local directory, FangHub name, or git URL)
librefang skill install <source>

# List all installed skills
librefang skill list

# Remove an installed skill
librefang skill remove <name>

# Search FangHub for skills
librefang skill search <query>

# Create a new skill scaffold (interactive)
librefang skill create

Creating a Skill Scaffold

librefang skill create

This interactive command prompts for:

• Skill name
• Description
• Runtime type (python/node/wasm)

It generates:

~/.librefang/skills/my-skill/
  skill.toml        # Pre-filled manifest
  src/
    main.py         # Starter entry point (for Python)

The generated entry point includes a working template that reads JSON from stdin and writes JSON to stdout.

Using Skills in Agent Manifests

Reference skills in the agent manifest's skills field:

name = "my-assistant"
version = "0.1.0"
description = "An assistant with extra skills"
author = "librefang"
module = "builtin:chat"
skills = ["web-summarizer", "data-analyzer"]

[model]
provider = "groq"
model = "llama-3.3-70b-versatile"

[capabilities]
tools = ["file_read", "web_fetch", "summarize_url"]
memory_read = ["*"]
memory_write = ["self.*"]

The kernel loads skill tools and prompts at agent spawn time, merging them with the agent's base capabilities.

OpenClaw Compatibility

LibreFang can install and run OpenClaw-format skills. The skill installer auto-detects OpenClaw skills (by looking for package.json + index.ts/index.js) and converts them.

Automatic Conversion

librefang skill install /path/to/openclaw-skill

If the directory contains an OpenClaw-style skill (Node.js package), LibreFang:

1. Detects the OpenClaw format.
2. Generates a skill.toml manifest from package.json.
3. Maps tool names to LibreFang conventions.
4. Copies the skill to the LibreFang skills directory.

Manual Conversion

If automatic conversion does not work, create a skill.toml manually:

[skill]
name = "my-openclaw-skill"
version = "1.0.0"
description = "Converted from OpenClaw"

[runtime]
type = "node"
entry = "index.js"

[[tools.provided]]
name = "my_tool"
description = "Tool description"
input_schema = { type = "object", properties = { input = { type = "string" } }, required = ["input"] }

Place this alongside the existing index.js/index.ts and install:

librefang skill install /path/to/skill-directory

Skills imported via librefang migrate --from openfang or librefang migrate --from openclaw are also scanned and reported in the migration report, with instructions for manual reinstallation.

Skill Self-Evolution

Agents can autonomously create, update, and refine skills based on their execution experience. When an agent discovers a reusable methodology through trial-and-error, it can save the approach as a skill for future reuse.

How It Works

1. Automatic detection: After a complex task (5+ tool calls), the kernel evaluates whether the approach is worth saving as a skill via a background LLM review.
2. Agent tools: Agents have direct access to evolution tools for creating and maintaining skills.
3. Hot-reload: New or updated skills are available immediately -- no daemon restart required.
4. Security scanning: All mutations pass through prompt injection detection. Critical threats trigger automatic rollback.

Evolution Tools

Version Management

Each skill tracks its evolution in .evolution.json alongside skill.toml:

• Version history: Up to 10 version entries with timestamps, changelogs, and content hashes.
• Rollback snapshots: Previous prompt contexts are saved in .rollback/ for easy recovery.
• Usage tracking: use_count and evolution_count metrics per skill.

Fuzzy Patching

skill_evolve_patch uses a 5-strategy matching pipeline (strict to loose):

1. Exact -- literal substring match
2. Line-trimmed -- trim leading/trailing whitespace per line
3. Whitespace-normalized -- collapse whitespace runs
4. Indent-flexible -- strip all leading whitespace
5. Block-anchor -- match first+last lines, verify middle similarity ≥60%

This tolerates the formatting variance typical of LLM-generated edits.

Supporting Files

Skills can include supporting files under four subdirectories:

• references/ -- API docs, external references
• templates/ -- Code or config templates
• scripts/ -- Helper scripts
• assets/ -- Images, data files

Files are limited to 1 MiB each, path traversal is blocked, and content is security-scanned on write.

Dashboard

The Skills page in the dashboard includes:

• Create Skill button to create prompt-only skills from the web UI
• Skill Detail modal showing version history, tools, supporting files, and usage metrics
• Category filtering via the ?category= query parameter

API Endpoints

Best Practices

1. Keep skills focused -- one skill should do one thing well.
2. Declare minimal requirements -- only request the tools and capabilities your skill actually needs.
3. Use descriptive tool names -- the LLM reads the tool name and description to decide when to use it.
4. Provide clear input schemas -- include descriptions for every parameter so the LLM knows what to pass.
5. Handle errors gracefully -- always return a JSON error object rather than crashing.
6. Version carefully -- use semantic versioning; breaking changes require a major version bump.
7. Test with multiple agents -- verify your skill works with different agent templates and providers.
8. Include a README -- document setup steps, dependencies, and example usage.