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Getting StartedSidekickUpdated March 11, 2026

Migrating from OpenClaw to Sidekick

Migrating from OpenClaw to Sidekick

Sidekick is fully compatible with OpenClaw's 13,000+ community skills via ClawHub integration. Every SKILL.md file that runs on OpenClaw works on Sidekick out of the box — local binary requirements are automatically translated to cloud services, so you get the same capabilities without maintaining local infrastructure.

This guide walks you through moving your existing OpenClaw setup to Sidekick in three steps.

Prerequisites

  • An active Sidekick account (sign up)
  • Access to your current OpenClaw installation
  • Your OpenClaw skills directory

Step 1 — Export Your Skills from OpenClaw

  1. Open your OpenClaw installation.
  2. Navigate to your skills directory (typically ~/.openclaw/skills/ or the path configured in your openclaw.config).
  3. Collect all SKILL.md files you want to migrate. You can export an entire skills folder or cherry-pick individual skills.
  4. Optionally, export your OpenClaw configuration file to reference your existing account connections and settings.
# Example: archive your skills directory
tar -czf openclaw-skills-export.tar.gz ~/.openclaw/skills/

Tip: Skills sourced from ClawHub can be re-imported directly by name — you don't need to export and re-import them manually. Only custom or locally modified skills need to be brought over as files.

Step 2 — Import Your Skills into Sidekick

  1. Log in to your Sidekick dashboard.
  2. Go to Skills → Import Skills.
  3. Upload your exported SKILL.md files or drag-and-drop your skills archive.
  4. Sidekick will parse each skill, flag any local binary dependencies, and automatically map them to the equivalent hosted cloud service.
  5. Review the mapping summary and confirm the import.

For ClawHub-sourced skills, you can also browse and reinstall them directly from the ClawHub tab without needing any local files.

Step 3 — Connect Your Accounts

  1. In your Sidekick dashboard, go to Integrations.
  2. Connect the accounts your skills rely on (e.g. email, calendar, GitHub, Slack, smart home devices).
  3. Sidekick uses a unified adapter architecture — each account is connected once and is available to all skills automatically.
  4. Once your accounts are linked, your skills will begin running on Sidekick's cloud infrastructure immediately — no local process, server, or API key management required.

Key Differences from OpenClaw

OpenClawSidekick
HostingSelf-hosted (local machine or VPS)Fully cloud-hosted
SetupInstall binaries, configure environmentSign up and connect accounts
Skill compatibilityNative SKILL.mdNative SKILL.md (same format)
Local binary dependenciesManaged by youAuto-translated to cloud services
AvailabilityDepends on your machine being on24/7, always on
MaintenanceOS updates, dependency managementNone — managed by Sidekick

Troubleshooting

A skill shows a warning after import. Sidekick detected a local binary dependency (e.g. ffmpeg, tesseract) and has mapped it to a cloud equivalent. Review the mapping in the skill detail view and confirm it looks correct before enabling the skill.

A ClawHub skill is unavailable. Ensure your Sidekick account has ClawHub integration enabled under Settings → Integrations → ClawHub.

My custom skill isn't working as expected. Check that all required accounts are connected under Integrations, and review the skill's execution log under Skills → Activity.

Need Help?

If you run into issues during migration, contact support or visit the community forum. Include your skill's SKILL.md and a description of the problem for the fastest resolution.