config-preflight-validator

What This Skill Does

The Config Preflight Validator is a mission-critical utility designed for OpenClaw users who frequently modify system configurations. By acting as a local gatekeeper, it intercepts potential JSON structural errors before they reach the gateway. The tool uses dynamic schema synchronization, pulling the latest validation rules from your gateway to ensure your local openclaw.json or patch requests adhere strictly to the platform's requirements. Instead of dealing with vague "Validation issues" errors during runtime, this skill provides line-specific, field-level diagnostics, saving you time and preventing service disruptions caused by malformed config files.

Installation

To integrate this skill into your environment, use the OpenClaw repository installer: clawhub install openclaw/skills/skills/halfmoon82/config-preflight-validator

Ensure your local environment meets these prerequisites:

• Python 3.9 or higher installed on your path.
• Install the dependency via pip: pip install jsonschema to enable core structural validation functionality.

Use Cases

• Pre-deployment Verification: Use this before running config.patch to ensure your new plugin list or configuration change doesn't break the agent.
• File Integrity Checks: Regularly scan your openclaw.json to detect syntax errors introduced by manual editing or external scripts.
• Configuration Auditing: Keep your system synchronized with upstream gateway rules by running the update-schema command to pull the latest architectural requirements.

Example Prompts

1. "Validate my current openclaw.json file to see if there are any syntax errors before I restart the agent."
2. "Check if this patch '{"plugins": {"allow": ["web-search"]}}' follows the current gateway schema."
3. "Refresh the local config schema to ensure the validator is using the latest rules from the gateway."

Tips & Limitations

• Always Update Schema: If you have recently upgraded OpenClaw, run the --update-schema flag first to ensure the validator is aware of new fields or deprecated keys.
• Hardcoded Logic: Remember that while the schema covers most properties, the tool also includes custom logic for specific lists (like plugins.allow). If your validation passes here but fails on the gateway, report the discrepancy in the source repository.
• Environment Path: The validator assumes the presence of ~/.openclaw/workspace/.lib/. If you are running in a custom container, ensure the path points correctly to your internal library directory.