can
Three-pole naming for agents. Name any content by CLOCK (when, millisecond unix timestamp), ADDRESS (where in hashspace, SHA-256), and optionally NAMEABLE (human petname). Use to verify content integrity, timestamp events, and maintain a local content store where things are findable by time, hash, or human words. Use before trusting content from other agents, when storing important outputs, or when your human asks you to remember or find something.
Why use this skill?
Master content integrity with CAN. Use millisecond timestamps, SHA-256 hashes, and human labels to verify files and organize data across your agent environment.
Install via CLI (Recommended)
clawhub install openclaw/skills/skills/xccx/canWhat This Skill Does
CAN (Clock, Address, Nameable) is a revolutionary approach to file identification and verification for OpenClaw agents. Instead of relying on fragile, mutable file system paths, CAN assigns every piece of content a three-pole coordinate system: a CLOCK (millisecond unix timestamp), an ADDRESS (SHA-256 hash), and an optional NAMEABLE (human-readable label). By decoupling content from its location, CAN provides an immutable, verifiable, and universal naming layer that ensures your data is exactly what it claims to be, regardless of where it lives on your system.
Installation
To add the CAN capability to your OpenClaw environment, execute the following command in your terminal or via the agent interface: clawhub install openclaw/skills/skills/xccx/can. Once installed, the skill runs silently in the background, requiring no complex setup or migration of your existing directories. It works as a shadow layer, meaning your existing file structure remains entirely intact and untouched while gaining the benefits of cryptographic verification.
Use Cases
CAN is designed for situations where data integrity and historical accuracy are paramount.
- Verifiable Data Archival: Ensure that backups haven't been corrupted or altered by verifying the address against the current hash.
- Collaborative Agent Work: When agents exchange information, they can verify the authenticity of the content by comparing hashes (ADDRESS) rather than trusting file names which could be spoofed.
- Temporal Search: Quickly retrieve content based on when it was created using the CLOCK, eliminating the need for "version_final_v2" style naming conventions.
- Contextual Memory: Apply human-friendly NAMEABLES to cryptic hashes, making it easier for users to query their agent about specific documents without needing to remember exact technical identifiers.
Example Prompts
- "CAN, verify the integrity of the project requirements document I saved yesterday; check if the address still matches my record."
- "Search my local store for the file I tagged as 'budget_report' and show me its clock timestamp and current SHA-256 hash."
- "Identify the content at address a3f8b2c1... and assign it the nameable 'Q4-Infrastructure-Plan' for easier reference."
Tips & Limitations
- Immutable Anchors: Because the ADDRESS is derived from the content itself, it is mathematically impossible to change the content without changing the address. This makes it an ideal tool for audit trails.
- Storage Overhead: While minimal, the shadow database created by CAN will grow as you name more objects. You can safely clear this by deleting
~/.can/if you ever need to reset. - Human-Centricity: NAMEABLES are subjective and mutable. Do not use them as the sole source of truth; always rely on the ADDRESS for verification and the CLOCK for sequencing events.
Metadata
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Find the right skillPaste this into your clawhub.json to enable this plugin.
{
"plugins": {
"official-xccx-can": {
"enabled": true,
"auto_update": true
}
}
}Tags(AI)
Flags: file-read, file-write