Skills governclaw-middleware

Governance middleware for OpenClaw agents. Wraps HTTP, shell, file, and browser actions with policy checks via GovernClaw before execution. Required tools - http. Environment variables - GOVERNCLAW_URL (default http://127.0.0.1:8000).

install

source · Clone the upstream repo

git clone https://github.com/openclaw/skills

Claude Code · Install into ~/.claude/skills/

T=$(mktemp -d) && git clone --depth=1 https://github.com/openclaw/skills "$T" && mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills && cp -r "$T/skills/aakash2289/governclaw-middleware" ~/.claude/skills/clawdbot-skills-governclaw-middleware && rm -rf "$T"

manifest: skills/aakash2289/governclaw-middleware/SKILL.md

source content

GovernClaw Middleware

This skill provides governed wrappers for sensitive operations. It acts as a policy enforcement layer between agents and external systems.

When to Use This Skill

You MUST use governed tools from this skill instead of raw tools when:

Calling external HTTP APIs (
```
governedHttp
```
instead of
```
http
```
)
Running shell commands (
```
governedShell
```
- future)
Reading/writing files (
```
governedFile
```
- future)
Controlling a browser (
```
governedBrowser
```
- future)

How It Works

You call a governed tool (e.g.,
```
governedHttp
```
)
The skill sends your request metadata to GovernClaw for policy evaluation
GovernClaw returns
```
allow
```
or
```
block
```
with a reason
If allowed: the underlying operation executes and returns results
If blocked: the operation is cancelled and you receive a block reason

Available Tools

governedHttp

Makes HTTP requests through the GovernClaw policy engine.

Parameters:

```
method
```
(string): HTTP method - "GET", "POST", "PUT", "DELETE"
```
url
```
(string): Target URL
```
body
```
(object, optional): Request body for POST/PUT
```
headers
```
(object, optional): Custom headers

Returns:

On success: The HTTP response from the target

On block:

{ ok: false, blocked: true, reason: "..." }

Example:

const result = await context.tools.governclawMiddleware.governedHttp({
  method: "GET",
  url: "https://api.example.com/data"
});

if (result.blocked) {
  // Handle policy block
  console.log("Blocked:", result.reason);
}

Configuration

Set the GovernClaw service URL in your environment:

export GOVERNCLAW_URL="http://127.0.0.1:8000"

Or in

openclaw.json

{
  "skills": {
    "governclaw-middleware": {
      "env": {
        "GOVERNCLAW_URL": "http://127.0.0.1:8000"
      }
    }
  }
}

Governance Context

The skill automatically forwards these context fields to GovernClaw:

```
parent_id
```
: The session ID (who owns the request)
```
child_id
```
: The agent ID (who is making the request)
```
source
```
: Where the request originated (agent, control, cron, etc.)
```
channel
```
: The channel ID (if applicable)
```
node_id
```
: The node ID (if applicable)
```
skill
```
: Always "governclaw-middleware"

Error Handling

Always check for

blocked

in responses:

const response = await context.tools.governclawMiddleware.governedHttp({...});

if (!response.ok && response.blocked) {
  // Policy violation - do not retry
  return { error: response.reason };
}

if (!response.ok) {
  // Network or other error - may retry
  return { error: "Request failed" };
}

// Success
return response.data;

Policy Modes

GovernClaw supports three governance modes:

playground: Log-only, actions always allowed
governed: Default mode, enforce policies
strict: Block on any uncertainty

The skill defaults to

governed

mode. Future versions may allow per-request mode overrides.