IMPORTANT: You need to have Kilo CLI installed and configured so OpenClaw can use it without any issue.
npm install -g @kilocode/cli
Coding Agent (background-first)
Use bash background mode for non-interactive coding work. For interactive coding sessions, use the tmux skill (always, except very simple one-shot prompts).
The Pattern: workdir + background
# Create temp space for chats/scratch work
SCRATCH=$(mktemp -d)
# Start agent in target directory ("little box" - only sees relevant files)
bash workdir:$SCRATCH background:true command:"<agent command>"
# Or for project work:
bash workdir:~/project/folder background:true command:"<agent command>"
# Returns sessionId for tracking
# Monitor progress
process action:log sessionId:XXX
# Check if done
process action:poll sessionId:XXX
# Send input (if agent asks a question)
process action:write sessionId:XXX data:"y"
# Kill if needed
process action:kill sessionId:XXX
Why workdir matters: Agent wakes up in a focused directory, doesn't wander off reading unrelated files (like your soul.md 😅).
Kilo CLI
Building/Creating (use --full-auto or --yolo)
bash workdir:~/project background:true command:"kilo run \"Build a snake game with dark theme\""
Reviewing PRs (vanilla, no flags)
⚠️ CRITICAL: Never review PRs in Clawdbot's own project folder!
- •Either use the project where the PR is submitted (if it's NOT ~/Projects/clawdbot)
- •Or clone to a temp folder first
# Option 1: Review in the actual project (if NOT clawdbot) bash workdir:~/Projects/some-other-repo background:true command:"kilo run \"Review current branch against main branch\"" # Option 2: Clone to temp folder for safe review (REQUIRED for clawdbot PRs!) REVIEW_DIR=$(mktemp -d) git clone https://github.com/clawdbot/clawdbot.git $REVIEW_DIR cd $REVIEW_DIR && gh pr checkout 130 bash workdir:$REVIEW_DIR background:true command:"kilo run \"Review current branch against main branch\"" # Clean up after: rm -rf $REVIEW_DIR # Option 3: Use git worktree (keeps main intact) git worktree add /tmp/pr-130-review pr-130-branch bash workdir:/tmp/pr-130-review background:true command:"kilo run \"Review current branch against main branch\""
Why? Checking out branches in the running Clawdbot repo can break the live instance!
Batch PR Reviews (parallel army!)
# Fetch all PR refs first git fetch origin '+refs/pull/*/head:refs/remotes/origin/pr/*' # Deploy the army - one Kilo CLI per PR! bash workdir:~/project background:true command:"kilo run \"Review PR #86. git diff origin/main...origin/pr/86\"" bash workdir:~/project background:true command:"kilo run \"Review PR #87. git diff origin/main...origin/pr/87\"" bash workdir:~/project background:true command:"kilo run \"Review PR #95. git diff origin/main...origin/pr/95\"" # ... repeat for all PRs # Monitor all process action:list # Get results and post to GitHub process action:log sessionId:XXX gh pr comment <PR#> --body "<review content>"
Tips for PR Reviews
- •Fetch refs first:
git fetch origin '+refs/pull/*/head:refs/remotes/origin/pr/*' - •Use git diff: Tell Kilo CLI to use
git diff origin/main...origin/pr/XX - •Don't checkout: Multiple parallel reviews = don't let them change branches
- •Post results: Use
gh pr commentto post reviews to GitHub
tmux (interactive sessions)
Use the tmux skill for interactive coding sessions (always, except very simple one-shot prompts). Prefer bash background mode for non-interactive runs.
Parallel Issue Fixing with git worktrees + tmux
For fixing multiple issues in parallel, use git worktrees (isolated branches) + tmux sessions:
# 1. Clone repo to temp location
cd /tmp && git clone git@github.com:user/repo.git repo-worktrees
cd repo-worktrees
# 2. Create worktrees for each issue (isolated branches!)
git worktree add -b fix/issue-78 /tmp/issue-78 main
git worktree add -b fix/issue-99 /tmp/issue-99 main
# 3. Set up tmux sessions
SOCKET="${TMPDIR:-/tmp}/kilo-fixes.sock"
tmux -S "$SOCKET" new-session -d -s fix-78
tmux -S "$SOCKET" new-session -d -s fix-99
# 4. Launch Kilo CLI in each (after npm install!)
tmux -S "$SOCKET" send-keys -t fix-78 "cd /tmp/issue-78 && npm install && kilo run 'Fix issue #78: <description>. Commit and push.'" Enter
tmux -S "$SOCKET" send-keys -t fix-99 "cd /tmp/issue-99 && npm install && kilo run 'Fix issue #99: <description>. Commit and push.'" Enter
# 5. Monitor progress
tmux -S "$SOCKET" capture-pane -p -t fix-78 -S -30
tmux -S "$SOCKET" capture-pane -p -t fix-99 -S -30
# 6. Check if done (prompt returned)
tmux -S "$SOCKET" capture-pane -p -t fix-78 -S -3 | grep -q "❯" && echo "Done!"
# 7. Create PRs after fixes
cd /tmp/issue-78 && git push -u origin fix/issue-78
gh pr create --repo user/repo --head fix/issue-78 --title "fix: ..." --body "..."
# 8. Cleanup
tmux -S "$SOCKET" kill-server
git worktree remove /tmp/issue-78
git worktree remove /tmp/issue-99
Why worktrees? Each Kilo CLI works in isolated branch, no conflicts. Can run 5+ parallel fixes!
Why tmux over bash background? Kilo CLI is interactive — needs TTY for proper output. tmux provides persistent sessions with full history capture.
⚠️ Rules
- •Respect tool choice — if user asks for Kilo CLI, use Kilo CLI. NEVER offer to build it yourself!
- •Be patient — don't kill sessions because they're "slow"
- •Monitor with process:log — check progress without interfering
- •--full-auto for building — auto-approves changes
- •vanilla for reviewing — no special flags needed
- •Parallel is OK — run many Kilo CLI processes at once for batch work
- •NEVER start Kilo CLI in ~/clawd/ — it'll read your soul docs and get weird ideas about the org chart! Use the target project dir or /tmp for blank slate chats
- •NEVER checkout branches in ~/Projects/clawdbot/ — that's the LIVE Clawdbot instance! Clone to /tmp or use git worktree for PR reviews
PR Template (The Razor Standard)
When submitting PRs to external repos, use this format for quality & maintainer-friendliness:
## Original Prompt [Exact request/problem statement] ## What this does [High-level description] **Features:** - [Key feature 1] - [Key feature 2] **Example usage:** ```bash # Example command example ``` ## Feature intent (maintainer-friendly) [Why useful, how it fits, workflows it enables] ## Prompt history (timestamped) - YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM UTC: [Step 1] - YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM UTC: [Step 2] ## How I tested **Manual verification:** 1. [Test step] - Output: `[result]` 2. [Test step] - Result: [result] **Files tested:** - [Detail] - [Edge cases] ## Session logs (implementation) - [What was researched] - [What was discovered] - [Time spent] ## Implementation details **New files:** - `path/file.ts` - [description] **Modified files:** - `path/file.ts` - [change] **Technical notes:** - [Detail 1] - [Detail 2] ---
Key principles:
- •Human-written description (no AI slop)
- •Feature intent for maintainers
- •Timestamped prompt history
- •Session logs if using Kilo CLI agent