Setup for OpenClaw

OpenClaw is a self-hosted AI assistant that can coordinate tools and sub-agents. HZL fits well as the task ledger that OpenClaw (and its sub-agents) can share.

Quick Start (Recommended)

Copy/paste this into an OpenClaw chat:

Install HZL from https://github.com/tmchow/hzl and run hzl init. Install the HZL skill from https://www.clawhub.ai/tmchow/hzl. Then append the HZL policy from https://raw.githubusercontent.com/tmchow/hzl/main/openclaw/OPENCLAW-TOOLS-PROMPT.md to my TOOLS.md.

OpenClaw will handle the installation and configuration for you.

Manual Setup

If you prefer to set things up yourself:

1. Install HZL

On the machine running OpenClaw:

npm install -g hzl-cli
hzl init

2. Install the HZL Skill

From clawhub.ai/tmchow/hzl

3. Teach OpenClaw When to Use HZL

Tell OpenClaw:

HZL is a tool available to you for task management in certain cases. I want you to add this information to your TOOLS.md in the right way so you remember how to use it:
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/tmchow/hzl/main/openclaw/OPENCLAW-TOOLS-PROMPT.md

Sandbox Configuration

If you’re using OpenClaw’s sandbox mode, the hzl binary must exist inside the container.

Add to your agents.defaults.sandbox.docker.setupCommand:

npm install -g hzl-cli

Or use a custom Docker image with HZL pre-installed.

OpenClaw-Specific Patterns

Single Project Model

OpenClaw typically uses a single HZL project called openclaw for all work:

hzl project create openclaw
hzl task add "Research vacation options" -P openclaw
hzl task add "Book flights" -P openclaw --parent 1

This avoids project sprawl while still organizing work with parent tasks and subtasks.

Persistent Task State

HZL provides durable task state that persists outside OpenClaw’s context window. This is especially valuable when:

Chats compact and lose context
You’re running multiple OpenClaw instances
Work spans multiple days

Upgrading

Copy/paste this into an OpenClaw chat to create a reusable upgrade script:

Create a script at scripts/upgrade-hzl.sh (in your workspace) that upgrades both the hzl-cli npm package and the hzl skill from ClawHub. The script should:

1. Run `npm install -g hzl-cli@latest`
2. Run `npx clawhub update hzl` from the workspace directory
3. Print the installed version after each step

Make it executable. In the future when I say "upgrade hzl", run this script.

After running this once, just say “upgrade hzl” to OpenClaw to run the script.

Next Steps

Quickstart Tutorial — Hands-on introduction
Multi-Agent Coordination — Coordinate with sub-agents
CLI Reference — Full command documentation