How to Make OpenClaw Self‑Sustaining: Let Your AI Assistant Auto‑Evolve and Install Skills
This guide walks through four practical experiences with OpenClaw—daily maintenance commands, using the AI assistant to install Feishu skills, automating MCP Server deployment via the mcporter skill, and switching to free ZhiPu models to cut costs—while highlighting security and cost considerations.
Daily maintenance commands
Start the OpenClaw gateway with openclaw gateway. Restart with openclaw gateway restart. Stop with openclaw gateway stop. Check status with openclaw status. Open the UI dashboard with openclaw dashboard.
Installing a Feishu mermaid‑to‑image skill
In a Feishu chat, send a command to install the mermaid‑to‑image skill. After installation, grant two permissions in the Feishu bot settings:
Resource operation permission (allows the assistant to send images).
Address‑book access permission.
Both permissions are configured via the Feishu bot management page.
Automating MCP Server installation
With the mcporter skill pre‑installed, the assistant can install the mcp‑trends‑hub server by providing the following JSON configuration:
{
"mcpServers": {
"trends-hub": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "[email protected]"]
}
}
}The operation consumes about 2 RMB of MiniMax tokens. The server’s source code is hosted at https://github.com/baranwang/mcp-trends-hub. After installation, queries to the server return articles as expected.
Switching to free ZhiPu models
MiniMax model usage incurs significant token costs. Switching to ZhiPu’s free models (e.g., GLM‑4.7‑Flash or invitation‑only GLM‑4.5‑air) reduces expenses. Reconfigure the assistant with openclaw onboard, select the ZhiPu model (identified as Z.AI), and confirm the change. After reconfiguration, the assistant can execute the /model command or let the AI handle the switch automatically.
Security reminder
Because the assistant gains control over the computer and social applications, protect API keys and local ports to prevent unauthorized access.
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