Introduction
---
IMPORTANT: You need to have Kilo CLI installed and configured so OpenClaw can use it without any issue.
```sh npm install -g @kilocode/cli ```
If you want to automate pull requests to Github, then you also need to authenticate Github CLI in your project: https://github.com/cli/cli#installation
# 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
```bash # 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 Autonomous mode)
```bash bash workdir:~/project background:true command:"kilo run --auto \"Build a snake game with dark theme\"" ```
### Reviewing PRs (vanilla, no flags)
**⚠️ CRITICAL: Never review PRs in OpenClaw's own project folder!** - Either use the project where the PR is submitted (if it's NOT ~/Projects/openclaw) - Or clone to a temp folder first
```bash # Option 1: Review in the actual project (if NOT OpenClaw) 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 OpenClaw PRs!) REVIEW_DIR=$(mktemp -d) git clone https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw.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 OpenClaw repo can break the live instance!
### Batch PR Reviews (parallel army!) ```bash # 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 comment` to 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:
```bash # 1. Clone repo to temp location cd /tmp && git clone [email protected]: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.
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## ⚠️ Rules
1. **Respect tool choice** — if user asks for Kilo CLI, use Kilo CLI. NEVER offer to build it yourself! 2. **Be patient** — don't kill sessions because they're "slow" 3. **Monitor with process:log** — check progress without interfering 4. **--full-auto for building** — auto-approves changes 5. **vanilla for reviewing** — no special flags needed 6. **Parallel is OK** — run many Kilo CLI processes at once for batch work 7. **NEVER start Kilo CLI in ~/openclaw/** — 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 8. **NEVER checkout branches in ~/Projects/openclaw/** — that's the LIVE OpenClaw instance! Clone to /tmp or use git worktree for PR reviews
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## PR Template (The Razor Standard)
When submitting PRs to external repos, use this format for quality & maintainer-friendliness:
````markdown ## 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:** 1. Human-written description (no AI slop) 2. Feature intent for maintainers 3. Timestamped prompt history 4. Session logs if using Kilo CLI agent