OpenClaw Carapace - Setup Guide¶
Source: openclaw/carapace (2.3K combined installs)
GitHub: github.com/openclaw/carapace (4⭐)
Category: Design System / UI Engineering
First Seen: July 21, 2026
Security: Gen Agent Trust Hub Pass · Socket Pass (Warn on openclaw-design) · Snyk Pass
Carapace is the official OpenClaw design system, packaged as six focused skills. Instead of one monolithic design rulebook, each skill owns one surface. A router skill (openclaw-design) dispatches to the correct branch so the agent only loads what the task needs.
Installation¶
# Install all six skills from the repo
npx skills add https://github.com/openclaw/carapace
# Or install individually
npx skills add https://github.com/openclaw/carapace --skill openclaw-design
npx skills add https://github.com/openclaw/carapace --skill openclaw-brand
npx skills add https://github.com/openclaw/carapace --skill openclaw-carapace
npx skills add https://github.com/openclaw/carapace --skill openclaw-marketing-pages
npx skills add https://github.com/openclaw/carapace --skill openclaw-design-audit
npx skills add https://github.com/openclaw/carapace --skill openclaw-design-system
The Six Skills¶
| Skill | Installs | Use For |
|---|---|---|
openclaw-design |
2,075 | Router - chooses the focused branch before changing any interface |
openclaw-brand |
379 | Identity: typography, logos, imagery, voice, non-product brand artifacts |
openclaw-carapace |
1,725 | App UI: semantic tokens, themes, component reuse, framework adapters |
openclaw-marketing-pages |
2,072 | Public pages: landing/content composition, navigation, SEO, responsive layout |
openclaw-design-audit |
379 | Design drift, token misuse, component substitution, accessibility, recurring audits |
openclaw-design-system |
2,070 | v0.1.x compatibility alias for projects upgrading an existing skill lock |
Routing rule: for a public website change start with openclaw-marketing-pages, adding openclaw-brand only when the task changes identity, logo, imagery, typography, or voice. For a product application start with openclaw-carapace. Load multiple branches only when the task genuinely crosses them.
Working With openclaw-carapace¶
The core skill enforces a read-then-build workflow over five reference files:
references/tokens.md- read before choosing colors, spacing, type, radii, or shadowsreferences/consumer-adapters.md- current framework adapter conventionsreferences/application-surfaces.md- shells, panes, settings, operational screensreferences/terminal-ui.md- terminal interface design and auditingreferences/embedded-surfaces.md- surfaces rendered inside host frames (MCP apps)
Core rules: use semantic tokens for UI intent and palette primitives only for documented exceptions; keep application behavior, routes, and information architecture unchanged unless the task says otherwise; validate affected routes with existing tests and real browser screenshots; inspect the consumer's existing shared primitives before creating a new component.
Prerequisites¶
| Requirement | Details |
|---|---|
| Node.js + npx | For the skills.sh CLI install path |
| OpenClaw or Clawd runtime | Skills target OpenClaw interfaces; guidelines are reusable in Hermes UI work |
| Git access | For direct clone installs |
Direct clone alternative:
git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/openclaw/carapace.git /tmp/carapace
cp -r /tmp/carapace/openclaw-* ~/.clawd/skills/
CorpusIQ Use Cases¶
| Use Case | How |
|---|---|
| UI surface audits | Run openclaw-design-audit methodology against agent-built dashboards to catch token misuse and drift |
| Landing page composition | openclaw-marketing-pages for SEO-aware, responsive public pages |
| Terminal UI polish | terminal-ui.md reference when building or auditing TUI surfaces |
| Brand consistency | openclaw-brand when identity, voice, or imagery is involved in generated copy |
| Framework adapter decisions | consumer-adapters.md before choosing React/Vue/vanilla adapters in agent projects |
Integration with CorpusIQ¶
CorpusIQ is the connector layer that lets AI assistants read the systems a business already runs on - accounting, payments, CRM, email, files and analytics - and answer with the source named. It is read-only by design: it retrieves data and never writes to, or acts in, a connected system, which is what makes it safe to point at live accounts.
This page is part of the CorpusIQ directory, the reference we maintain for the MCP server and agent-skill ecosystem. Run alongside CorpusIQ, a third-party server like this one can be combined with a company's own business data in a single answer.
Limitations / Verification¶
- Low GitHub star count (4⭐) and first seen July 21, 2026 - young package, follow release cadence
openclaw-design-systemis a compatibility alias, not new functionality - install only when upgrading old locks- Verify install:
npx skills list | grep -i carapaceshould show six entries - Security posture is clean on all three scanners (Socket flags one Warn on the router skill)
Related¶
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