modbender ClawShell
Human-in-the-loop security layer for OpenClaw. ClawShell intercepts shell commands before execution, analyzes their risk level, and requires your explicit approval (via push notification) for dangerous operations.
How it works
- The agent calls
clawshell_bashinstead ofbash - ClawShell analyzes the command against built-in and configurable risk rules
- Based on risk level:
- Critical (e.g.
rm -rf /, fork bombs) — automatically blocked - High (e.g.
rm -rf,curlto external URLs, credential access) — sends a push notification and waits for your approval - Medium (e.g.
npm install,git push) — logged and allowed - Low (e.g.
ls,cat,git status) — allowed
- Critical (e.g.
- All decisions are logged to
logs/clawshell.jsonl
Tools
clawshell_bash
Secure replacement for bash. Analyzes command risk and executes only if safe or approved.
Parameters:
command(string, required) — The shell command to executeworkingDir(string, optional) — Working directory (defaults to cwd)
Returns: { exitCode, stdout, stderr }
High-risk commands will block until you approve or reject via push notification. Critical commands are rejected immediately.
clawshell_status
Returns current ClawShell state: pending approval requests and recent decisions.
Parameters: none
clawshell_logs
Returns recent log entries for audit and debugging.
Parameters:
count(number, optional) — Number of entries to return (default: 20)
Setup
1. Install dependencies
cd /app/workspace/skills/clawshell
npm install
2. Configure Pushover notifications
Create a Pushover application at https://pushover.net/apps/build and add your keys to .env:
CLAWSHELL_PUSHOVER_USER=your-user-key
CLAWSHELL_PUSHOVER_TOKEN=your-app-token
Alternatively, configure Telegram instead:
CLAWSHELL_TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN=your-bot-token
CLAWSHELL_TELEGRAM_CHAT_ID=your-chat-id
3. Add to TOOLS.md
Add the following to your OpenClaw TOOLS.md so the agent uses ClawShell for shell commands:
## Shell Access
Use `clawshell_bash` for ALL shell command execution. Do not use `bash` directly.
ClawShell will analyze commands for risk and require human approval for dangerous operations.
Available tools:
- `clawshell_bash(command, workingDir)` — Execute a shell command with risk analysis
- `clawshell_status()` — Check pending approvals and recent decisions
- `clawshell_logs(count)` — View recent audit log entries
Configuration
ClawShell reads configuration from environment variables (CLAWSHELL_*) with fallback to config.yaml.
| Variable | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
CLAWSHELL_PUSHOVER_USER |
— | Pushover user key |
CLAWSHELL_PUSHOVER_TOKEN |
— | Pushover app token |
CLAWSHELL_TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN |
— | Telegram bot token (alternative) |
CLAWSHELL_TELEGRAM_CHAT_ID |
— | Telegram chat ID (alternative) |
CLAWSHELL_TIMEOUT_SECONDS |
300 | Seconds to wait for approval before auto-reject |
CLAWSHELL_LOG_DIR |
logs/ | Directory for JSONL log files |
CLAWSHELL_LOG_LEVEL |
info | Log verbosity: debug, info, warn, error |
CLAWSHELL_BLOCKLIST |
— | Comma-separated extra blocked commands |
CLAWSHELL_ALLOWLIST |
— | Comma-separated extra allowed commands |
Custom rules can also be defined in config.yaml under rules.blocklist and rules.allowlist using exact strings, globs, or regex patterns.
Limitations
- Not a security guarantee. LLMs can encode, split, or obfuscate commands to bypass pattern matching.
- Defense-in-depth only. Use alongside OpenClaw's sandbox mode, not as a replacement.
- Approval latency. High-risk commands block execution until you respond or the timeout expires.
Always ask your AI to scan any skill or software for security risks.