# Openclaw Contrib Template > Use when a contributor (lawyer, developer, or legal researcher) wants to author a new legal AI skill for the OpenClaw public registry. Defines the exact contribution workflow — fork, template, PR, lawyer review, merge, versioning, and attribution — plus the CC-BY-SA licensing terms that govern all community skills. - Skill: `sboghossian-mini-claude-for-legal/openclaw-contrib-template` (Agent Skill) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add sboghossian-mini-claude-for-legal/openclaw-contrib-template` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/sboghossian-mini-claude-for-legal/openclaw-contrib-template/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Productivity - License: MIT - Author: sboghossian (https://skillmd.com/u/sboghossian-mini-claude-for-legal) - Updated: 2026-09-10 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/sboghossian-mini-claude-for-legal/openclaw-contrib-template --- # OpenClaw — Contribution Template ## Purpose OpenClaw is the open-source layer of the HAQQ Legal AI skill ecosystem. Community members — lawyers, developers, legal researchers, and law students — can contribute legal AI skills that are reviewed, versioned, and published to the public registry. This skill defines the exact process for doing so. ## Contribution workflow ### Step 1 — Fork the registry repository Fork `github.com/sboghossian/mini-claude-for-legal`. Work in a feature branch named `skill/` (e.g., `skill/draft-mou-uae`). ### Step 2 — Create the skill file Skills live under `skills///SKILL.md`. Create that directory and file. Use the standard SKILL.md frontmatter template: ```markdown --- name: description: <1-4 sentences, third-person, routing-focused. Start with "Use when…"> license: MIT metadata: id: category: practice_area: jurisdictions: [] priority: intent: [<2–6 routing keywords>] related: [] source: version: "1.0" --- # Human-Readable Title [body — see structure guide below] ``` ### Step 3 — Write the body The body length target is 120–320 lines of genuinely useful content. Choose the structure that fits the category: - **Drafting skills**: When to use / Required inputs / Document structure / Jurisdictional notes / Drafting standards / Common mistakes / Related skills - **Review / analysis**: When to use / Inputs / Review methodology / What to flag / Output format / Jurisdictional notes / Limits & escalation / Related skills - **Knowledge packs**: Scope / substantive reference content / How to use / Caveats & currency - **Conversational / behavioral**: When this applies / Behavior / Examples / Edge cases / Do not / Related skills Quality bar — non-negotiable: - Every sentence must add information a practitioner would act on. - Do not fabricate statute numbers, article numbers, or case citations. - If your skill covers MENA jurisdictions, distinguish civil-law (LB, KSA, UAE-onshore, EG, FR) from common-law (DIFC, ADGM, UK) handling. - Include `[[wikilink]]` cross-references to related skills using `category-slug` form. ### Step 4 — Submit a pull request Open a PR from your feature branch against `main`. The PR description must include: - **Skill category and practice area** - **Jurisdictions covered** - **Brief rationale**: what gap this fills - **Reviewer recommendation**: suggest a lawyer (by jurisdiction/practice area) if you know one in the community ### Step 5 — Lawyer review Every skill that touches substantive law requires sign-off from at least one admitted lawyer in a covered jurisdiction before merge. The review process: - Reviewer comments directly in the PR on any factual, statutory, or jurisdictional issue. - Author revises and re-requests review. - Reviewer approves or escalates to a second reviewer. - Turnaround target: 14 days for community reviewers; expedited for HAQQ-seed skills. Non-substantive skills (ops, tooling, formatting, connector) do not require lawyer review but still require a maintainer technical review. ### Step 6 — Merge and version On merge the skill receives a canonical version (`"1.0"`). Subsequent updates increment following semver-lite conventions: - Patch (`1.0 → 1.0.1`): typo, minor wording correction, non-substantive. - Minor (`1.0 → 1.1`): adds a jurisdiction, new section, or expands substantive content. - Major (`1.0 → 2.0`): rewrites core guidance, changes the skill's primary behavior. ### Step 7 — Author credit The contributor's name (or GitHub handle, if preferred) is added to the skill's `source` field and to the registry author index. Attribution persists through all subsequent versions. ## Licensing All community-contributed skills are published under **CC-BY-SA 4.0** (Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International). This means: - Anyone may use, adapt, and redistribute the skill. - Derivative works must carry the same CC-BY-SA licence. - Attribution to the original author(s) is required. The underlying software and tooling of the OpenClaw registry is MIT-licensed. ## What makes a good contribution | Strong contribution | Weak contribution | |---|---| | Covers a specific jurisdiction with named statutes/frameworks | Generic advice not tied to any legal system | | Fills a gap not already covered by an existing skill | Near-duplicate of an existing skill | | Written by or reviewed by someone with relevant practice experience | Pure AI-generated content without practitioner review | | Includes concrete examples, thresholds, or checklists | Vague guidance that could mean anything | | Correctly cross-references related skills | No cross-references | ## What not to submit - Content that provides personalized legal advice rather than practitioner guidance. - Skills whose factual claims you cannot verify (statute numbers, case citations) — omit such claims rather than guess. - Skills that are brand-marketing for a specific firm or product. - Duplicate skills — check the registry search before authoring. ## Related skills - [[openclaw-public-skill-registry]] — the registry that houses all contributed skills - [[openclaw-eval-harness-shared]] — test your skill against the shared evaluation harness before submitting - [[openclaw-skill-portability-claude-codex-gemini]] — adapt your skill for multiple AI providers