What this skill does
Auto-route tasks to the cheapest Claude model that works correctly. Three-tier progression: Haiku → Sonnet → Opus. Classify before responding. HAIKU (default): factual Q&A, greetings, reminders, status checks, lookups, simple file ops, heartbeats, casual chat, 1-2 sentence tasks. ESCALATE TO SONNET: code >10 lines, analysis, comparisons, planning, reports, multi-step reasoning, tables, long writing >3 paragraphs, summarization, research synthesis, most user conversations. ESCALATE TO OPUS: architecture decisions, complex debugging, multi-file refactoring, strategic planning, nuanced judgment, deep research, critical production decisions. Rule: If a human needs >30 seconds of focused thinking, escalate. If Sonnet struggles with complexity, go to Opus. Save 50-90% on API costs by starting cheap and escalating only when needed.
opus is part of the Developer Tools category — developer tools that help your agent write, review, debug, and ship code. You can install it on its own or alongside other developer tools skills from the OpenClaw catalog.
How to install opus
The easiest path is via the OpenClaw Easy desktop app — one click, no terminal required:
- Download OpenClaw Easy for macOS or Windows (free, one-click installer, ~30 seconds).
- Open the in-app Skills panel.
- Search for
opusand click Install. - The skill activates automatically when an incoming message matches its description.
Install from the command line
If you already run the OpenClaw CLI, add opus with a single command:
openclaw skills add opus
This pulls opus from ClawHub and installs it into ~/.openclaw/skills/opus/. Restart the OpenClaw gateway afterwards so the new skill is discovered.
How to use opus
Once installed, opus activates on its own: when an incoming message on WhatsApp, Telegram, Slack, Discord, Feishu or Line matches the skill's description, your OpenClaw agent loads it and runs the workflow. You can also trigger it explicitly by describing the task in chat. No extra configuration is required after install.
Manual install (advanced)
If you prefer manual installation:
- Click the Download .zip button above to grab
opus-1.0.0.zipdirectly from our S3 mirror. - Unzip into
~/.openclaw/skills/opus/(create the directory if it does not exist). - Restart OpenClaw Easy (or the OpenClaw CLI gateway) so the new skill is discovered.
Frequently asked questions
How do I install opus?
Install opus in the OpenClaw Easy desktop app by opening the Skills panel, searching for opus, and clicking Install. From a terminal you can run: openclaw skills add opus. Either way the skill is placed in ~/.openclaw/skills/opus/.
Is opus free?
Yes. opus is free and open-source, distributed under the Apache-2.0 license through ClawHub. No account or payment is required to download or run it.
What does opus do?
Auto-route tasks to the cheapest Claude model that works correctly.
Related: more developer tools skills
If opus looks useful, you may also want to check out other developer tools skills in the OpenClaw catalog:
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Free, open-source · Apache-2.0 · Works with Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, or local Ollama models