OpenClaw Agent Mesh

Provide a minimal but real agent-to-agent communication layer for OpenClaw instances.

Use the bundled scripts to initialize identity, scan a local network range, exchange contact requests, approve peers, and send signed direct messages.

Require explicit acceptance before trusted communication begins.

V1 scope

Implement only these capabilities:

• local identity generation
• LAN discovery by probing peer endpoints
• contact request creation
• contact approval or rejection
• trusted peer storage
• direct signed message creation and delivery
• inbox verification and acknowledgement
• lightweight HTTP server for discovery, contact-request intake, and message intake

Do not claim NAT traversal, full mesh routing, or multi-party consensus in V1.

Files and local state

Store mesh state outside the skill folder.

Use this default path unless the user specifies another one:

• ~/.openclaw/agent-mesh/

Expected files:

• identity.json — local agent identity
• private_key.pem — local signing key
• peers/.json — trusted peers
• requests/incoming/*.json — pending inbound contact requests
• requests/outgoing/*.json — outbound contact requests
• messages/incoming/*.json — verified inbound messages
• messages/outgoing/*.json — sent messages
• groups/ — reserved for future versions

Workflow

1. Initialize local identity

Run scripts/mesh.py init.

This creates a signing keypair and an identity card with:

• agent_id
• display_name
• public_key
• endpoint
• created_at
• fingerprint

Set the endpoint to a reachable HTTP URL if the node should receive requests from peers.

2. Scan for nearby peers

Run scripts/mesh.py scan with a base URL template or a list of candidate URLs.

Scanning in V1 is HTTP discovery, not raw port scanning.

Probe each candidate at:

• /agent-mesh/discovery

Treat discovered nodes as untrusted until approved.

3. Send a contact request

Run scripts/mesh.py request-contact.

Send a signed request to a discovered node’s inbox endpoint.

The receiver stores the request as pending.

4. Approve or reject the request

Run scripts/mesh.py list-requests then approve-request or reject-request.

Approval writes the peer into the trust store.

Rejection leaves no trusted relationship.

5. Send a direct message

Run scripts/mesh.py send-message only after trust exists.

The sender signs the message envelope.

The receiver verifies signature, timestamp, and trust status before accepting.

6. Verify delivery

Run scripts/mesh.py list-messages or inspect stored message JSON files.

Use acknowledgements to confirm receipt.

Transport model

V1 uses simple HTTP JSON endpoints:

• GET /agent-mesh/discovery
• POST /agent-mesh/contact-request
• POST /agent-mesh/message

Run scripts/server.py to expose these endpoints from a node that should be discoverable or receive peer traffic.

Example:

• python3 scripts/server.py --host 0.0.0.0 --port 8787 --state-dir ~/.openclaw/agent-mesh

If the user does not yet have a server to receive HTTP traffic, use the scripts to generate and inspect signed payloads locally first.

Guardrails

• Require explicit approval before trusting a peer.
• Never auto-accept unknown peers.
• Never send private keys over the network.
• Prefer signed JSON envelopes with timestamps and message IDs.
• Reject stale or malformed messages.
• Keep V1 limited to point-to-point trust and messaging.

References

• Read references/protocol.md for the JSON message model.
• Read references/verification.md for trust and signature checks.

Deliverables

When using this skill, produce one or more of:

• a configured local mesh identity
• a peer discovery result set
• a pending or approved contact request
• a verified direct-message flow
• a troubleshooting checklist for failed trust or message delivery