This record as markdown: /tools/openclaw/capability.md
What capability does on OpenClaw
AI agents invoke capability to trigger actions in OpenClaw. What it does depends on the arguments the agent supplies, and its effects often reach beyond the immediate call: builds kicked off, notifications sent, workflows started.
Why capability is rated High
The 'Run provider capability commands' phrasing indicates this tool executes commands against external providers. Without knowing the specific constraints on what commands can be run, this carries significant risk—it could invoke arbitrary provider operations depending on arguments. This is categorized as Execute rather than Read because it runs/triggers commands rather than passively retrieving data.
From the tool's definition Tool name 'capability' with description 'Run provider capability commands' indicates execution of external provider commands. The fallback alias 'infer' suggests inference or command invocation.
Attacks that exploit this kind of access
The rule that runs capability safely
PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway: it sits between your AI agents and OpenClaw, and checks every tool call against a rule you set before the call runs. Nothing changes on the server itself. For capability, this is the rule to start with:
capability stays usable, but rate-capped: a runaway agent can't fire it dozens of times a minute. Everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.
The button opens the PolicyLayer dashboard: create your workspace, connect OpenClaw, apply this rule, and every capability call is checked against it from then on.
Questions about capability
Run provider capability commands (fallback alias: infer). It is categorised as a Execute tool in the OpenClaw MCP Server, which means it can trigger actions or run processes. Use rate limits and argument validation.
Register the OpenClaw MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for capability: allow, deny, rate-limit, or require approval. Point your MCP client at the PolicyLayer proxy URL and the rule is enforced on every call, before it reaches OpenClaw. Nothing to install.
capability is a Execute tool with high risk. Execute tools should be rate-limited and have argument validation enabled.
Yes. Add a rate_limit block to the capability rule in your PolicyLayer policy. For example, setting max: 10 and window: 60 limits the tool to 10 calls per minute. Rate limits are tracked per agent session and reset automatically.
Set action: deny in the PolicyLayer policy for capability. The AI agent will receive a policy violation error and cannot call the tool. You can also include a reason field to explain why the tool is blocked.
capability is provided by the OpenClaw MCP server (openclaw). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.
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