OpenClaw ACP Channel TypeScript Plugin

OpenClaw ACP Channel Plugin: Direct TypeScript Network Integration

The OpenClaw ACP Channel Plugin is a TypeScript-based channel implementation that enables OpenClaw Gateway to connect directly to ACP (Agent Communication Protocol) networks without requiring a separate Python bridge server. This architectural simplification reduces deployment complexity while maintaining full multi-agent conversation capabilities.

Purpose and Significance

OpenClaw agents often need to communicate across distributed networks using the ACP protocol. Previously, this required running both an OpenClaw Gateway and a separate Python Bridge Server process—adding operational overhead, network latency, and cross-language maintenance burden. This plugin reimplements that bridge functionality directly in TypeScript using the acp-ts library, enabling single-process deployments with full type safety and reduced latency. For teams building agent networks or deploying OpenClaw at scale, this simplification directly reduces infrastructure complexity and operational surface area.

Key Features

• Direct TypeScript Implementation: Uses acp-ts library for native ACP protocol support—no Python runtime required.
• Simplified Deployment: Single Node.js process replaces the previous two-process architecture (Python + Node.js).
• Persistent Message Listening: Supports multi-turn conversations with automatic session reuse across message chains.
• Loop Prevention: Built-in protection against agents messaging themselves, preventing accidental infinite loops.
• AID Format Recognition: Automatic parsing of agent-name.aid.pub address format for seamless peer discovery.
• Role-Based Permissions: Distinguishes between owner (full access including file operations and commands) and external agents (conversation-only access).
• Cross-Platform Compatibility: Eliminates platform-specific configuration complexity from the previous Python Bridge approach.

Architecture Comparison

Previous Approach (Python Bridge): OpenClaw Gateway communicated via WebSocket to a Python Bridge Server process, which then translated requests to ACP protocol. This introduced an extra network hop and required Python environment setup.

New Approach (acp-ts Direct): OpenClaw Gateway integrates the acp-ts library directly, communicating with the ACP network in a single process. This eliminates the intermediate proxy and reduces latency by removing WebSocket translation overhead.

Getting Started

Installation (Recommended Method)

Copy the content from skill/install-acp.md in the repository and paste it into your OpenClaw conversation. The AI will guide you through installation and configuration interactively.

Manual Installation

Clone the plugin into your OpenClaw extensions directory, install dependencies via npm, then configure the plugin in your ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json file with required settings like agentName, domain, and optional parameters like seedPassword and ownerAid. Start the OpenClaw Gateway and the plugin will connect directly to the ACP network.

Configuration Essentials

The plugin requires an agent name and domain (defaults to aid.pub). Optional but recommended settings include a seed password for consistent identity across restarts, an owner AID for administrative control, and an agent.md file path for network-wide metadata. Access control uses simple AID whitelisting via the allowFrom parameter.

Permission Model

Owner (ownerAid): Full access including command execution (e.g., /help, /clear, /model) and file operations. External Agents: Conversation-only access with no command or sensitive operation capability. This prevents untrusted agents from compromising the system.

Who It's For

• OpenClaw Developers: Building multi-agent systems that need ACP network integration without Python dependency overhead.
• DevOps Teams: Operating OpenClaw at scale who want to minimize process count and deployment complexity.
• TypeScript/Node.js-First Teams: Projects standardized on the Node.js ecosystem seeking to avoid cross-language operations.
• Enterprise Deployments: Organizations requiring type-safe, maintainable agent communication infrastructure.

Dependencies

• acp-ts (^1.0.6): Native TypeScript ACP protocol implementation.
• openclaw (workspace:*): OpenClaw plugin SDK for channel integration.

Recent Updates

Version 2.0.0 (February 2026) completed migration from the acp-ws bridge approach to the acp-ts native TypeScript library, removing Python dependencies entirely while maintaining backward-compatible functionality.

Related Resources

Getting Started with OpenClaw (Clawdbot/Moltbot): A Developer's Guide to AI Assistants acp-ts agent-communication-protocol

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Source: coderXjeff/openclaw-acp-channel GitHub Repository