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Migrating from Claude

Mirrored from OpenClaw (MIT)
Canonical source: https://docs.openclaw.ai/install/migrating-claude
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Migrating from Claude

OpenClaw imports local Claude state through the bundled Claude migration provider. The provider previews every item before changing state, redacts secrets in plans and reports, and creates a verified backup before apply.

NOTE

Onboarding imports require a fresh OpenClaw setup. If you already have local OpenClaw state, reset config, credentials, sessions, and the workspace first, or use openclaw migrate directly with --overwrite after reviewing the plan.

Two ways to import

Onboarding wizard

The wizard offers Claude when it detects local Claude state.

openclaw onboard --flow import

Or point at a specific source:

openclaw onboard --import-from claude --import-source ~/.claude
CLI

Use openclaw migrate for scripted or repeatable runs. See openclaw migrate for the full reference.

openclaw migrate claude --dry-run
openclaw migrate apply claude --yes

Add --from <path> to import a specific Claude Code home or project root.

What gets imported

Instructions and memory
  • Project CLAUDE.md and .claude/CLAUDE.md content is copied or appended into the OpenClaw agent workspace AGENTS.md.
  • User ~/.claude/CLAUDE.md content is appended into workspace USER.md.
MCP servers

MCP server definitions are imported from project .mcp.json, Claude Code ~/.claude.json, and Claude Desktop claude_desktop_config.json when present.

Skills and commands
  • Claude skills with a SKILL.md file are copied into the OpenClaw workspace skills directory.
  • Claude command Markdown files under .claude/commands/ or ~/.claude/commands/ are converted into OpenClaw skills with disable-model-invocation: true.

What stays archive-only

The provider copies these into the migration report for manual review, but does not load them into live OpenClaw config:

  • Claude hooks
  • Claude permissions and broad tool allowlists
  • Claude environment defaults
  • CLAUDE.local.md
  • .claude/rules/
  • Claude subagents under .claude/agents/ or ~/.claude/agents/
  • Claude Code caches, plans, and project history directories
  • Claude Desktop extensions and OS-stored credentials

OpenClaw refuses to execute hooks, trust permission allowlists, or decode opaque OAuth and Desktop credential state automatically. Move what you need by hand after reviewing the archive.

Source selection

Without --from, OpenClaw inspects the default Claude Code home at ~/.claude, the sampled Claude Code ~/.claude.json state file, and the Claude Desktop MCP config on macOS.

When --from points at a project root, OpenClaw imports only that project's Claude files such as CLAUDE.md, .claude/settings.json, .claude/commands/, .claude/skills/, and .mcp.json. It does not read your global Claude home during a project-root import.

  1. Preview the plan
    openclaw migrate claude --dry-run

    The plan lists everything that will change, including conflicts, skipped items, and sensitive values redacted from nested MCP env or headers fields.

  2. Apply with backup
    openclaw migrate apply claude --yes

    OpenClaw creates and verifies a backup before applying.

  3. Run doctor
    openclaw doctor

    Doctor checks for config or state issues after the import.

  4. Restart and verify
    openclaw gateway restart
openclaw status

    Confirm the gateway is healthy and your imported instructions, MCP servers, and skills are loaded.

Conflict handling

Apply refuses to continue when the plan reports conflicts (a file or config value already exists at the target).

WARNING

Rerun with --overwrite only when replacing the existing target is intentional. Providers may still write item-level backups for overwritten files in the migration report directory.

For a fresh OpenClaw install, conflicts are unusual. They typically appear when you re-run the import on a setup that already has user edits.

JSON output for automation

openclaw migrate claude --dry-run --json
openclaw migrate apply claude --json --yes

With --json and no --yes, apply prints the plan and does not mutate state. This is the safest mode for CI and shared scripts.

Troubleshooting

Claude state lives outside ~/.claude

Pass --from /actual/path (CLI) or --import-source /actual/path (onboarding).

Onboarding refuses to import on an existing setup

Onboarding imports require a fresh setup. Either reset state and re-onboard, or use openclaw migrate apply claude directly, which supports --overwrite and explicit backup control.

MCP servers from Claude Desktop did not import

Claude Desktop reads claude_desktop_config.json from a platform-specific path. Point --from at that file's directory if OpenClaw did not detect it automatically.

Claude commands became skills with model invocation disabled

By design. Claude commands are user-triggered, so OpenClaw imports them as skills with disable-model-invocation: true. Edit each skill's frontmatter if you want the agent to invoke them automatically.