What is OpenClaw?

OpenClaw is an open-source AI agent platform that lets you build and deploy autonomous agents capable of using tools, browsing the web, and executing multi-step workflows. It is available on GitHub and as a pre-built image on AWS Marketplace.

OpenClaw agents interact with external services through skills — declarative definitions of CLI tools that the agent can invoke. The NextPay CLI is designed to work as an OpenClaw skill, giving agents the ability to manage directory contacts, initiate payouts, generate reports, and more.

How OpenClaw uses the NextPay CLI:

1. You define a NextPay skill in your OpenClaw agent configuration (a YAML file that points to the nextpay binary).
2. The agent calls nextpay capabilities to discover all available commands and their arguments.
3. When the agent needs to perform a NextPay operation, it constructs and executes the appropriate CLI command.
4. The CLI returns structured JSON output that the agent parses to make decisions or continue the workflow.

This architecture means the agent always has an up-to-date understanding of what the CLI can do, even as new commands are added in future releases.

OpenClaw is not the only agent platform that works with the NextPay CLI. Any AI agent framework that can execute shell commands and parse JSON output can use the CLI as a tool. The design principles (JSON output, exit codes, capabilities command) are intentionally generic.