# Claude Code vs OpenClaw: what each host actually reads

The two hosts disagree about almost everything: how many instruction files they read, whether personality has a home, where skills land. A skill that assumes one will misbehave in the other.

Source: <https://www.contexory.com/docs/reference/claude-code-vs-openclaw>

## The file slots

What each host looks for, side by side.

| Context | Claude Code | OpenClaw |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Instructions | `AGENTS.md` | `AGENTS.md` |
| Personality | No slot | `SOUL.md` |
| Tool notes | No slot | `TOOLS.md` |
| Skills | `.claude/skills/<name>/SKILL.md` | `skills/<name>/SKILL.md` |
| Workspace root | The repository | `~/.openclaw/workspace` |

Two rows carry most of the consequences: OpenClaw reads three separate context files where Claude Code reads one, and two of those files have nowhere of their own to live on Claude Code.

## Files merge and split

Because the number of files differs, the plugin reshapes context on the way to its destination:

- **Going to Claude Code, files join.** Three OpenClaw files become one, each under its own heading.
- **Going the other way, one file may split.** Claude Code's single file is divided along its subjects.

> **File identity does not survive**
>
> This is the rule everything else follows from. A cross-reference like "follow the voice described in `SOUL.md`" points at a filename that may not exist at the destination. Point at a heading ("the voice described under **Voice and tone**") because headings survive merging and filenames do not.

## Where skills land

Skills are the portable part. Both hosts read a folder per skill containing a SKILL.md, so the same skill works in both without reshaping; only the parent directory differs, and the plugin decides that.

That is why skills are the unit worth investing in: the format is the same everywhere. The [SKILL.md anatomy](/docs/reference/skill-md-anatomy) page covers what goes in one.

## Writing for both

Four substitutions cover most of what goes wrong:

| Instead of | Write |
| --- | --- |
| "In Claude Code, use the Bash tool to run the tests." | "Run the project's test suite before reporting back." |
| "Follow the voice described in `SOUL.md`." | "Follow the voice described under **Voice and tone**." |
| "Your skills are in `.claude/skills/`." | Delete it. The agent already has them. |
| "Call `linear_search_issues` with the ticket title." | "Search existing issues for anything matching the ticket." |

The pattern behind all four: describe the **capability** and the **intent**, never the host, the filename, the path, or the tool id.

## Choosing a plugin

Which plugin you install depends on where your team already works, not on which is more capable; both sync the same library.

### 1. Claude Code

Installed from the marketplace and driven by slash commands inside a session. Skills land in the repository you are working in. [Set it up](/docs/claude-code).

### 2. OpenClaw

Installed from ClawHub and configured on the gateway host, authenticating with an API token. Skills land in the OpenClaw workspace. [Set it up](/docs/openclaw).

Installing both is normal. The library is the source of truth in either case, so a skill edited once appears in both.