OpenClaw Security Tools Compared: SecureClaw vs ClawSec vs ClawScore vs ClawSecure vs the Built-in Audit

Q: Which OpenClaw security tool is best for beginners?

There isn't one best tool. Start with OpenClaw's built-in `openclaw security audit --deep`, because it's free, built in and checks your own setup. If the output is hard to read, our free check at /check explains pasted audit output in plain English. ClawSecCheck works differently: it runs its own audit inside your agent and answers in your chat. For skills, read the ClawHub audit page before you install.

Q: Do I need ongoing checks, or is one audit enough?

One audit is a snapshot. Re-run `openclaw security audit --deep` after every upgrade, new skill or plugin, or config change. Some tools offer ongoing options: ClawSec's drift detection, ClawSecCheck's watch mode, and Ironheights' saved baselines. As of October 19, 2026, ClawSecure's paid tiers are on a waitlist.

Q: Does Is My Agent Safe scan skills?

No. Our free check at /check reads a pasted `openclaw security audit --deep` output and `openclaw --version`. It spots risky settings, such as API keys handed to skills, and known-vulnerable versions. It does not review skill or MCP server code, and it does not detect malicious skills. For skills, use ClawHub's audit page and a dedicated skill scanner.

Published 2026-10-19 · Updated 2026-10-19 · By The Is My Agent Safe team

Short answer

Start with OpenClaw's own openclaw security audit --deep. It is free and built in. The other tools add different things: hardening scripts and in-agent rules (SecureClaw), signed advisories and guarded installs (ClawSec), a one-command score (ClawScore), web skill scans (ClawSecure), or an in-chat audit (ClawSecCheck). No tool's clean result proves a setup has no problems.

Built in and free: openclaw security audit checks your config; --deep adds live Gateway checks and plugin and skill code scans.
Before you install a skill, read its ClawHub security audit. A free skill scanner gives you a second opinion.
Third-party tools differ in where they run: inside your agent, as a script on the host, or as a website.
Cisco's skill-scanner and Ironheights both say a clean result is not proof that a skill has no problems, and ClawHub says a Pass doesn't replace your own judgment.

OpenClaw has a growing set of security tools, and their names sound alike. We make Is My Agent Safe, one of the tools below.

This guide describes what each one does, using each tool's own documentation as read on October 19, 2026. We don't rank them, and we describe our own check with the same kind of limits we list for the others. Tools change fast, so check the linked docs before you rely on any detail here.

The short version

As of October 19, 2026, from each tool's own docs (linked in each section below):

Tool	Made by	Where it runs	What it looks at	Price
`openclaw security audit`	OpenClaw	Your terminal, on the Gateway host	Your config, file permissions, exposure and auth settings; `--deep` adds live Gateway checks and plugin and skill code scans	Free, built in
ClawHub security audits	OpenClaw (ClawHub)	ClawHub's website, before you install	Each skill or plugin release uploaded to ClawHub	Free
SecureClaw	Adversa AI	A skill and optional plugin on your host	Audit checks, hardening fixes and behavioral rules for your agent	Free, MIT license
ClawSec	Prompt Security (SentinelOne)	A skill suite installed into your agent	Signed advisory feed, guarded installs, drift detection, audits	Free, AGPL-3.0
ClawScore	SetupMyClaw	A one-command script on your host	A 0 to 100 score from version, auth, exposure, skills, permissions, root and TLS checks	Free
ClawSecure	ClawSecure	Its website (free scans); paid tiers on a waitlist	Skills and other agent components you submit	Free scanner; paid tiers on a waitlist
ClawSecCheck	gl0di (open source)	A ClawHub skill inside your agent, plus a CLI	Config, installed skills, logs, a self-report and optional live tests	Free, MIT license
Skill scanners (Cisco skill-scanner, NVIDIA SkillSpector, Ironheights)	Cisco, NVIDIA, Frank Masciopinto (Ironheights)	Your machine	A skill's files, before you install it	Free, Apache 2.0
Is My Agent Safe (us)	Your Evenings Ltd	Our website: you paste the audit output	Pasted `openclaw security audit --deep` output plus `openclaw --version`, at one point in time. Doesn't review skill or MCP server code or detect malicious skills	Free check ($0); $29 one-off report; Solo $9/month (coming soon); Agency founding seats $99/month (Pricing; Limits of the check)

The built-in audit: `openclaw security audit`

This is OpenClaw's own audit, free and built in. OpenClaw's security CLI docs (as of October 19, 2026) say a plain openclaw security audit reads your config and files without loading every plugin runtime. It covers areas such as DM and trust settings, webhook tokens, sandbox and tool settings, network and discovery settings, and plugin install records.

--deep adds best-effort live Gateway checks. The audit checks catalog says it also adds plugin and skill code scans (plugins.code_safety and skills.code_safety), and that those scans have file limits.

--fix is narrow. Per the docs, it tightens file permissions and switches open group policies to allowlists. It does not rotate keys, disable tools, change your Gateway bind or exposure, or remove plugins and skills. Our audit explainer covers what each finding means.

ClawHub security audits

ClawHub's security audits (as of October 19, 2026) run on releases uploaded to ClawHub, so you can read them before you install. Each audit page shows a status (Pass, Review, Warn, Malicious, Pending or Error), a risk level and the findings. The page combines NVIDIA's SkillSpector, Tencent Zhuque Lab's A.I.G scanner and ClawHub's own risk analysis, ClawScan.

ClawHub's docs say a Pass "does not replace your own judgment". From the command line, OpenClaw's skills docs list openclaw skills verify @owner/<slug>, which asks ClawHub for a skill's verification record.

SecureClaw (Adversa AI)

The SecureClaw README (as of October 19, 2026) describes three layers:

Audit: 56 automated checks across 8 categories, such as exposed Gateway ports, weak file permissions, missing authentication and disabled sandboxing.
Hardening: automated fixes, such as binding the Gateway to localhost and locking down file permissions, with a backup and rollback.
Behavioral rules: 15 rules loaded into your agent's context (about 1,230 tokens) covering external content, credentials and destructive commands.

You can install the skill on its own with a Git clone and an install script, or install the full plugin from npm through openclaw plugins install. The README says its scripts detect OpenClaw, Moltbot and Clawdbot config folders. It's MIT-licensed.

ClawSec (Prompt Security, from SentinelOne)

The ClawSec README (as of October 19, 2026) describes an AGPL-licensed collection of security skills for OpenClaw, NanoClaw, Hermes and Picoclaw. For OpenClaw, you start with clawsec-suite, which:

checks a signed advisory feed against your installed skills;
stops a risky install on an advisory match and asks for a second confirmation;
offers separate packages for drift detection on critical files and for audits.

The README says adding the suite and turning on its advisory hook are separate steps, and the setup script shows what it will change before it changes your OpenClaw config.

ClawScore

The ClawScore README (as of October 19, 2026) describes a one-command script (curl ... | bash) that gives a 0 to 100 score with fix commands. It checks your version against CVE-2026-25253, Gateway auth, network exposure, known malicious skills, credential permissions, running as root, and HTTPS.

The README says it uploads your version, score, issue categories and skill names only with your consent, and that --local runs it with no network activity.

ClawSecure

ClawSecure's README (as of October 19, 2026) describes a free web scanner: you paste a ClawHub skill URL or GitHub link, or upload a zip, and get a public audit report. It also runs a public registry of skills it has audited. Its pricing page lists paid tiers (Shield, Sentinel and Fortress) that use an installed daemon. As of October 19, 2026, those tiers are on a waitlist until their runtime features launch.

ClawSecCheck

The ClawSecCheck README (as of October 19, 2026) describes an MIT-licensed skill you install from ClawHub by asking your agent. You then ask it to audit your setup, and the results come back in the chat. It says it's read-only, never changes your OpenClaw config and makes no network calls.

It has five layers: static config checks, a sweep of installed skills and plugins, a log review, an agent self-report and optional live tests. A default run covers 2 of the 5, and it gives an A to F grade only when all five have run. It also has a watch mode that reports changes since a saved baseline, and a pre-install verdict for a single skill. The README says it was verified against OpenClaw 2026.10.4.

Free skill scanners

These scan a skill's files before you install it (each described from its own README, as of October 19, 2026):

Cisco AI Defense skill-scanner: pattern-based, dataflow and optional LLM checks for skills that follow the Agent Skills format. Installed with pip, uv or Homebrew.
NVIDIA SkillSpector: 71 patterns across 17 categories, plus an LLM review that is on by default and sends file contents to the model provider you configure (--no-llm keeps file contents local, though its supply-chain check still sends declared dependency names to OSV.dev). It's one of the engines behind ClawHub's audit pages.
Ironheights: an OpenClaw-specific scanner run with npx. It reads skill files as data without running them, and can save a baseline to compare against later.

Each one states its limits. Cisco calls its results best-effort and says no findings means no known threat patterns matched. NVIDIA lists what SkillSpector can't analyze, such as compiled or encrypted code. Ironheights says no findings means its rules didn't match.

Where our free check fits

Our free check does one job. It's paste-only: you paste the output of openclaw security audit --deep and openclaw --version. We explain the findings in plain English, flag risky settings such as API keys handed to skills, and check your version against published security advisories. It's a point-in-time, look-only review: we never connect to your agent, and nothing is installed into the agent you're checking. The check is free, and a full report is $29. Solo ($9/month, version alerts) is coming soon.

It does not scan skills or MCP servers, review skill code, or detect malicious skills. If your pasted output includes OpenClaw's own skill code-scan findings (skills.code_safety), we explain them, but a skill that OpenClaw's scan didn't flag won't show up in our result. Green means no issues found in the checks we ran. See Limits of the check.

How to choose

You want to know what your settings mean: run the built-in audit, then paste its output into a plain-English reader such as our free check. ClawSecCheck works differently: it runs its own audit inside your agent and explains the results in chat.
You're about to install a skill: read its ClawHub audit page and run a skill scanner. Treat a clean result as one signal, not proof.
You want help applying fixes: SecureClaw's hardening scripts apply fixes, and ClawScore gives fix commands to run. Back up your config first, read any install script before you run it, and read what each step changes.
You want ongoing checks: look at ClawSec's drift detection, ClawSecCheck's watch mode or Ironheights' baselines, and re-run the built-in audit after every change.

For the full owner list, use our 12-point checklist. Terms such as skill, ClawHub and supply-chain attack are in the glossary.

Frequently asked questions

Which OpenClaw security tool is best for beginners?

There isn't one best tool. Start with OpenClaw's built-in openclaw security audit --deep, because it's free, built in and checks your own setup. If the output is hard to read, our free check at /check explains pasted audit output in plain English. ClawSecCheck works differently: it runs its own audit inside your agent and answers in your chat. For skills, read the ClawHub audit page before you install.

Are free scanners enough?

They cover different parts. A skill scanner looks at skill files, and a config audit looks at your settings. Spend limits and staying on a current release are separate jobs: set limits with your model provider, and keep OpenClaw updated. Cisco's skill-scanner README says a scan with no findings means no known threat patterns were detected, not that a skill is free of threats. ClawHub's audit docs make the same point about a Pass.

Do I need ongoing checks, or is one audit enough?

One audit is a snapshot. Re-run openclaw security audit --deep after every upgrade, new skill or plugin, or config change. Some tools offer ongoing options: ClawSec's drift detection, ClawSecCheck's watch mode, and Ironheights' saved baselines. As of October 19, 2026, ClawSecure's paid tiers are on a waitlist.

Does Is My Agent Safe scan skills?

No. Our free check at /check reads a pasted openclaw security audit --deep output and openclaw --version. It spots risky settings, such as API keys handed to skills, and known-vulnerable versions. It does not review skill or MCP server code, and it does not detect malicious skills. For skills, use ClawHub's audit page and a dedicated skill scanner.