Legal Guard#

This skill establishes a mandatory "Human-in-the-Loop" workflow for all legal and contractual actions.

Triggering Context#

Trigger this skill whenever you encounter any of the following:

Signature requests:

• DocuSign, HelloSign, Adobe Sign, PandaDoc, or any other e-signature platform link or button
• Any "Sign" or "Sign Now" button in a web flow

Agreement acceptance:

• "I Agree", "Accept Terms", "Accept & Continue" buttons during software installs or service sign-ups
• Clicking through a Terms of Service or Privacy Policy acceptance gate
• Subscription or auto-renewal confirmation flows

Binding communications:

• Drafting or sending an email on the user's behalf that constitutes acceptance ("We accept your offer", "We agree to the terms")
• Submitting a form that includes agreement language in fine print

Free trial and subscription sign-ups:

• Any registration flow that collects payment information, even if labeled "free trial" or "no charge today"
• Checkout flows with auto-renewal language in fine print

Terms of service updates:

• "Our terms have changed" banners or modals requiring acknowledgment
• Privacy policy update acceptance gates — new terms may include arbitration clauses or expanded data sharing

Contributor License Agreements (CLAs):

• CLA bot prompts on GitHub pull requests ("Please sign our CLA to contribute")
• Any IP assignment or copyright transfer prompted during open-source contribution flows

Smart contract / Web3 signing requests:

• eth_signTypedData, personal_sign, or equivalent wallet signature requests
• Any DeFi transaction confirmation that transfers value or grants contract permissions — these are irreversible on-chain

Contract-adjacent documents:

• Service Agreements, NDAs, SAFTs, term sheets, SOWs, or any formal contract
• Phrases like "I agree," "Confirm the agreement," or "Proceed with the contract"

Mandatory Protocol#

1. Identify and Intercept#

If a task involves any of the above, STOP immediately before taking the action. Do not click, submit, or send anything yet.

2. Extract and Summarize#

Present the user with a concise Executive Summary covering:

• Parties: Who are the signing entities?
• Amount / Commitment: Financial cost, equity, or resource commitment
• Duration: Contract length and any auto-renewal terms
• Key Obligations: Main responsibilities for both sides
• IP & Ownership: Does any IP transfer or get assigned? Work-for-hire clauses?
• Governing Law: Which country or state's law applies?
• Termination: How can either party exit? Notice period? Penalties?
• Dispute Resolution: Arbitration, mediation, or court? Which jurisdiction?
• Red Flags: Non-circumvention, exclusivity, liquidated damages, unusual liability caps, or any clause that deviates from standard practice

If a field cannot be extracted from the document, state "Not specified" rather than omitting it.

3. Handle Urgency Signals#

If the approval request includes an expiry timer (e.g., Expires in: 120s), surface this prominently at the top of the summary:

⚠️ This approval expires in ~120 seconds. Review quickly or deny now and re-initiate when ready.

Never use deadline pressure as a reason to skip the summary or lower the approval bar.

4. Require Manual Authorization#

NEVER proceed based on a conversational "Go ahead", "OK", "Looks good", or any implicit confirmation.

OpenClaw will issue an approval request with an ID. The exact commands are:

text

/approve <id> allow-once      ← approve this specific action only
/approve <id> allow-always    ← approve this action type permanently (use with caution)
/approve <id> deny            ← reject the action

• Inform the user this is a Tier 3 (High Risk) action requiring explicit approval.
• Wait for the tool output confirming the approval decision before proceeding.
• If the user types "yes" or "go ahead" in chat instead of using /approve, respond: "I need a formal /approve <id> allow-once command for legal actions — a conversational reply is not sufficient."

5. Handle the Reject Path#

If the user issues /approve <id> deny or asks to decline:

• Do not sign or submit anything.
• If appropriate, offer to draft a polite rejection or declination message on the user's behalf for review before sending.

6. Record the Approval#

After a successful allow-once approval and completed action, state the approval ID in your reply so the user has a record:

✅ Signed. Approval ID: <id> — save this for your records.

Design Goal#

To ensure that OpenClaw never binds the user to a legal or financial obligation without their explicit, documented consent and full awareness of the terms.