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Self-Customize (Agent Self-Extension)

Lets an agent safely modify its own environment — installing packages, adding MCP servers, or delegating code changes to a builder agent.

AutomationAdvanced★ 30,471⑂ 12,865AI score 8/10Last updated: Aug 9, 2026

What it does

Gives a NanoClaw agent a decision tree for handling requests like "add this feature" or "install that tool":

  • Memory / standing instructions → edit memory/ or instructions.prepend.md directly
  • System (apt) or global npm packages → install_packages (admin approval, image rebuild)
  • MCP servers → add_mcp_server (approval, container restart)
  • Source code or Dockerfile → never edit directly; delegate via create_agent to a builder agent

It ships a ready-to-use builder-agent prompt and enforces hard diff limits — 200 new / 150 modified lines per task — so changes stay small enough for a human to actually review.

Who it's for

  • Operators running NanoClaw container agents who want self-extension enabled
  • Teams granting self-modification rights but wanting guardrails against runaway diffs
  • Anyone studying a main-agent + builder-agent delegation pattern

Examples

  1. Add RSS reading: check mcp.so for an existing server; if none, have a builder agent write a read_rss MCP tool.
  2. Enable audio transcription: run which ffmpeg, then install_packages({ apt: ["ffmpeg"], npm: ["@xenova/transformers"] }), await approval, test after restart.
  3. A 500-line feature: split into four sequential builder tasks of ~125 lines each.

· · · Install guide · · ·

Try it now, no install

Paste this into Claude to use the skill without installing anything.

Read the instructions in this file and follow them to help me:
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nanocoai/nanoclaw/HEAD/container/skills/self-customize/SKILL.md

What I want: (describe your task here)

If Claude can't open the link, open it yourself and paste the contents instead.

↓ If it works for you, download the ZIP below and install it. Then it runs on its own — no pasting each time.

Install in the Claude app (no terminal)
  1. Download the ZIP with the button below.
  2. In Claude, open Settings → Capabilities and turn on 'Code execution and file creation'. (one time)
  3. Go to Customize → Skills → + → 'Upload a skill' and upload the ZIP.
↓ Download ZIP
Install in Claude Code

Let Claude do it — paste this into Claude Code

Install the skill I found on AI Skill Mart.
Copy the container/skills/self-customize folder from the GitHub repo nanocoai/nanoclaw into my ~/.claude/skills/self-customize/.
When it's done, tell me in one line what this skill can do.

Install with a command instead

git clone https://github.com/nanocoai/nanoclaw.git /tmp/nanoclaw && mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills && cp -r /tmp/nanoclaw/container/skills/self-customize ~/.claude/skills/

⚠ This is a third-party skill. Check the source repository before installing.

  1. Open a terminal.
  2. Clone the repo: git clone https://github.com/nanocoai/nanoclaw.git
  3. Create the skills folder: mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills
  4. Copy the skill: cp -r nanoclaw/container/skills/self-customize ~/.claude/skills/
  5. Restart Claude Code and confirm the skill is listed.
  6. ⚠️ It only functions inside the NanoClaw runtime, which provides create_agent, install_packages, and add_mcp_server. Elsewhere, treat it as a workflow reference.
View source on GitHub ↗License: MIT