What is the CarsXE Skill for OpenClaw?

OpenClaw is an AI agent platform that extends a conversational AI into a capable assistant through a skill system. The CarsXE skill gives your OpenClaw agent comprehensive automotive data capabilities — decode VINs, look up license plates, get market values, check vehicle history, recalls, lien and theft records, OBD codes, and more, all without leaving your agent environment.

Skills are installed from Clawhub, OpenClaw's official skill marketplace. The CarsXE skill is listed at CarsXE.

Installation

Install the CarsXE skill from Clawhub with a single command:

openclaw skills install carsxe

Setup

Set Your CarsXE API Key

After installation, configure the skill with your CarsXE API key:

openclaw config set skills.entries.carsxe.env.CARSXE_KEY "cxe_live_YOUR_KEY"

Then restart the OpenClaw gateway for the change to take effect.

Don't have an API key yet? Get one from the CarsXE developer dashboard.

Verify the Key is Set

The skill reads your key from the CARSXE_KEY environment variable. If it is missing or empty, OpenClaw will display an error. Re-run the config command above with your actual key and restart the gateway.

Usage Examples

The skill is auto-invoked based on context — just describe what you need naturally. OpenClaw selects the right endpoint and chains requests when required.

Decode a VIN

Decode a License Plate

Get Market Value

Check Safety Recalls

Lien and Theft Check

Vehicle History Report

Decode an International VIN

Year/Make/Model Lookup

OBD Code Diagnosis

VIN from a Photo

Plate from a Photo

Vehicle Images

Chained Requests

The skill automatically chains multiple API calls when a query requires it. For example:

"Is this plate stolen and does it have open recalls?"

1. GET /v2/platedecoder — resolve the plate to a VIN
2. GET /v1/lien-theft + GET /v1/recalls — run both checks in parallel against the VIN

OpenClaw handles the chaining transparently and presents a combined result.

Error Handling

The skill also checks the error field in JSON responses — CarsXE can return HTTP 200 with an error body, and these are caught and surfaced to you.

Managing the Skill

Update the Skill

openclaw skills update carsxe

Disable Without Removing

{
  "skills": {
    "carsxe": {
      "enabled": false
    }
  }
}

Troubleshooting

Authentication error / invalid key

• Run openclaw config set skills.entries.carsxe.env.CARSXE_KEY "cxe_live_YOUR_KEY" with your actual key
• Restart the OpenClaw gateway after updating the key
• Ensure your CarsXE account has an active subscription

Skill not found after install

• Restart your OpenClaw session
• Verify installation with openclaw skills list
• Check that carsxe is listed as enabled: true in your openclaw.json

Tool not being auto-invoked

• Ensure the skill is enabled in openclaw.json
• Restart the gateway to reload the skill registry
• Describe your request more specifically if the skill is not triggering

Getting Help

• Clawhub listing: carsxe
• CarsXE documentation: Full API Documentation
• Support: Contact Support

Ready to power your OpenClaw agent with comprehensive vehicle data from CarsXE!