> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.simmer.markets/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Plugins

> Extend your agent with persistent services and autonomous capabilities beyond trading skills.

Plugins are OpenClaw extensions that add persistent services, new commands, and autonomous capabilities to your agent. They complement [skills](/skills/overview) by handling things that run continuously in the background.

## Skills vs plugins

|                   | Skills                                                               | Plugins                                                                             |
| ----------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **What they are** | Trading strategies (Python scripts + SKILL.md)                       | Runtime extensions (TypeScript npm packages)                                        |
| **How they run**  | On a schedule (cron) or on-demand                                    | Persistent background services                                                      |
| **Published to**  | [ClawHub](https://clawhub.ai)                                        | npm                                                                                 |
| **Installed via** | `clawhub install <slug>`                                             | `openclaw plugins install <name>`                                                   |
| **Example**       | `polymarket-weather-trader` — runs every 15 min, checks NOAA, trades | `simmer-mcp` (autoresearch) — continuously optimizes skill config in the background |

Skills are stateless — they run, trade, exit. Plugins are stateful — they maintain connections, track state across cycles, and can inject context into your agent's decision-making.

## Available plugins

| Plugin                             | Description                                                                                                                              | Status |
| ---------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------ |
| [`simmer-mcp`](/plugins/mcp-tools) | MCP server — portfolio queries, market search, trading, autoresearch, and per-skill execution. [Full tool reference](/plugins/mcp-tools) | Pro    |
| [`simmer-reactor`](/pro/reactor)   | Real-time on-chain signal infrastructure — whale copytrading, more streams coming                                                        | Pro    |

## Install a plugin

```bash theme={null}
npm install -g simmer-mcp
```

Then add it to your agent's MCP config — see [Autoresearch](/pro/autoresearch#install) for the full setup.

## Configure a plugin

Plugin config lives in your OpenClaw `plugins.json`. Each plugin defines its own config schema:

```json theme={null}
{
  "simmer": {
    "maxExperiments": 50
  }
}
```

Environment variables (like `SIMMER_API_KEY`) are read from your agent's environment automatically — you don't need to duplicate them in plugin config.

## Requirements

* **OpenClaw** agent runtime (plugins are OpenClaw extensions)
* **Simmer Pro** plan for premium plugins (autoresearch, reactor)
* **simmer-sdk** installed (`pip install simmer-sdk`) for plugins that trade