FREE GUIDE 10 CHAPTERS ~20 MIN READ NO CODING NEEDED

OpenClaw Workflow Templates

Pre-built recipes for your business — free, tested, and ready in minutes

By the time you finish this guide, you will have installed at least two ready-made automations, customized them for your business, and learned how to save your own templates. Six templates. Ten chapters. Twenty minutes. Free.

Before We Get Started

Here is everything you need to follow this guide:

  • An OpenClaw account — free to create
  • A form tool (Google Forms, Typeform, or Tally) for lead templates
  • An email account (Gmail or Outlook)
  • A spreadsheet (Google Sheets or Airtable) for data
  • A credit card — NOT needed
  • Any coding skills — also NOT needed

Every template in this guide works on the free OpenClaw plan.

What This Costs (Spoiler: Nothing to Start)

OpenClaw's template library is free to browse, install, and customize. Templates themselves cost nothing. You only pay if you exceed the free plan's automation run limit.

FeatureCostNotes
Template LibraryFreeFREE FOREVER — browse and install unlimited templates
Template CustomizationFreeFREE FOREVER — edit any installed template
Saving Your Own TemplatesFreeFREE FOREVER — save and share within your account
FREE WITH LIMITS

OpenClaw's free plan includes a limited number of automation runs per month. Six templates running daily will use roughly half the free tier's allocation. Paid plans start at $10/month if you need more.

Start with two templates. Add more as you see the value.

How This Guide Works

The first two chapters cover how templates work and how to install them. Chapters 3 through 8 walk through six specific templates with copy-paste content. Chapters 9 and 10 teach you how to save your own templates and keep them organized.

Each template chapter tells you: what it does, who it is best for, how to set it up, and gives you copy-paste text you can use right away.

What's Inside

  1. What Are Workflow Templates? (Recipes For Your Business)
  2. How to Browse and Install Templates
  3. Template 1 — New Lead Follow-Up
  4. Template 2 — Weekly Sales Report
  5. Template 3 — Content Publish Pipeline
  6. Template 4 — Customer Onboarding Sequence
  7. Template 5 — Invoice and Payment Reminder
  8. Template 6 — Social Media Auto-Poster
  9. How to Save Your Own Templates
  10. Template Best Practices
Chapter 1

What Are Workflow Templates? (Recipes For Your Business)

What This Is

Imagine you want to bake a cake. You have two choices. You can spend hours figuring out how much flour, how many eggs, and what temperature the oven should be. Or you can open a cookbook, find a recipe that looks good, and follow the steps. The cake turns out great either way — but the recipe gets you there ten times faster.

That is exactly what workflow templates are. They are recipes for your business.

Why Templates Matter

Here is a number that might surprise you. Most people who sign up for automation tools never finish building their first automation. They get stuck choosing a trigger, or they cannot figure out how to connect their email, or they spend an hour and end up with something that does not work.

Templates fix that problem completely. They skip the blank-page problem entirely. Instead of staring at an empty screen, you browse a library of proven automations and pick one that fits your need.

A workflow template is a pre-built automation that someone already created, tested, and packaged up for you. The triggers are set. The actions are connected. The logic is wired together. All you need to do is plug in your own details — your email address, your company name, your schedule — and press the "Activate" button.

What You Can Expect From This Guide

TemplateWhat It DoesTime to Set UpBest For
New Lead Follow-UpSends a welcome email within 60 seconds5 minutesIndividuals, small business
Weekly Sales ReportEmails a summary every Monday8 minutesSmall business, medium business
Content Publish PipelineWrite once, publish to 4 platforms10 minutesIndividuals, small business
Customer Onboarding SequenceWelcome packet + tasks + check-in12 minutesMedium business, enterprise
Invoice and Payment ReminderSends invoices and chases late payments8 minutesSmall business, medium business
Social Media Auto-PosterReads from a calendar and posts daily10 minutesIndividuals, small business
When to Use This

Any time you want to automate something but do not want to build it from scratch. Browse the template library first. If someone already built what you need, install it. Why reinvent the wheel?

Chapter 1 Complete

  • I understand what workflow templates are (pre-built recipes)
  • I know templates skip the blank-page problem
  • I know which six templates this guide covers
Chapter 2

How to Browse and Install Templates

What This Is

The HR director at a 150-person manufacturing company needed an employee onboarding workflow. Instead of spending a week designing one, she opened the OpenClaw template library, searched "onboarding," and installed a template in two minutes. She customized it in ten more. Her entire HR team uses it now.

OpenClaw has a built-in template library with dozens of ready-made automations. Finding and installing one takes about two minutes.

Step-by-Step

1

Open the Template Library

Log into your OpenClaw dashboard. Look at the left sidebar. Click Templates (small grid icon).

What you will see: A library of template cards organized by category.
2

Browse or search

Use the search bar at the top. Type keywords like "lead," "report," "email," or "social." Below the search bar, use category filters: Sales, Marketing, Operations, Support, and Reporting.

3

Preview a template

Click on any template card. You will see a description, the list of connected apps, a flow diagram, a star rating, and an Install Template button.

4

Install the template

Click the blue Install Template button. OpenClaw copies the entire automation into your account with a "Template" badge.

5

Connect your apps

Click on each step and swap placeholder connections for your real accounts (your Gmail, your Google Sheets, your CRM).

6

Customize the details

Change the email text, swap in your business name, adjust the schedule. Look for "CUSTOMIZE THIS" comment boxes.

7

Test and activate

Click Test to run the automation once with test data. If it works, click Activate.

Quick Win: From "I want to automate something" to "it is live and running" in under 10 minutes. That is the power of templates.

Chapter 2 Complete

  • I know how to find the Template Library
  • I know the 7-step install process
  • I understand I need to connect my own apps after installing
Chapter 3

Template 1 — New Lead Follow-Up

What This Is

Tanya is a solo real estate agent in Chicago. She gets 5 to 10 new leads a week from her website form. Before this template, she would check her form once a day and reply manually. Some leads waited 24 hours. Now every new lead gets a personalized email within 60 seconds. Her reply rate jumped from 15% to 40%.

Harvard Business Review found that responding within five minutes makes you 21 times more likely to close the deal. Most businesses take 24 to 48 hours. This template gets you there in under one minute.

How to Set It Up

1

Install the template

Go to Templates and search New Lead Follow-Up. Click Install Template.

2

Connect your apps

Connect your form tool (Google Forms, Typeform, or Tally), your email (Gmail or Outlook), and your contact list (Google Sheets, Notion, or HubSpot).

3

Customize the welcome email

Copy This Email
Subject: Hey {{first_name}} — got your message! Hi {{first_name}}, Thanks for reaching out to [YOUR BUSINESS NAME]. I got your message and wanted to reply right away. Here is what happens next: 1. I will review what you shared 2. I will get back to you within 24 hours with next steps 3. If you need something urgent, reply to this email Talk soon, [YOUR NAME]

Contact List Field Mapping

Form FieldContact List Column
NameFull Name
EmailEmail Address
PhonePhone Number
MessageNotes
Date submittedDate Added

Pro Tip: Add a second email 48 hours later: "Hey {{first_name}}, just checking in — did you get a chance to look at my last email?" This boosts reply rates by 30 percent.

Chapter 3 Complete

  • Installed the New Lead Follow-Up template
  • Connected my form, email, and contact list
  • Customized the welcome email with my business name
Chapter 4

Template 2 — Weekly Sales Report

What This Is

The sales team at a 60-person software company used to spend every Monday morning in a 45-minute meeting pulling numbers from three dashboards. Now a single template does it at 8 AM and emails the whole team. The meeting dropped to 15 minutes — everyone shows up already knowing the numbers.

Every Monday at 8 AM, this template pulls your key numbers from a spreadsheet or CRM, formats them into a clean summary, and emails it to you and your team.

How to Set It Up

1

Search "Weekly Sales Report" in Templates and install it

Connect your data source (Google Sheets, Airtable, or CRM) and your email. Set schedule to Monday at 8:00 AM.

Metrics to Customize

MetricSourceExample
Total Revenue This WeekSum of Amount column, last 7 days$4,200
New LeadsCount of new rows in Leads sheet23
Deals ClosedRows where Status = Won4
Average Deal SizeRevenue / deals closed$1,050
Pipeline ValueSum where Status = Open$12,400
Copy This Email
Subject: Weekly Sales Report — Week of {{date}} Good morning team, Sales snapshot for the week ending {{date}}: - Revenue: {{total_revenue}} - New Leads: {{new_leads}} - Deals Closed: {{deals_closed}} - Avg Deal Size: {{avg_deal_size}} - Pipeline Value: {{pipeline_value}} Top win: {{top_deal_name}} — {{top_deal_amount}} — Sent automatically by OpenClaw

Pro Tip: Add a comparison — "vs. last week: +12%" — to spot trends at a glance.

Chapter 4 Complete

  • Installed the Weekly Sales Report template
  • Connected my data source and email
  • Set the schedule to Monday at 8 AM
Chapter 5

Template 3 — Content Publish Pipeline

What This Is

James is a solo content creator who writes one article a week. Before this template, he manually copied and reformatted the article for his blog, LinkedIn, Facebook, and X. Four platforms, four different formats, an hour of copy-paste work. Now he writes once, marks the document "Ready," and the template publishes to all four platforms automatically.

You write one piece of content. This template reformats it and publishes to your blog, LinkedIn, Facebook, and X automatically.

The Workflow

StepActionDetails
1Trigger firesDocument status changes to "Ready"
2Read full textPulls title and body from your doc
3Blog postPublishes full article to your CMS
4LinkedIn postFirst 200 words + link
5Facebook post100-word version + link
6X post1-sentence hook + link (under 280 chars)
7NotificationConfirmation via Slack or email

Platform Formatting

Quick Win: Batch your writing. Write 3 articles Monday. Mark them "Ready." They publish across the week automatically.

Chapter 5 Complete

  • Installed the Content Publish Pipeline template
  • Connected my CMS and social accounts
  • I understand the platform formatting rules
Chapter 6

Template 4 — Customer Onboarding Sequence

What This Is

A mid-size digital marketing agency with 30 clients was losing new customers in the first two weeks. Clients would sign up, get a contract, and then hear nothing for days. By the time the agency reached out, the client had already started doubting their decision. This five-step onboarding template fixed it. Every new client gets a welcome email, resources, setup tasks, a check-in call, and a feedback survey — all on autopilot.

The Five Steps

DayWhat HappensAction
Day 0Welcome emailSend personalized welcome with key links
Day 0Share resourcesSend portal access and getting started guide
Day 1Create setup tasksAdd tasks to your project manager
Day 7Check-in callSchedule a call via Calendly
Day 14Feedback surveySend satisfaction survey
Copy This Welcome Email
Subject: Welcome to [YOUR BUSINESS NAME], {{first_name}}! Hi {{first_name}}, Welcome aboard! Here is everything you need: 1. Your client portal: [LINK] 2. Getting started guide: [LINK] 3. Book a quick intro call: [CALENDLY LINK] Questions? Just reply. I read every one. Looking forward to working together, [YOUR NAME]

Pro Tip: Add a day-5 check-in: "Just checking in — everything going well?" This small touch drives referrals.

Chapter 6 Complete

  • Installed the Customer Onboarding template
  • Connected my email, project manager, and calendar
  • Customized the welcome email and resource links
Chapter 7

Template 5 — Invoice and Payment Reminder

What This Is

Carlos runs a small construction company with 8 employees. His biggest headache was chasing unpaid invoices. Some clients needed two or three reminders before paying. He was spending hours every month writing polite-but-firm emails. This template sends invoices automatically and chases late payments with escalating reminders. His average payment time dropped from 38 days to 12.

The Reminder Sequence

DayToneSubject Line
Day 0Professional"Invoice #{{number}} from [YOUR BUSINESS]"
Day 7Warm"Quick reminder — Invoice #{{number}}"
Day 14Direct"Following up — Invoice #{{number}} is past due"
Day 21Firm"Final notice — Invoice #{{number}}"
Copy This Day 7 Reminder
Subject: Quick reminder — Invoice #{{invoice_number}} Hi {{first_name}}, Friendly reminder that Invoice #{{invoice_number}} for {{amount}} was due on {{due_date}}. Pay here: [PAYMENT LINK] If already paid, please ignore. Questions? Just reply. Thanks, [YOUR NAME]

Pro Tip: Add a "Thank You" email when payment is received: "Got it! Thanks for the prompt payment, {{first_name}}." A small touch that builds loyalty.

Chapter 7 Complete

  • Installed the Invoice and Payment Reminder template
  • Connected my billing tool and email
  • Customized the reminder sequence
Chapter 8

Template 6 — Social Media Auto-Poster

What This Is

The marketing department at a 100-person retail chain manages social media for 12 store locations. Before this template, three people spent their mornings copying content from a spreadsheet and posting to each platform manually. Now a single template reads from the content calendar and posts to every platform every morning at 8 AM. Three people freed up. Same output.

This template reads from a content calendar spreadsheet and posts to your social accounts daily.

Spreadsheet Format

DatePost TextImage URLPlatformStatusNotes
2026-04-143 things I wish I knew...[link]LinkedIn, XReadyMonday motivation
2026-04-15Client win: bakery saved 5hrs/week[link]AllReadyCase study

Daily Flow: Check sheet for today's date, read post, post to each platform, update status to "Posted," send confirmation.

Platform Limits

PlatformMax LengthHashtags
X280 chars1-2
LinkedIn3,000 chars3-5
Facebook500 chars ideal0-2
Instagram2,200 chars5-15

Pro Tip: At the end of each month, take your top 5 performing posts and schedule them again next month with slight tweaks. Recycling winners is how enterprise social teams work.

Chapter 8 Complete

  • Installed the Social Media Auto-Poster template
  • Created my content calendar spreadsheet
  • Connected my social media accounts
Chapter 9

How to Save Your Own Templates

What This Is

Once you build an automation that works well, save it as a template. That way you can reuse it, share it with your team, or export it to another account. This takes about 30 seconds.

How to Do It

1

Find your automation in the list

Click the three-dot menu next to it.

2

Select "Save as Template"

Name it clearly using this pattern: [What it does] — [Key detail].

3

Add a description and category

Write 1 to 2 sentences explaining what it does. Choose a category (Sales, Marketing, Operations, etc.).

4

Click "Save"

Your template is now in your personal library.

Naming Examples

Bad NameGood Name
Email v2New Lead Welcome Email — Day 0
Report thingWeekly Revenue Report — Monday 8AM
SocialDaily Social Post from Google Sheet

Sharing and Exporting

Sharing: Open the template, click "Sharing," toggle "Visible to Team" on.

Exporting: Three-dot menu, then "Export as JSON." Import into another account via the "Import Template" button.

Chapter 9 Complete

  • I saved my first custom template
  • I know the naming pattern: [What] — [Key detail]
  • I know how to share and export templates
Chapter 10

Template Best Practices

What This Is

Six rules that keep your template library clean, useful, and reliable. Follow these and you will never have a "what does this template even do?" moment.

The Six Rules

Rule 1: One Job Per Template

If one step breaks in a complex template, everything stops. Keep templates focused. One template, one job.

Rule 2: Clear Names

Pattern: [What] — [When or Key Detail]. "Weekly Revenue Report — Monday 8AM" tells you everything at a glance.

Rule 3: Add Descriptions

Future you will thank you. Write 1 to 2 sentences explaining what the template does and what it connects to.

Rule 4: Monthly Cleanup

First Monday of each month: delete unused templates, update broken ones, rename confusing ones.

Rule 5: Version Changes

When you improve a template, note the change in the name: "Lead Follow-Up v2 — Added SMS Step."

Rule 6: Test Before Sharing

Run every step before sharing a template with your team. A broken template wastes everyone's time.

Monthly Cleanup Checklist

  • Review template names — do they make sense?
  • Check descriptions — are they still accurate?
  • Delete unused templates (60+ days inactive)
  • Update disconnected connections
  • Test your top 3 most-used templates
  • Share new templates with your team
When to Use This

Set a recurring reminder for the first Monday of each month. Spend 15 minutes on this checklist. A clean template library is a fast template library.

Chapter 10 Complete

  • I know the six best-practice rules
  • I set a monthly cleanup reminder
  • I understand one job per template
Quick Reference

All 6 Templates — The Bookmarkable Cheat Sheet

Bookmark this section. Come back every time you want to install a new template.

#TemplateWhat It DoesSetup TimeBest For
1New Lead Follow-UpWelcome email within 60 seconds5 minSolo, small biz
2Weekly Sales ReportMonday morning numbers summary8 minSmall, medium biz
3Content Publish PipelineWrite once, publish to 4 platforms10 minSolo, small biz
4Customer Onboarding5-step welcome sequence12 minMedium biz, enterprise
5Invoice ReminderEscalating payment reminders8 minSmall, medium biz
6Social Auto-PosterDaily posts from a calendar10 minSolo, small biz
Action Plan

Your Quick-Start Action Plan

Right Now (10 minutes)

Log in. Open the Template Library. Install New Lead Follow-Up. Connect your form and email. Customize the welcome email. Activate it.

Today (30 minutes)

Install Weekly Sales Report. Connect your data source. Customize the metrics. Set to Monday 8 AM. Test both templates.

This Week (60 minutes)

Pick 2 more templates from this guide. Install and customize them. Create your social media content calendar spreadsheet. Save your first custom template. Set a monthly cleanup reminder.

By the end of the week, you will have 4+ automations running on autopilot — saving you 8 to 40 hours per month.
What's Next

What to Do Next

You now have six ready-made templates, the skills to customize them, and the knowledge to save your own. Here are three ways to keep building:

Our recommendation: When connecting an AI model to OpenClaw, we recommend Claude by Anthropic. It follows instructions precisely, handles structured data well, and takes your privacy seriously. You're welcome to use any AI tool — ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity all work great. But if you want our honest pick, try Claude.

claude.ai (web)  ·  iPhone app  ·  Android app

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