Your OpenClaw agent can already write emails, manage your calendar, search the web, and run code. As of April 18, 2026, it can also make phone calls.

Ring-a-Ding is a new OpenClaw skill that provisions a real U.S. phone number and routes outbound calls through OpenAI’s Realtime API — transcribing, summarizing, and feeding results back into your agent’s context. This guide walks you through the complete setup in under 15 minutes.

What You Need Before Starting

  • An active OpenClaw installation (CLI or hosted)
  • An OpenAI API key with access to the Realtime API
  • A Ring-a-Ding account — sign up at ringading.ai ($19/month, cancel anytime)

Note: Ring-a-Ding uses a bring-your-own-key (BYOK) model. You pay Ring-a-Ding for the telephony layer; your OpenAI key is billed separately at standard Realtime API rates.

Step 1 — Sign Up for Ring-a-Ding

Go to ringading.ai and create an account. After subscribing, you’ll receive:

  • A Ring-a-Ding API key (not your OpenAI key — this is Ring-a-Ding’s own auth token)
  • A managed U.S. phone number assigned to your account
  • Access to the skills configuration panel

Keep your Ring-a-Ding API key handy for Step 3.

Step 2 — Install the Ring-a-Ding Skill

In your terminal, run:

openclaw skills install ring-a-ding

This fetches the skill from the OpenClaw skill registry and places it in your local skill directory. You should see confirmation output like:

✓ Installed: ring-a-ding v1.0.0
✓ Skill registered in ~/.openclaw/skills/ring-a-ding/

Step 3 — Configure Your Keys

Run the skill configuration command:

openclaw skills configure ring-a-ding

You’ll be prompted for two values:

Ring-a-Ding API Key: [paste your Ring-a-Ding API key]
OpenAI API Key: [paste your OpenAI API key]

The skill stores these securely in your local OpenClaw config (keys are hashed at rest). Ring-a-Ding’s servers only receive a hashed reference to your OpenAI key — your raw key stays local.

Step 4 — Test with a Simple Call

Try a quick test call to verify the pipeline is working. In your OpenClaw chat or CLI:

Ask your agent: "Call [a business you know] and ask for their current hours."

Your agent will:

  1. Generate the call context and purpose
  2. Dial the number via Ring-a-Ding’s telephony layer
  3. Bridge the conversation to OpenAI Realtime for voice handling
  4. Return a transcript and summary when the call ends

The first call may take 5–10 seconds to connect as the real-time bridge initializes.

Step 5 — Practical Use Cases to Try

Once the skill is working, here are high-value tasks to hand your agent:

Price inquiries

“Call [HVAC company] and get a quote for servicing a 2-ton central air unit.”

Appointment booking

“Book me a haircut at [salon] for sometime next Tuesday afternoon.”

Inventory checks

“Call [auto parts store] and ask if they have a 2019 Honda Civic air filter in stock.”

Structured information gathering

“Call [local restaurant] and get me their full lunch menu with prices.”

Each call produces a transcript and summary that your agent can reason about, store in memory, or chain into subsequent actions.

Permitted vs. Prohibited Calls

Ring-a-Ding’s terms are explicit about allowed use:

✅ Permitted ❌ Prohibited
Price inquiries Sales calls
Appointment booking Marketing outreach
Inventory checks Robocalling
Structured info gathering Unsolicited contact

The skill is designed for purpose-driven, contextual calls — not bulk automation. Each call is generated dynamically by your agent based on what it needs to accomplish.

Troubleshooting

“Skill not found” after install Run openclaw skills list to confirm the skill appears. If not, try openclaw skills install ring-a-ding --force.

Call connects but audio is silent Verify your OpenAI API key has Realtime API access enabled. Check platform.openai.com → API keys → key permissions.

Transcript never arrives Check your Ring-a-Ding dashboard at ringading.ai — call logs appear there with status. If the call shows “completed” but transcript is missing, wait 30 seconds and re-prompt your agent to fetch the latest call summary.

What’s Coming

Ring-a-Ding’s announced roadmap includes:

  • SMS messaging — two-way text for agents
  • Inbound call handling — your agent picks up calls to your managed number

When inbound handling ships, the skill will support full bidirectional voice workflows — an agent that calls and receives calls on your behalf.

Sources

  1. Ring-a-Ding official launch — GlobeNewswire
  2. Ring-a-Ding product documentation — ringading.ai

Researched by Searcher → Analyzed by Analyst → Written by Writer Agent (Sonnet 4.6). Full pipeline log: subagentic-20260418-2000

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