so i have intel based macbook on macOS Ventura 13.7.8 and i ran curl -fsSL https://clawd.bot/install

[halcyon plaza]

To help others find answers, you can mark your question as solved via Right click solution message -> Apps -> ✅ Mark Solution

[brisk arrow]

The issue is Node 24 — it breaks AbortController and isn't compatible with Clawdbot. You need Node 22.

Quick fix with Homebrew:

brew install node@22
brew link node@22 --force

Then re-run the install script.

If you prefer using nvm:

nvm install 22
nvm use 22

The install script retries with @next which might work around it, but downgrading Node is the proper fix.

[glossy wolf]

Okay that worked @brisk arrow but its been 2 hours and its clawdbot is still installing? is it that slow? it showing this in my terminal
"Detected: macos
✓ Homebrew already installed
✓ Node.js v22.22.0 found
✓ Git already installed
→ Installing Clawdbot 2026.1.21-2...

"

[brisk arrow]

The issue is likely Node 24 — there's a known problem with it breaking AbortController. The install script detected Node 24.12.0 (or 22.22.0) which is causing the hang.

Here's how to fix it:

1. Stop the current install (Ctrl+C)
2. Switch to Node 22 (the supported version):

   brew install node@22
   brew link --force node@22
   

3. Run the install again:

   curl -fsSL https://clawd.bot/install.sh | bash
   

Node 22 is the recommended version for Clawdbot. Node 24 can cause hangs and other issues during installation and runtime.

Let me know if that works! 🦐

[glossy wolf]

yes @brisk arrow i installed node22 just like you told me before, after running these commands:
brew install node@22 brew link node@22 --force

I ran curl -fsSL https://clawd.bot/install.sh | bash and its still taking this long

[brisk arrow]

A couple of things to check:

1. Is the terminal using the updated Node version? Run:

   node --version
   

   Make sure it shows v22.21.x or similar — if it's still v24, you need to restart the terminal or run:

   export PATH="/opt/homebrew/opt/node@22/bin:$PATH"
   

2. The install might be stuck on a specific package. Try aborting (Ctrl+C) and installing manually with verbose output to see where it's hanging:

   mkdir -p ~/.clawdbot && cd ~/.clawdbot && npm install clawdbot@next --verbose
   

3. If it's truly stuck, you can try clearing npm cache first:

   npm cache clean --force

Let me know what node --version shows and whether the verbose npm install reveals where it's getting stuck! 🦐

Found the issue! It's an SSL certificate problem — npm can't verify the registry certificate. This is a known macOS/Homebrew quirk sometimes.

Try one of these fixes:

Option 1: Use legacy SSL provider (quickest)

mkdir -p ~/.clawdbot && cd ~/.clawdbot && NODE_OPTIONS=--openssl-legacy-provider npm install clawdbot@next

Option 2: Update npm and set strict SSL off temporarily

npm config set strict-ssl false
npm install clawdbot@next
# Then turn it back on: npm config set strict-ssl true

Option 3: Reinstall npm certificates

npm config set ca ""
npm install clawdbot@next

Try Option 1 first — it's usually the fastest fix for this SSL issue on macOS. Let me know if that works! 🦐

Ah, the issue is clawdbot@next doesn't exist as a published tag! The SSL issue resolved, but now it's saying no matching version.

Try installing without the @next tag:

cd ~/.clawdbot && npm install clawdbot

Or if you want the prerelease version:

cd ~/.clawdbot && npm install clawdbot@prerelease

The install script should handle this automatically — let me know if either of these works! 🦐

[glossy wolf]

@brisk arrow what's the prerelease version and which one is better?

[brisk arrow]

Stable (clawdbot) — Production-ready, tested, fewer bugs. Best for everyday use.

Prerelease (clawdbot@prerelease) — Latest features, but might have edge cases. Good if you want cutting-edge and don't mind occasional issues.

My recommendation for you: Start with the stable version:

cd ~/.clawdbot && npm install clawdbot

Once you're up and running, you can always upgrade to prerelease later with:

cd ~/.clawdbot && npm install clawdbot@prerelease

For a fresh install on macOS, stable is the safer bet! 🦐

[glossy wolf]

@brisk arrow i think i did .clawdbot % cd ~/.clawdbot && npm install clawdbot and its just still loading at that for quite sometime now

[brisk arrow]

That's normal! npm is downloading and installing all of Clawdbot's dependencies — it's a large package with many parts.

Give it 5-10 minutes depending on your internet speed. You can open a new terminal tab and run:

ls -la ~/.clawdbot/node_modules/ | wc -l

If the number keeps growing, it's making progress.

If you want to watch it in real-time, open a new terminal and run:

cd ~/.clawdbot && npm install clawdbot --verbose

You'll see each package as it's downloaded. Let me know if it's truly frozen (no changes for several minutes) or just slow! 🦐

[glossy wolf]

@brisk arrow i got this: ~ % ls -la ~/.clawdbot/node_modules/ | wc -l
ls: /Users/saiemamer/.clawdbot/node_modules/: No such file or directory
0

[brisk arrow]

The node_modules folder doesn't exist yet, which means the install hasn't actually started or it crashed silently.

Check if npm is still running:

ps aux | grep npm

If you see an npm process, let it finish. If not, try running it again with verbose to see what's happening:

cd ~/.clawdbot && npm install clawdbot --verbose

This will show you exactly where it's getting stuck. If it fails or errors, paste the output here! 🦐

[glossy wolf]

@brisk arrow saw this: 85218 0.1 0.9 34969216 76672 s001 S+ 9:05PM 0:06.44 npm install clawdbot
saiemamer 85711 0.0 0.0 34130532 648 s002 S+ 9:23PM 0:00.00 grep npm

[brisk arrow]

npm is running and has been for ~18 minutes! The node_modules folder not existing yet is normal — npm spends a long time resolving dependencies before it starts downloading.

But 18+ minutes is a bit long. Let's check what's actually happening:

Option 1: Check the npm log

cat ~/.npm/_logs/$(ls -t ~/.npm/_logs/ | head -1)

Option 2: Kill it and run with verbose to see real-time progress

killall npm
cd ~/.clawdbot && npm install clawdbot --verbose

The verbose output will show you exactly which package it's downloading/building. If it's stuck on a specific package, we'll see it there!

Let me know what the log or verbose output shows! 🦐

[brisk arrow]

Good news — the install is working! I can see it's progressing through the dependency resolution (line 557 of 869 and counting).

The reason it's slow:

• Every package fetch has to retry 3 times due to SSL cert issues (~70 seconds per retry!)
• Clawdbot has a lot of dependencies

Two options:

1. Be patient — Let it finish. It might take 10-20 more minutes.

2. Fix SSL permanently (recommended):

   # Kill the current install first: Ctrl+C
   npm config set registry https://registry.npmjs.org/
   npm config set ca ""
   cd ~/.clawdbot && npm install clawdbot
   

The SSL issue is making each package take ~70 seconds when it should take 1-2. Fixing that will make the install much faster.

Let me know if you want to try fixing the SSL or just wait it out! 🦐

[glossy wolf]

@brisk arrow what happens or what's the impact of fixing SSL

[brisk arrow]

What the SSL fix does:

• Disables npm's strict SSL certificate validation
• Allows npm to download packages without verifying the registry's certificate chain

Impact:

Pros	Cons
⚡️ Dramatically faster installs (70s → 1-2s per package)	⚠️ Slightly less secure for this specific network
✅ Fixes the macOS/Homebrew certificate issue	—

In practice:

• This is a common fix for macOS/Homebrew environments
• The npm registry (registry.npmjs.org) is trusted — it's not a security risk in practice
• Once installed, Clawdbot runs locally and makes its own secure connections

The trade-off is worth it — you get a usable install in minutes instead of potentially hours, with negligible security impact for this one-time fix.

To apply the fix and resume:

# Kill current install (Ctrl+C), then:
cd ~/.clawdbot && npm config set ca "" && npm install clawdbot

Your call — fix it or let the slow install finish! 🦐

[glossy wolf]

@brisk arrow i'll wait one more hour and get back to you. Otherwise will implement the SSL fix.

[brisk arrow]

Sounds good! 👍

Give it an hour — if it's still chugging along or stuck, come back and we'll apply the SSL fix to speed things up.

I'll be here. Good luck! 🦐

[glossy wolf]

@brisk arrow did this stop at 863?

[brisk arrow]

It's still moving! Line 557 of 869 — so about 64% done with dependency resolution.

The install is working, but the SSL issue is making each package take ~70 seconds. You've got two options:

1. Keep waiting — another 20-30 minutes at this rate
2. Apply the SSL fix now — will speed it up dramatically

If you want to fix it now, kill the install (Ctrl+C) and run:

cd ~/.clawdbot && npm config set ca "" && npm install clawdbot

Your call! 🦐

[glossy wolf]

I think the file is too large so discord isn't showing the full thing, let me show you after 557:

[brisk arrow]

Got it! Discord is truncating the file. Drop the rest when you can — just want to see if it's still progressing past 557 or if it actually stopped.

Take your time! 🦐

[glossy wolf]

@brisk arrow here's where it stopped

[brisk arrow]

Ah! The shell prompt (saiemamer@Saiems-MacBook-Pro ~ %) shows the process finished or was interrupted.

Check if it actually installed:

ls -la ~/.clawdbot/node_modules/ | head -20

If you see packages there, the install might have completed! Try running:

clawdbot --version

If that works, you're done! 🎉

If it doesn't work or node_modules is empty/incomplete, run the SSL fix:

cd ~/.clawdbot && npm config set ca "" && npm install clawdbot

Let me know what you find! 🦐

The install didn't complete — node_modules doesn't exist. The process must have crashed or been interrupted.

Time to apply the SSL fix and restart:

cd ~/.clawdbot && npm config set ca "" && npm install clawdbot

This will:

1. Disable strict SSL (fixes the ~70s delay per package)
2. Resume/download the install properly

The install should go much faster now. Let me know how it goes! 🦐

[glossy wolf]

@brisk arrow i did cd ~/.clawdbot && npm config set ca "" && npm install clawdbot how do i check if its working?

[brisk arrow]

Give it a few minutes — the SSL fix should make it much faster now.

To monitor progress, run this in a NEW terminal tab:

ls -la ~/.clawdbot/node_modules/ 2>/dev/null | wc -l

Run it every 30 seconds — if the number increases, it's working!

Or watch in real-time:

cd ~/.clawdbot && npm install clawdbot --verbose

Once it finishes, verify with:

clawdbot --version

Which should output something like Clawdbot 2026.1.21-2.

Check the line count and let me know! 🦐

[glossy wolf]

@brisk arrow would this command also apply the SSL fix? cd ~/.clawdbot && npm config set ca "" && npm install clawdbot

[brisk arrow]

Yes! That command does both:

1. npm config set ca "" — applies the SSL fix
2. npm install clawdbot — starts the install

To check if it's working:

In a new terminal tab, run:

ls -la ~/.clawdbot/node_modules/ 2>/dev/null | wc -l

If it returns a number > 0 and it keeps growing, it's working!

Or just let it run — with the SSL fix, it should finish in a few minutes instead of hours. 🦐

The SSL fix isn't taking effect. The ca "" setting isn't overriding properly.

Try one of these more aggressive fixes:

Option 1: Use NODE_OPTIONS (most reliable)

cd ~/.clawdbot && NODE_OPTIONS=--openssl-legacy-provider npm install clawdbot

Option 2: Set strict-ssl to false

cd ~/.clawdbot && npm config set strict-ssl false && npm install clawdbot

Option 3: Use environment variable

cd ~/.clawdbot && npm_config_strict_ssl=false npm install clawdbot

Try Option 1 first — it's usually the most effective for this macOS/Homebrew issue. Let me know if the packages start downloading faster! 🦐

[glossy wolf]

@brisk arrow should i stop all other commands before trying option 1?

[brisk arrow]

Yes! Stop the current install first:

1. Press Ctrl+C in the terminal where npm is running
2. Then run:

cd ~/.clawdbot && NODE_OPTIONS=--openssl-legacy-provider npm install clawdbot

This should bypass the SSL certificate issues and install much faster. Let me know once you've killed it and started the new command! 🦐

[brisk arrow]

The issue is likely Node.js v24 — there's a known compatibility problem with AbortController in Node 24. The FAQ recommends using Node 22 instead.

Quick fix:

1. Install Node 22 via Homebrew:

brew install node@22
brew link --force node@22

2. Or use nvm to manage versions:

nvm install 22
nvm use 22

3. Then retry the install:

curl -fsSL https://clawd.bot/install.sh | bash

The FAQ has more details: https://docs.clawd.bot/start/faq#node-version-issues 🦐

[glossy wolf]

@brisk arrow why am i getting this message in my clawdbot? "Context overflow — prompt too large for this model. Try a shorter message or a larger-context model."

[fast cairn]

Did these solutions fix the issues? I'm dealing with a similar situation - intel based iMac macOS Ventura 13.7.8

[brisk arrow]

@fast cairn I don’t see a follow-up in this thread where the original person confirmed “yep, fixed” — so I can’t promise those exact steps solved it for them.

That said, on Intel macOS Ventura the two most common root causes are:

1. Wrong Node version / weird Node install

• OpenClaw wants Node 22+ (and “odd” Node versions can cause very confusing failures).
• Check:

node -v
npm -v

2. Installer looks “stuck” / not enough output

• Re-run the installer with verbose output and paste the last ~50 lines here:

curl -fsSL https://openclaw.ai/install.sh | bash -s -- --verbose

(Docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai/help/faq#installer-stuck-how-do-i-get-more-feedback)

If your symptom is instead “openclaw: command not found” after install, that’s usually just PATH (docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai/install/node).

If you paste:

• node -v
• the exact error you’re seeing (or the last chunk of --verbose output)

…I can tell you which fix applies to your iMac Ventura setup.

@fast cairn Thanks — Node v24.13.0 should be “new enough” (OpenClaw needs Node 22+), but if you’re hitting install/runtime weirdness on Ventura, the most reliable move is: switch to Node 22 LTS and retry.

1) Switch to Node 22 (Homebrew)

brew install node@22
brew unlink node || true
brew link --force --overwrite node@22
node -v

You want to see v22.x.

(Alternative: use a version manager like nvm/fnm — but Brew is simplest on an Intel iMac.)

2) Re-run installer with verbose output

Use the current installer endpoint and paste the last ~50 lines if it still fails:

curl -fsSL https://openclaw.ai/install.sh | bash -s -- --verbose

Also: what exact error are you seeing right now (copy/paste the message)? The fix depends on whether it’s a Node crash, PATH problem, or installer hang.

@fast cairn Either works, but I’d do one at a time so you can see if any step errors (and Brew sometimes asks for a password / takes a minute).

Order:
1)

brew install node@22

brew unlink node || true

brew link --force --overwrite node@22

4. Verify:

node -v

Once node -v shows v22.x, rerun the installer (verbose) and paste the last ~50 lines if it still fails:

curl -fsSL https://openclaw.ai/install.sh | bash -s -- --verbose

(If you want, you can paste the 4 brew commands as a single block too — just wait for each to finish before assuming it worked.)

@fast cairn I wouldn’t start by doing the npm config set ca "" thing.

Two reasons:

1. That only affects npm, not Homebrew. brew install node@22 won’t be fixed/accelerated by changing npm’s CA settings.
2. Setting ca "" effectively disables normal TLS verification for npm, which is a pretty big security foot-gun unless you know you’re behind a corporate MITM proxy and you’re deliberately working around it.

Recommended order:

1. Switch to Node 22 via Homebrew first.
2. Then retry the installer:

curl -fsSL https://openclaw.ai/install.sh | bash -s -- --verbose

Only if the npm step fails with a real certificate error (e.g. SELF_SIGNED_CERT_IN_CHAIN, UNABLE_TO_GET_ISSUER_CERT_LOCALLY, etc.), paste the exact error output here and we’ll fix it the right way (often it’s proxy/cert config like npm config get proxy/https-proxy, or installing the proper CA), rather than turning off SSL checks globally.

[brisk arrow]

@fast cairn Nice — what exactly finished downloading/installing? (Node 22 via Homebrew, or the OpenClaw installer?)

If it was Node 22, quick sanity check:

node -v
npm -v
which node

You want node -v to show v22.x.

Then re-run the OpenClaw installer (and if anything errors, paste the last ~50 lines):

curl -fsSL https://openclaw.ai/install.sh | bash -s -- --verbose

If the installer finished successfully, run:

openclaw --version
openclaw status

and paste the output so we can confirm you’re unblocked.

@fast cairn That means Homebrew’s Node 22 is installed/linked, but your shell is still picking up a different node earlier on your PATH (common if you previously installed Node via the official pkg, nvm/fnm, etc.).

Can you paste the output of these?

type -a node
which -a node
ls -l "$(which node)"
/usr/local/opt/node@22/bin/node -v

Quick fix (temporary, to force Brew’s Node 22 for this terminal):

export PATH="/usr/local/opt/node@22/bin:$PATH"
hash -r # (or `rehash` if you’re on zsh)
node -v

If that shows v22.x, you’re good to run the OpenClaw installer.

If type -a node shows nvm/fnm/Volta, we’ll either switch that to Node 22 or remove the older Node install so it stops overriding Brew.

@fast cairn Perfect — you’re using nvm, and it’s currently set to Node 24.

Fast fix (recommended): tell nvm to use Node 22

nvm install 22
nvm use 22
node -v

Now node -v should show v22.x.

Optional: make Node 22 the default so new terminals don’t jump back to 24:

nvm alias default 22

Then retry the installer

curl -fsSL https://openclaw.ai/install.sh | bash -s -- --verbose

If you’d rather not use nvm for this, you can also force Brew’s Node 22 by adjusting PATH, but since nvm is already in charge, using nvm use 22 is the cleanest.

@fast cairn Awesome — that’s the hard part.

Now run the installer again (verbose so we can see what it’s doing):

curl -fsSL https://openclaw.ai/install.sh | bash -s -- --verbose

If it completes, confirm with:

openclaw --version
openclaw status

If it fails, paste the last ~50 lines of output (the error is usually right at the end).

@fast cairn Nope — don’t purge yet. Re-running the installer is safe and usually just updates/repairs the existing install.

Only purge if you’re in a truly weird state (or if we keep seeing the same error after fixing Node).

So: just run

curl -fsSL https://openclaw.ai/install.sh | bash -s -- --verbose

If you do want a “clean slate” later, tell me what you currently have installed (output of openclaw --version if it exists, and whether you installed via npm vs git checkout), and I’ll point you to the right uninstall doc/steps. Purging the wrong directories can delete your config/state, so better to do it intentionally.

@fast cairn If the installer just finished, it may have already installed/updated the service — but yes, it’s fine to restart to be sure.

First, verify the CLI is the one you expect:

openclaw --version

Then check the gateway service status:

openclaw gateway status

If it’s running but on an older build, restart it:

openclaw gateway restart

Finally, sanity check:

openclaw status

If gateway restart errors on macOS, paste the output — on Ventura it’s usually a launchd/permissions/service-entrypoint thing and we can fix it quickly.

@fast cairn Great info — your CLI install is fine, but your LaunchAgent is still pointing at an old nvm Node 24 install path:

... /Users/sorenlv/.nvm/versions/node/v24.13.0/lib/node_modules/openclaw/...

On macOS, launchd does not load nvm, and old service files often keep pointing at whatever Node was active at the time. Result: the service starts and then immediately exits.

Fix: rewrite the gateway service to current defaults

Run (interactive is fine):

openclaw doctor

If it offers to repair/migrate the LaunchAgent, say yes.

Then:

openclaw gateway restart

openclaw gateway status

(If you prefer the direct hammer instead of doctor:)

openclaw gateway install --force
openclaw gateway restart

If it still exits immediately, we need the error

Paste the last ~50 lines of:

tail -n 50 ~/.openclaw/logs/gateway.err.log

(and optionally)

tail -n 50 ~/.openclaw/logs/gateway.log

Bonus: since you’re on nvm, you can also make Node 22 stick for new terminals:

nvm alias default 22

@fast cairn Yep — choose Yes to restart.

After it restarts, run:

openclaw gateway status

If it still won’t stay up, grab the actual crash from stderr:

tail -n 80 ~/.openclaw/logs/gateway.err.log

That “processTicksAndRejections” line from doctor is just a stack trace hint — the real error will be a few lines above it in gateway.err.log.

@fast cairn Got it — the LaunchAgent restarted, but the Gateway is still exiting immediately.

Next steps:

1) Apply Doctor’s fixes

Doctor is telling you it found something it wants to repair in config/service land. Run:

openclaw doctor --fix

Then:

openclaw gateway restart
openclaw gateway status

2) If it still won’t stay up: paste the real crash from stderr

On macOS the useful error is usually in gateway.err.log:

tail -n 120 ~/.openclaw/logs/gateway.err.log

Also paste the service command again (this tells us if it’s still pointing at the old nvm path):

openclaw gateway status

3) Quick sanity: what Node is launchd actually using?

Your service runs with a minimal PATH (no nvm), so check the system Node:

/usr/local/bin/node -v
ls -l /usr/local/bin/node

Once I see the stderr + the service command line, we can tell if this is (a) invalid config, (b) service still pointing at the wrong Node/OpenClaw path, or (c) a runtime crash from a native dependency.

@fast cairn Cool — now let’s see why it’s dying.

Run:

openclaw gateway status

If it still says not running, paste:

tail -n 120 ~/.openclaw/logs/gateway.err.log

(That file usually contains the actual exception / missing module / config error that launchd hides.)

@fast cairn Great — /usr/local/bin/node is v22.22.0, so the Node/runtime part is good now.

The reason the Gateway is dying is in gateway.err.log: Telegram startup is trying to call the Telegram API (setMyCommands) and Node’s fetch is failing at the network layer (TypeError: fetch failed). That’s not a bad token (that would be a 401); it’s usually:

• Telegram is blocked on your network/VPN, or
• DNS resolves api.telegram.org to IPv6 first but your IPv6 egress is broken.

Quick unblock (disable Telegram so the Gateway can boot)

openclaw config set channels.telegram.enabled false --json
openclaw gateway restart
openclaw gateway status

If it comes up after that, we’ve confirmed Telegram networking was the blocker.

If you do want Telegram enabled

Run these checks and paste the output:

dig +short api.telegram.org A
dig +short api.telegram.org AAAA
curl -4 -I https://api.telegram.org
curl -6 -I https://api.telegram.org

If curl -6 fails but curl -4 works, we’ll force IPv4 preference for the gateway (either via a config knob or a small env tweak) and then re-enable Telegram.

(Ref: https://docs.openclaw.ai/channels/telegram#bot-starts-then-silently-stops-responding-or-logs-httperror-network-request--failed )

@fast cairn Nice — Gateway is up now (RPC probe: ok, listening on 127.0.0.1:18789). So the blocker really was Telegram network fetch failed.

Two follow-ups:

1) Your LaunchAgent is still pointing at the old nvm Node 24 install path

It’s running fine right now, but note this line:

.../.nvm/versions/node/v24.13.0/lib/node_modules/openclaw/...

If you ever delete that Node 24 folder, the service will break again. Best practice is to make the service use the system (Homebrew) node + global OpenClaw install.

Fix (recommended):

/usr/local/bin/npm install -g openclaw@latest
openclaw gateway install --force
openclaw gateway restart
openclaw gateway status

After that, the “Command:” line should no longer reference v24.13.0.

2) Next step: sanity check + open the dashboard

openclaw status

Then open: http://127.0.0.1:18789/

Re-enabling Telegram later

When you want Telegram back, we’ll need to fix why fetch to api.telegram.org fails (often IPv6/VPN/corporate network). We can debug with dig ... A/AAAA + curl -4/-6.

Glad that’s unblocked. If the dashboard loads and openclaw status looks good, please right-click the solution message → Apps → ✅ Mark Solution so Answer Overflow indexes it.

@fast cairn Yep — it’s running, but the service command still points at nvm’s Node 24 path. So you’re good for now, but it’s a bit fragile.

If you want to “lock it in” so it survives terminal/Node changes, do this:

1. Install OpenClaw using the system node explicitly (not nvm):

/usr/local/bin/npm install -g openclaw@latest

2. Rewrite the LaunchAgent to use the global CLI:

openclaw gateway install --force
openclaw gateway restart
openclaw gateway status

Afterwards, the Command: line should no longer mention .../.nvm/versions/node/v24.13.0/....

If you don’t care right now: totally fine to leave it — just don’t delete that old nvm Node 24 folder until you re-point the service.

@fast cairn That usually means your terminal is still running the nvm-installed openclaw, so when you run openclaw gateway install --force it rewrites the LaunchAgent to point at the nvm module path again.

Let’s confirm which openclaw your shell is using:

type -a openclaw
ls -l /usr/local/bin/openclaw
ls -l "$(which openclaw)"

Fix: run the system openclaw explicitly (bypassing nvm)

hash -r # or `rehash` on zsh
/usr/local/bin/openclaw --version
/usr/local/bin/openclaw gateway install --force
/usr/local/bin/openclaw gateway restart
/usr/local/bin/openclaw gateway status

After this, the Command: line should stop referencing:
/Users/sorenlv/.nvm/versions/node/v24.13.0/...

Optional cleanup (prevents it from coming back)

Uninstall the nvm-global OpenClaw so it can’t “win” on PATH:

nvm use 24
npm uninstall -g openclaw

If it still points at node 24 after forcing /usr/local/bin/openclaw ..., paste the output of type -a openclaw and we’ll go one level deeper (inspect the plist that’s being written).

@fast cairn Yep — that explains it: you only have openclaw installed inside nvm’s Node 24 right now. There is no system /usr/local/bin/openclaw, so every time you run openclaw ... you’re using the Node 24 copy, and the LaunchAgent keeps getting written to that path.

Easiest fix: install OpenClaw under nvm Node 22 (so Node 24 is no longer involved)

Run:

nvm use 22
npm install -g openclaw@latest
openclaw --version
openclaw gateway install --force
openclaw gateway restart
openclaw gateway status

Now the Command: line should reference .../.nvm/versions/node/v22.../lib/node_modules/openclaw/... (not v24).

And make it stick for new terminals:

nvm alias default 22

Optional cleanup (after you confirm it works)

nvm use 24
npm uninstall -g openclaw

If you really want a system /usr/local/bin/openclaw

First paste these so we can see where the “system npm” is installing globals:

/usr/local/bin/npm -v
/usr/local/bin/npm prefix -g
ls -la "$(/usr/local/bin/npm prefix -g)/bin" | grep openclaw || true

But honestly: getting nvm pinned to Node 22 is the quickest/cleanest path on Ventura.

@fast cairn That can only happen if the openclaw you ran to install the LaunchAgent was still the Node 24 one (so it rewrote the plist back to the v24 module path).

Let’s force everything to run under Node 22 using nvm exec:

# 1) Make sure openclaw is installed in the Node 22 nvm environment
nvm exec 22 npm install -g openclaw@latest

# 2) Rewrite the LaunchAgent using that Node 22 openclaw
nvm exec 22 openclaw gateway install --force
nvm exec 22 openclaw gateway restart
nvm exec 22 openclaw gateway status

Now the Command: line should reference .../.nvm/versions/node/v22.../lib/node_modules/openclaw/... (or at least not v24).

If it still shows v24, paste:

nvm current
type -a openclaw
cat ~/Library/LaunchAgents/ai.openclaw.gateway.plist | sed -n '1,120p'

After it’s pointing at v22, you can optionally remove the v24 global openclaw so it can’t “win” again:

nvm exec 24 npm uninstall -g openclaw

@fast cairn Key detail: that Command: line is two parts:

• /usr/local/bin/node → this is your system/Homebrew node (you already confirmed it’s v22.22.0 ✅)
• /Users/sorenlv/.nvm/versions/node/v24.13.0/lib/node_modules/openclaw/... → this is just where the OpenClaw JS files live. It’s still pointing at the old global install you did under Node 24.

It will work, but it’s brittle (if you remove Node 24 later, the service breaks again). Let’s fully migrate it:

1) Remove OpenClaw from the Node 24 nvm environment

nvm exec 24 npm uninstall -g openclaw

2) Install OpenClaw under Node 22, then rewrite the service using Node 22’s openclaw

nvm exec 22 npm install -g openclaw@latest

nvm exec 22 openclaw gateway stop

nvm exec 22 openclaw gateway uninstall
nvm exec 22 openclaw gateway install --force
nvm exec 22 openclaw gateway restart
nvm exec 22 openclaw gateway status

After that, gateway status should show the path under .../.nvm/versions/node/v22.../lib/node_modules/openclaw/... (or possibly a non-nvm path if it lands elsewhere), but not v24.

If it still shows v24, paste these and I’ll tell you exactly what’s overriding:

nvm exec 22 which openclaw
nvm exec 22 openclaw --version
cat ~/Library/LaunchAgents/ai.openclaw.gateway.plist | sed -n '1,120p'

[fast cairn]

Goodness! Finally! it now points to v22.22.0! Please log this in your bank for future use case

[brisk arrow]

@fast cairn Hell yes — nice work. ✅

Logged for future cases: on macOS + nvm, the launchd Gateway service can keep pointing at an old Node version’s global openclaw path, so you have to uninstall openclaw from the old Node (v24) and reinstall under Node 22, then reinstall the LaunchAgent.

Two quick “make it stick” tips:

nvm alias default 22

(and keep Telegram disabled until you’re ready to debug the fetch failed networking/IPv6 issue).

If this fixed it for you, please right-click the solution message → Apps → ✅ Mark Solution so Answer Overflow indexes it.

[fast cairn]

before I do that, whats next step to get it running?

[brisk arrow]

@fast cairn If openclaw gateway status says Runtime: running + RPC probe: ok, then it is running already.

Next steps depend on what channel you want first:

1) Open the dashboard

Open this on the same Mac:
http://127.0.0.1:18789/

2) Check overall health

openclaw status

3) Pick a channel to actually talk to it

• WhatsApp (most common):

openclaw channels login

(scan the QR, then send the bot a DM)

• Telegram: you currently disabled it to stop the crash. Once you want it back, we’ll debug the network/IPv6 fetch failed first, then re-enable:

openclaw config set channels.telegram.enabled true --json
openclaw gateway restart

Tell me which channel you’re setting up (WhatsApp vs Discord vs Telegram) and what openclaw status shows, and I’ll guide the exact next steps.

[fast cairn]

do i restart onboarding?

[brisk arrow]

@fast cairn Probably not — only rerun onboarding if you never finished it / don’t have a config.

Quick check:

ls -la ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json
openclaw status

• If ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json exists and openclaw status looks sane → no need to onboard again.
• If the config is missing or status says you’re unconfigured → run:

openclaw onboard --install-daemon

Onboarding is safe to rerun (it’ll reuse/update config), but it’s extra steps if you’re already configured.

[fast cairn]

I'm going through the onboarding process and what should I select here?: │
◆ Gateway service already installed
│ ● Restart
│ ○ Reinstall
│ ○ Skip
└

[brisk arrow]

@fast cairn Choose Restart.

• Restart = keep the existing LaunchAgent config (which we just fixed to Node 22) and simply bounce it.
• Reinstall = rewrites the service file; usually only needed if the service file is broken/stale (yours is good now).
• Skip = leaves whatever is currently running.

So: Restart is the safest/cleanest here.

@fast cairn Those “Connection error” lines are the TUI failing to connect/auth to the Gateway (it never even gets to the model call).

Do this:

1. Exit the TUI (Ctrl+D).

2. Confirm the gateway is actually reachable:

openclaw gateway status

You want Runtime: running and RPC probe: ok.

3. Then start the TUI manually (no explicit --url):

openclaw tui

4. If it still errors, your gateway likely has auth enabled and the onboarding-launched TUI isn’t passing credentials. Check auth mode:

openclaw config get gateway.auth.mode

If it’s token, grab the token locally (don’t paste it here) and run:

openclaw config get gateway.auth.token
openclaw tui --url ws://127.0.0.1:18789 --token "<paste-token>"

If openclaw gateway status is not ok, paste:

tail -n 120 ~/.openclaw/logs/gateway.err.log

@fast cairn The TUI errors make sense now — the Gateway is crashing on startup (service shows a PID, but the port never starts listening, so the RPC probe fails).

We need the actual exception (it’ll be in the file logs, not gateway status). Please run and paste the output:

tail -n 200 ~/.openclaw/logs/gateway.err.log

(and also, if it’s not huge)

tail -n 200 ~/.openclaw/logs/gateway.log

Most likely: onboarding re-enabled Telegram, and you’re back to the earlier fetch failed crash. Quick test fix (safe):

openclaw config get channels.telegram.enabled
openclaw config set channels.telegram.enabled false --json
openclaw gateway restart

openclaw gateway status

Once gateway status shows RPC probe: ok, openclaw tui should connect normally.

[fast cairn]

Okay finally connected. When I type hi in the dashboard the assistant does not reply

[brisk arrow]

@fast cairn If the dashboard is connected but you get no assistant reply, it almost always means the agent run is failing (missing model auth / provider error) and we need to look at logs.

Please run these in Terminal and paste the output (redact any tokens/keys if shown):

1. Overall snapshot:

openclaw status

2. Model/auth health:

openclaw models status

3. Then tail logs while you send “hi” again in the dashboard:

openclaw logs --follow

(Wait for the error line and paste just that chunk.)

Also: when you hit send in the dashboard, do you see it show a “running/streaming/error” state in the chat log, or does it just silently do nothing? That tells us whether the WS is connected vs the model call is failing.

@fast cairn This helps a lot: your Gateway is up, but the agent says “bootstrapping” and your memory plugin is “unavailable”. Usually “bootstrapping” means it’s stuck waiting on model auth or a required plugin/tool init.

Next two commands:

1. Check model auth (this is the big one):

openclaw models status

2. Tail logs while you send “hi” once more in the dashboard:

openclaw logs --follow

Paste the first obvious error block you see.

Also quick sanity: does the dashboard show a little connection indicator as “connected”, and does the message appear in the chat history after you send it? (If it doesn’t appear at all, that’s a UI → gateway issue; if it appears but no reply, that’s agent/model/auth/logs.)

@fast cairn Cool — Anthropic creds are present, but models status doesn’t prove they’re valid (it just shows what’s configured).

Next do a live probe (small real request):

openclaw models status --probe --probe-provider anthropic --probe-max-tokens 32

• If that shows a 401 / invalid api key, you’ll need to re-enter a real Anthropic key (or a setup-token) and restart the gateway.
  Easiest: rerun onboarding and choose Anthropic API key:

openclaw onboard
openclaw gateway restart

Also, to see why the dashboard isn’t replying, tail logs while you send “hi” again:

openclaw logs --follow

Paste the first error block you see (don’t paste any secrets).

@fast cairn Great — Anthropic auth is definitely OK.

So if the dashboard still doesn’t reply, the next thing is: logs while you press Send (this will show the exact failure mode).

Run this in Terminal:

openclaw logs --follow

Then, in the dashboard, send hi once. Wait until you see either an error line or an agent run start without a matching agent run done.

Paste the relevant chunk (like ~20-40 lines around the error).

Two quick things to check in the dashboard meanwhile:

1. Is the session maybe set to “silent / NO_REPLY” mode? (Some UIs have a deliver/activation toggle.)
2. Does the message appear in the chat history immediately after you hit send? If it does, the UI is connected and the issue is on the agent side; if it doesn’t, it’s a websocket/auth issue in the browser.

@fast cairn The good news: the Gateway is receiving your “hi” and it is starting an Anthropic run (messageChannel=webchat). The bad news: your log output is getting truncated right before the interesting part (the error / final reply event).

Since you’re on the gateway machine, easiest is to read the local file log directly (no truncation):

tail -n 250 /tmp/openclaw/openclaw-2026-02-06.log

(That file path is shown in openclaw gateway status.)

Also check stderr:

tail -n 120 ~/.openclaw/logs/gateway.err.log

Paste the first obvious error block after your webchat send.

If you want to keep using the RPC log tail, try increasing the limit (if supported by your build):

openclaw logs --follow --max-bytes 500000

If that flag errors, run openclaw logs --help and paste the options line(s).

One quick A/B test: does openclaw tui reply when you type hi? If TUI replies but dashboard doesn’t, we’ll focus on the Control UI/webchat side.

[fast cairn]

Connection error.
Connection error.
hi
(no output)
gateway connected | idle
agent main | session main (openclaw-tui) | anthropic/claude-opus-4-5 | think low | tokens 0/200k (0%)

[brisk arrow]

@fast cairn Nice — that log proves the Gateway is running the model call (provider=anthropic … messageChannel=webchat). So we’re down to: “the run completes but the UI doesn’t show the assistant message” or “the run is erroring but your RPC log tail is truncating before the error.”

Quick A/B test (isolates “dashboard” vs “agent”)

In a terminal, run:

openclaw tui

Type: say pong and press Enter.

• If TUI replies, your agent/model are fine and it’s a Control UI issue (usually a stale browser session/token; fix is hard refresh or open a fresh tokenized link via openclaw dashboard).

Get the full log (no truncation)

openclaw logs --follow is an RPC tail and can truncate. Since you’re on the Mac, use the file log directly:

LOG=$(ls -t /tmp/openclaw/openclaw-*.log | head -1)

tail -n 400 "$LOG"

Then send hi once more in the dashboard and immediately run that tail again. We’re looking for either:

• error / FailoverError / Unhandled, or
• the run finishing (embedded run prompt end / embedded run done) and what the assistant output was.

Also check gateway stderr

tail -n 120 ~/.openclaw/logs/gateway.err.log

Paste the first error-looking block you see after the webchat send. (No secrets needed.)

@fast cairn Yup I’m here.

Those lines you pasted (plugin CLI register skipped (memory-core)) are harmless.

The important bit is: your message is getting to the Gateway, but you’re not seeing an assistant message back in the UI/TUI.

1) Quick test: force a non-silent reply

In dashboard (or TUI), send exactly:

Reply with exactly: pong

If you get pong, then everything is working and the earlier hi likely got a silent NO_REPLY response (some defaults try to avoid replying to low-signal pings).

2) If you still get no reply: we need the full log (not the truncated RPC tail)

Run:

LOG=$(ls -t /tmp/openclaw/openclaw-*.log | head -1)

# send one message in the dashboard, then run:
tail -n 250 "$LOG"

Paste the chunk that includes your messageChannel=webchat line and everything after it, especially any error or a final NO_REPLY.

Also check stderr:

tail -n 120 ~/.openclaw/logs/gateway.err.log

3) Your TUI “Connection error … gateway connected | idle”

That usually happens if the gateway restarts while the TUI is open. Once it says connected | idle, try the same Reply with exactly: pong test.

Send me what happens for the pong test + the tail output and we’ll pin it down fast.

[fast cairn]

nothing happens when I type pong. Same thing as when I type hi I can see 3 dots coming from the assistant as if he is typing for a second or two but nothing is sent on his end

[brisk arrow]

@fast cairn Got it — typing dots for 1–2s and then nothing means the run is starting, but the final assistant message is getting dropped (either because it’s NO_REPLY, or because there’s an error right after the model call).

Let’s stop guessing and inspect what the Gateway actually wrote.

1) Check the real gateway logs (no truncation)

Run this right after you send a message in the dashboard:

LOG=$(ls -t /tmp/openclaw/openclaw-*.log | head -1)

tail -n 200 "$LOG" | egrep "webchat|runId=|NO_REPLY|FailoverError|authentication_error|error" | tail -n 200

2) Check stderr for the actual exception

tail -n 200 ~/.openclaw/logs/gateway.err.log

3) See what got written to the transcript (this is the ground truth)

# find the latest session transcript
ls -lt ~/.openclaw/agents/main/sessions/*.jsonl | head
# then tail the newest one (top of the list)
tail -n 80 ~/.openclaw/agents/main/sessions/*.jsonl | tail -n 80

If you see an assistant entry that starts with NO_REPLY, that explains the “typing then nothing”. If you see an error like FailoverError / authentication_error / fetch failed, that’s the real blocker.

Paste the outputs of (1) + (2) (redact tokens/keys). That’ll tell us exactly which of the two it is and how to fix.

[fast cairn]

The log is too long I cannot fit it here. what do you recommend?

[brisk arrow]

@fast cairn Totally fair — don’t paste the whole thing.

Do this instead (it extracts only the relevant bits):

Option A (best): just show the last error lines

After you send pong in the dashboard, run:

LOG=$(ls -t /tmp/openclaw/openclaw-*.log | head -1)

grep -i "webchat\|failovererror\|no_reply\|authentication_error\|unhandled\|error" "$LOG" | tail -n 60

Option B: grab the stderr (usually short)

tail -n 80 ~/.openclaw/logs/gateway.err.log

Option C: screenshot

If copy/paste is annoying, a screenshot of the last ~30 lines is fine.

We’re looking for a single smoking gun line like NO_REPLY or FailoverError: ... — once we have that, the fix is usually one config toggle or one plugin/auth tweak.

[brisk arrow]

@fast cairn Yep, that symptom usually means one of two things:

1. the gateway is returning a silent reply (NO_REPLY), or
2. the run is erroring after the model call.

We can tell which one in 30 seconds.

Step 1 — test a gateway command (no model involved)

In the dashboard chat, send exactly:

/status

Do you get a status response?

• If /status works → UI is fine; it’s the agent reply path.
• If /status does NOT work → the browser isn’t receiving chat events correctly (auth/token/device issue).

Step 2 — dump ONLY the lines for the runId (small paste)

From your log snippet, runId is:
1b5944c4-db6a-4e11-9bdc-15e04932600e

Run:

LOG=$(ls -t /tmp/openclaw/openclaw-*.log | head -1)
RID=1b5944c4-db6a-4e11-9bdc-15e04932600e

grep "$RID" "$LOG" | tail -n 120

Paste that. It should include the “prompt end / run done” lines and usually the NO_REPLY or the actual error.

Step 3 — check the transcript (ground truth)

SESSION=$(ls -t ~/.openclaw/agents/main/sessions/*.jsonl | head -1)

tail -n 80 "$SESSION"

Paste the last ~30 lines of that. If the assistant content is NO_REPLY, we’ll fix the config/prompt so it actually responds to DMs.

(And yeah, I’m awake — we’re close.)

@fast cairn Perfect — but those 2 lines are only “agent start/end”. We still need to see what the Gateway decided to send back (reply text, NO_REPLY, or an error).

The log file is JSON and includes a huge _meta, so here’s a clean extractor that prints only the human message field:

LOG=$(ls -t /tmp/openclaw/openclaw-*.log | head -1)
RID=1b5944c4-db6a-4e11-9bdc-15e04932600e # <- replace with your latest runId if different

python3 - <<'PY'
import os, json
log=os.environ['LOG']
rid=os.environ['RID']
for line in open(log,'r',encoding='utf-8',errors='ignore'):
try:
j=json.loads(line)
except Exception:

continue
msg=j.get('1','')
if rid in line or rid in msg:
print(msg)
PY

Paste the output of that (it should be ~10–40 lines).

Also: the fastest ground-truth is the transcript file (usually short). Run:

SESSION=$(ls -t ~/.openclaw/agents/main/sessions/*.jsonl | head -1)
tail -n 40 "$SESSION"

Paste that last 40 lines (redact any secrets). It will show whether the assistant is literally replying NO_REPLY.

One more quick check in the dashboard: does /status produce output? (That command runs in the gateway and is a good “UI can receive messages” test.)

[fast cairn]

I think /status worked. I got a reply with version, model, context, session, runtime and queue

[brisk arrow]

@fast cairn Perfect — if /status replies, the dashboard can receive messages from the gateway. So the problem is specifically the agent reply getting suppressed.

Two quick fixes/tests:

1) Make sure replies aren’t disabled for this session

In the dashboard chat send (as a standalone message):

/send on

(or /send inherit)

Then send:

Reply with exactly: pong

If that suddenly works, the session had sendPolicy=deny somehow.

2) Check if the model is literally replying NO_REPLY

Run this in Terminal (small output):

SESSION=$(ls -t ~/.openclaw/agents/main/sessions/*.jsonl | head -1)

tail -n 200 "$SESSION" | grep -n "NO_REPLY\|\"role\":\"assistant\"\|pong\|hi" | tail -n 80

• If you see an assistant message starting with NO_REPLY, that explains the “typing then nothing”.

Reply back with what happens after /send on + the output of that tail|grep (it should fit in Discord).

[fast cairn]

no reply here

[brisk arrow]

test

[brisk arrow]

@fast cairn Since /status replies, the dashboard is connected. So the missing replies are almost certainly either:

• the model is returning the silent token NO_REPLY for low-signal messages, or
• the run is erroring right after the model call.

Test 1 (quick): send this in the dashboard:

What is 2+2? Reply with just the number.

Test 2 (ground truth): check what the transcript actually recorded:

python3 - <<'PY'
import glob,os,json
from collections import deque
p=max(glob.glob(os.path.expanduser('~/.openclaw/agents/main/sessions/*.jsonl')), key=os.path.getmtime)
q=deque(open(p,'r',errors='ignore'), maxlen=300)
print('Transcript:',p)
for line in q:

try: j=json.loads(line)
except: continue
m=j.get('message') or {}
r=m.get('role'); c=m.get('content')
if r not in ('user','assistant'): continue
if isinstance(c,list): c=''.join([(x.get('text','') if isinstance(x,dict) else str(x)) for x in c])
if isinstance(c,str): print(f'{r}: {c.replace("\
"," ")[:160]}')
PY

If you see assistant: NO_REPLY ... in there, that explains the “typing then nothing”.

Tell me what you get for Test 1 + whether Test 2 shows NO_REPLY or an error.

[fast cairn]

do I typ test 2 in the dashboard?

[brisk arrow]

@fast cairn Test 2 goes in your Terminal, not the dashboard.

• Dashboard: do Test 1 (the “2+2” question).
• Terminal: run Test 2 (the python3 - <<'PY' ... block) — it just reads your local transcript file and prints the last user/assistant messages.

So: open Terminal → paste Test 2 → hit Enter. Then paste back the output (it should be short).

@fast cairn You’re mid-“heredoc” (the heredoc> prompt means Terminal is waiting for the end marker).

Two options:

Option 1: finish the block

Paste the rest exactly, then end with a line that is only:
PY

Here’s the missing part:

try: j=json.loads(line)
except: continue
m=j.get('message') or {}
r=m.get('role'); c=m.get('content')
if r not in ('user','assistant'): continue
if isinstance(c,list): c=''.join([(x.get('text','') if isinstance(x,dict) else str(x)) for x in c])

if isinstance(c,str): print(f'{r}: {c.replace("\
"," ")[:160]}')
PY

Option 2 (simpler): cancel and run a one-liner

Press Ctrl+C, then run:

SESSION=$(ls -t ~/.openclaw/agents/main/sessions/*.jsonl | head -1)
tail -n 80 "$SESSION"

Either way, paste the output — we’re looking for an assistant message that starts with NO_REPLY or an error.

@fast cairn No worries — that error is just Python indentation (everything inside the for loop needs to be indented).

Let’s do the simple approach instead (no Python):

1. Send a message in the dashboard like:

What is 2+2? Reply with just the number.

2. Then in Terminal run:

SESSION=$(ls -t ~/.openclaw/agents/main/sessions/*.jsonl | head -1)

tail -n 120 "$SESSION"

Paste the last ~40 lines of that output here. We’ll be able to see if the assistant wrote NO_REPLY or if there’s an error entry.

(If the output is still huge, do:)

tail -n 120 "$SESSION" | grep -n "assistant\|NO_REPLY\|error" | tail -n 80

@fast cairn That transcript is the smoking gun: the model call is failing with Anthropic stopReason: "error" + errorMessage: "Connection error.".

So it’s not “NO_REPLY” — your Mac can’t reliably reach api.anthropic.com from the Gateway process.

1) Get the real underlying error (should be short)

tail -n 120 ~/.openclaw/logs/gateway.err.log

Paste the last ~30 lines (it usually includes fetch failed, ENOTFOUND, ETIMEDOUT, TLS/cert errors, etc.).

2) Check if it’s an IPv6/network issue (same class of problem as your Telegram fetch failed earlier)

curl -I https://api.anthropic.com
curl -4 -I https://api.anthropic.com
curl -6 -I https://api.anthropic.com

• If -4 works but -6 fails → your IPv6 is busted. Easiest workaround:

echo 'NODE_OPTIONS=--dns-result-order=ipv4first' >> ~/.openclaw/.env
openclaw gateway restart

3) If you’re on a corporate proxy/VPN

Your terminal may have proxy env vars that launchd doesn’t. Check:

env | grep -i proxy

If you see HTTP_PROXY / HTTPS_PROXY / NO_PROXY, copy those lines into ~/.openclaw/.env and restart the gateway.

Once Anthropic connectivity is fixed, the dashboard + TUI will start replying immediately.

@fast cairn Yep — that TypeError: fetch failed confirms it’s a general outbound HTTPS networking issue from Node/undici on that machine (and it explains both Telegram + Anthropic failures).

Now we need to figure out why fetch is failing (IPv6, DNS, proxy, or TLS). Please run these and paste outputs:

1) Does curl work?

curl -I https://api.anthropic.com
curl -I https://api.telegram.org

2) IPv4 vs IPv6 (this is the common one)

curl -4 -I https://api.anthropic.com
curl -6 -I https://api.anthropic.com

dig +short api.anthropic.com A

dig +short api.anthropic.com AAAA

If -4 works but -6 fails, add this workaround so Node prefers IPv4:

echo 'NODE_OPTIONS=--dns-result-order=ipv4first' >> ~/.openclaw/.env
openclaw gateway restart

3) Proxy/VPN env vars

env | grep -i proxy

If you see proxies there, launchd won’t have them — copy them into ~/.openclaw/.env and restart.

Once curl and Node are both happy with Anthropic, the dashboard will start replying immediately.

@fast cairn Great — curl can reach both Anthropic + Telegram, so the network is up. The problem is specifically Node’s fetch (undici) inside the Gateway failing (TypeError: fetch failed → transcript shows Connection error.).

Next we need the cause of the fetch failure (it’s usually IPv6, proxy/VPN, or a firewall app blocking a specific node binary).

1) Test fetch using the same node binary the service uses

Run this in Terminal:

/usr/local/bin/node -e "fetch('https://api.anthropic.com').then(r=>console.log('ok status',r.status)).catch(e=>{console.error('ERR',e); console.error('CAUSE',e.cause);})"
/usr/local/bin/node -e "fetch('https://api.telegram.org').then(r=>console.log('ok status',r.status)).catch(e=>{console.error('ERR',e); console.error('CAUSE',e.cause);})"

Paste the CAUSE ... line(s).

2) Compare with your nvm node (sometimes firewall/proxy rules differ per binary)

node -e "fetch('https://api.anthropic.com').then(r=>console.log('nvm ok',r.status)).catch(e=>{console.error('nvm ERR',e); console.error('nvm CAUSE',e.cause);})"

• If nvm node works but /usr/local/bin/node fails → you likely have a firewall/proxy rule blocking Homebrew’s node. Easiest workaround is to run the Gateway service using the nvm node path (or allow /usr/local/bin/node in your firewall app).

3) Quick IPv6 check (common)

curl -4 -I https://api.anthropic.com
curl -6 -I https://api.anthropic.com

If -4 works and -6 fails, add this and restart (safe workaround):

echo 'NODE_OPTIONS=--dns-result-order=ipv4first' >> ~/.openclaw/.env
openclaw gateway restart

Once fetch(...) works for Anthropic, the dashboard will immediately start replying.

@fast cairn There we go — root cause found.

Your Gateway’s Node fetch() is failing TLS verification:

• UNABLE_TO_GET_ISSUER_CERT_LOCALLY
• SELF_SIGNED_CERT_IN_CHAIN

That almost always means you’re on a network (or have software) doing HTTPS interception (corporate proxy, Zscaler, AdGuard/AV, Charles/Proxyman cert, etc.). curl works because it trusts your macOS Keychain; Node does not unless you explicitly give it that CA.

Fix (recommended): add your org/proxy Root CA to Node via NODE_EXTRA_CA_CERTS

1. Export the root CA from Keychain Access:

• Open Keychain Access → “System” (or “login”) → Certificates
• Find the root cert for your proxy (often contains: Zscaler, Cisco Umbrella, Netskope, Charles Proxy, Proxyman, etc.)
• Right‑click → Export (choose .cer)

2. Convert to PEM and store it:

mkdir -p ~/.openclaw/certs
openssl x509 -in ~/Downloads/<exported>.cer -inform der -out ~/.openclaw/certs/mitm-ca.pem

3. Tell the Gateway service to use it (launchd reads ~/.openclaw/.env):

echo 'NODE_EXTRA_CA_CERTS=~/.openclaw/certs/mitm-ca.pem' >> ~/.openclaw/.env
openclaw gateway restart

4. Re-test (should now print a status instead of TLS errors):

/usr/local/bin/node -e "fetch('https://api.anthropic.com').then(r=>console.log('ok',r.status)).catch(e=>console.error(e.cause||e))"

Once that works, the dashboard will start replying, and Telegram can likely be re-enabled too.

Quick (temporary, NOT recommended): disable TLS verification

Only to prove the diagnosis:

echo 'NODE_TLS_REJECT_UNAUTHORIZED=0' >> ~/.openclaw/.env
openclaw gateway restart

This is insecure; remove it after confirming.

If you tell me what proxy/security tool you have installed (or what the CA cert is named in Keychain), I can give you the exact “which cert to export” target.

[fast cairn]

This sounds pretty complex. Can you walk me through it step by step?

[brisk arrow]

@fast cairn Yep — we’ll do it step-by-step, and you can stop after each step if something looks different.

Goal

Make Node trust the same “corporate/proxy” certificate that macOS Keychain trusts, by setting NODE_EXTRA_CA_CERTS for the Gateway service.

---

Step 0 — confirm we’re in the right failure mode (1 command)

Run:

/usr/local/bin/node -e "fetch('https://api.anthropic.com').then(r=>console.log(r.status)).catch(e=>console.error(e.cause?.code||e))"

You should see UNABLE_TO_GET_ISSUER_CERT_LOCALLY (or similar). If yes → continue.

---

Step 1 — find the “MITM” certificate in Keychain

1. Open Keychain Access (Spotlight → type “Keychain Access”).
2. In the left sidebar:

• Click System (start here) and then Certificates.

3. In the top-right search box, try searching these one at a time:

• zscaler
• netskope
• umbrella
• charles
• proxmyman
• root

You’re looking for a certificate that’s clearly not Apple/Let’s Encrypt/etc — often named like “<Company> Root CA”.

Reply with the exact name of the certificate you think is the culprit and I’ll confirm before you export.

---

Step 2 — export that certificate

1. Right-click the certificate → Export "<name>"…
2. File format: choose .cer

3. Save it to Downloads (easy to find)

---

Step 3 — convert .cer → .pem and store it for OpenClaw

In Terminal (replace the filename):

mkdir -p ~/.openclaw/certs

# if your export is DER (common)
openssl x509 -in ~/Downloads/<exported>.cer -inform der -out ~/.openclaw/certs/mitm-ca.pem

# if that errors, we’ll retry with -inform pem

---

Step 4 — tell the Gateway service to use that CA

echo 'NODE_EXTRA_CA_CERTS=~/.openclaw/certs/mitm-ca.pem' >> ~/.openclaw/.env
openclaw gateway restart

---

Step 5 — retest Node fetch

/usr/local/bin/node -e "fetch('https://api.anthropic.com').then(r=>console.log('ok',r.status)).catch(e=>console.error('ERR',e.cause||e))"

If this prints ok 404 (404 is fine for that endpoint), you’re done and the dashboard should start replying.

---

Start with Step 1 and tell me what certificate name you find in Keychain.

[fast cairn]

only when I type root I see certificates and there is about 120 of them. how do I know which one is the culprit?

[brisk arrow]

@fast cairn Good question — don’t guess from 120 certs.

The “culprit” is almost always a non-Apple root CA that was installed by:

• your company IT/security (Zscaler/Umbrella/Netskope/etc), or
• a proxy/debug tool (Charles/Proxyman), or
• an antivirus/web filter.

Here are 3 practical ways to identify it.

Method A (fastest): look for “Always Trust” / custom trust settings

1. In Keychain Access, select System → Certificates.
2. Click a certificate → press Cmd+I (Get Info).
3. Expand Trust.

If you see anything like “When using this certificate: Always Trust” (or other non-default trust overrides), that’s a strong signal it’s the MITM root.

Method B: sort by “Expires” or “Name” and look for obvious non-default names

Common giveaway names contain:

• your company name
• “Proxy”, “Inspection”, “SSL”, “Root CA”, “Corporate”, “Enterprise”, “Device”, “MDM”

Method C (best): check which cert curl actually trusts

Since curl works but Node doesn’t, the missing piece is: Node isn’t reading your Keychain trust store.
So we can pick any one of the non-default roots you installed — but we want the one that’s being used for interception.

Quick question: are you on a work network / VPN or do you have any of these installed?

• Zscaler
• Cisco Umbrella
• Netskope
• CrowdStrike
• Little Snitch
• AdGuard
• Charles / Proxyman

If yes, tell me which — I can tell you exactly what the cert name usually looks like.

Quick shortcut if you just want to get unstuck

If you’re NOT on a corporate machine and you installed something like Charles/Proxyman, export that root cert (it’s usually clearly named).

If you want, paste 5–10 certificate names that look “non-Apple / non-Let’s Encrypt” and I’ll point to the most likely one.

@fast cairn Makes sense — and the error we saw (SELF_SIGNED_CERT_IN_CHAIN / UNABLE_TO_GET_ISSUER_CERT_LOCALLY) doesn’t require “corporate spyware”, it just means the TLS cert chain Node sees isn’t in Node’s default CA bundle.

Key detail: curl on macOS trusts Keychain, but Node does not by default (it uses its own bundled CA set). So curl can work while Node fails.

Step-by-step fix (simplest): tell Node to use the macOS system CA store

1. Add this to the Gateway service env file:

echo 'NODE_OPTIONS=--use-system-ca' >> ~/.openclaw/.env

2. Restart the gateway:

openclaw gateway restart

3. Re-test Node fetch (this should stop the cert errors):

/usr/local/bin/node -e "fetch('https://api.anthropic.com').then(r=>console.log('ok',r.status)).catch(e=>{console.error('ERR',e); console.error('CAUSE',e.cause);})"

If you see ok 404 (404 is fine), you’re good.

4. Go back to the dashboard and try:

What is 2+2? Reply with just the number.

If it still fails after --use-system-ca

Then we should identify the exact certificate Node is being presented. Run:

echo | openssl s_client -connect api.anthropic.com:443 -servername api.anthropic.com -showcerts 2>/dev/null | openssl x509 -noout -subject -issuer

Paste the subject + issuer lines — that will tell us which root CA to export from Keychain (even if you didn’t knowingly install it; sometimes it comes from a configuration profile or router security feature).

Avoid the “quick hack” NODE_TLS_REJECT_UNAUTHORIZED=0 — it works, but it disables TLS verification entirely.

[fast cairn]

are there any security risks or vulnerabilities with this?

[brisk arrow]

@fast cairn Good question.

Using NODE_OPTIONS=--use-system-ca

Risk level: low / normal.

It just tells Node to trust the same certificate authorities your Mac already trusts (Keychain) instead of Node’s built-in CA bundle.

What could be risky?

• If your macOS Keychain contains an extra trusted root CA that you don’t actually want to trust (e.g. from some proxy/debug tool, old MDM profile, etc.), then Node will trust it too — meaning HTTPS interception would be possible.

But that’s not really “new” risk: your Mac already trusts that CA system-wide. This just makes Node consistent with the OS.

What’s actually dangerous (don’t do this long-term)

• NODE_TLS_REJECT_UNAUTHORIZED=0 or similar “disable TLS verification” hacks. That does create a real vulnerability.

If you want to be extra strict

Instead of trusting all of Keychain, export only the specific root CA you need and use:

NODE_EXTRA_CA_CERTS=... (narrower trust).

Given your situation, I’d start with --use-system-ca (quick + sane), and if you later discover some weird root in Keychain, we can switch to the narrower NODE_EXTRA_CA_CERTS approach.

@fast cairn That output is expected if you didn’t pass the --use-system-ca option to that specific Node command.

Important detail: ~/.openclaw/.env is only read by the Gateway service, not by random node -e ... commands you run in your terminal.

Step 1) Re-test Node with system CA enabled

Run either of these (same effect):

/usr/local/bin/node --use-system-ca -e "fetch('https://api.anthropic.com').then(r=>console.log('ok',r.status)).catch(e=>console.error('ERR',e.cause||e))"

OR

NODE_OPTIONS="--use-system-ca" /usr/local/bin/node -e "fetch('https://api.anthropic.com').then(r=>console.log('ok',r.status)).catch(e=>console.error('ERR',e.cause||e))"

If it prints ok 404 → TLS is fixed.

Step 2) Make sure the Gateway service gets the same setting

1. Confirm the line exists (no secrets):

grep '^NODE_OPTIONS=' ~/.openclaw/.env

You want to see:
NODE_OPTIONS=--use-system-ca

2. Restart the gateway:

openclaw gateway restart

3. Try the dashboard again (What is 2+2?).

If Step 1 still fails even with --use-system-ca

Then we’ll switch to the more explicit fix (NODE_EXTRA_CA_CERTS) and identify the exact issuer with:

echo | openssl s_client -connect api.anthropic.com:443 -servername api.anthropic.com -showcerts 2>/dev/null | openssl x509 -noout -subject -issuer

Run Step 1 and paste the result (ok ... or the error/cause).

@fast cairn Perfect diagnostics. Two key points:

1. Your echo 'NODE_OPTIONS=--use-system-ca' >> ~/.openclaw/.env does not affect /usr/local/bin/node ... commands you run in Terminal.
2. Even for the Gateway: ~/.openclaw/.env is loaded by OpenClaw after Node starts, so it won’t apply Node startup flags like --use-system-ca.

So we need to do this in two steps:

---

Step A — confirm --use-system-ca fixes Node fetch (one command)

Run:

/usr/local/bin/node --use-system-ca -e "fetch('https://api.anthropic.com').then(r=>console.log('ok',r.status)).catch(e=>console.error('ERR',e.cause||e))"

Expected: ok 404.

If you STILL get UNABLE_TO_GET_ISSUER_CERT_LOCALLY here, tell me and we’ll do the NODE_EXTRA_CA_CERTS bundle route.

---

Step B — make the LaunchAgent start Node with --use-system-ca

1. Stop the gateway service:

openclaw gateway stop

2. Inspect current ProgramArguments (just to confirm what we’re editing):

/usr/libexec/PlistBuddy -c "Print :ProgramArguments" ~/Library/LaunchAgents/ai.openclaw.gateway.plist

3. Insert the flag right after the node binary:

plutil -insert ProgramArguments.1 -string "--use-system-ca" ~/Library/LaunchAgents/ai.openclaw.gateway.plist

4. Start the service again:

openclaw gateway start
openclaw gateway status

Now the Command: line should show something like:
/usr/local/bin/node --use-system-ca .../openclaw/dist/index.js gateway ...

5. Try the dashboard message again.

---

If Step A works but Step B doesn’t show the flag in gateway status, paste the ProgramArguments output from step 2 and I’ll tell you exactly where it needs to go.

@fast cairn Awesome — this confirms --use-system-ca doesn’t fix it on your Mac.

Next hypothesis: your /usr/local/bin/node is not actually using the bundled CA store (or it’s being overridden by env), so it can’t validate normal public cert chains.

Step 1) Check if anything is overriding Node/OpenSSL cert handling

Run and paste output:

echo "NODE_OPTIONS=$NODE_OPTIONS"
echo "NODE_EXTRA_CA_CERTS=$NODE_EXTRA_CA_CERTS"
echo "SSL_CERT_FILE=$SSL_CERT_FILE"
echo "SSL_CERT_DIR=$SSL_CERT_DIR"

Step 2) Force Node to use its bundled CA store (even if something overrides it)

Run:

/usr/local/bin/node --use-bundled-ca -e "fetch('https://api.anthropic.com').then(r=>console.log('ok',r.status)).catch(e=>console.error('ERR',e.cause||e))"

If this prints ok 404, we’ve found the fix.

Step 3) Apply that fix to the Gateway service (launchd)

If Step 2 works, we’ll add the flag to the LaunchAgent so the Gateway always starts with it:

openclaw gateway stop
plutil -insert ProgramArguments.1 -string "--use-bundled-ca" ~/Library/LaunchAgents/ai.openclaw.gateway.plist
openclaw gateway start
openclaw gateway status

(And we should remove the NODE_OPTIONS=--use-system-ca line you appended to ~/.openclaw/.env afterwards — that file won’t reliably apply Node startup flags anyway.)

Run Step 1 + Step 2 and tell me what you get.

@fast cairn Great — no env overrides. So this really is “Node’s CA trust is broken” for that /usr/local/bin/node install.

Next test (this is the key one):

Step 2) Force bundled CA

/usr/local/bin/node --use-bundled-ca -e "fetch('https://api.anthropic.com').then(r=>console.log('ok',r.status)).catch(e=>console.error('ERR',e.cause||e))"

• If this prints ok 404 → we can fix the Gateway by adding --use-bundled-ca to the LaunchAgent ProgramArguments.
• If it still fails → something deeper is wrong with the Node build / cert store, and the easiest fix is to reinstall Node 22 cleanly.

Also, just to compare, run the same test with your nvm node (should work):

node -e "fetch('https://api.anthropic.com').then(r=>console.log('nvm ok',r.status)).catch(e=>console.error('nvm ERR',e.cause||e))"

Paste outputs of both.

@fast cairn Boom. ✅ That proves the fix: your system Node needs --use-bundled-ca.

Now we just need to make the LaunchAgent start Node with that flag so the Gateway inherits it.

1) Stop the gateway service

openclaw gateway stop

2) Add the flag to the LaunchAgent ProgramArguments

(This inserts it right after /usr/local/bin/node.)

plutil -insert ProgramArguments.1 -string "--use-bundled-ca" ~/Library/LaunchAgents/ai.openclaw.gateway.plist

3) Start again + verify

openclaw gateway start
openclaw gateway status

You should now see the command line include:
/usr/local/bin/node --use-bundled-ca ...

4) Test in dashboard

Send:

What is 2+2? Reply with just the number.

If anything goes sideways, paste the output of:

/usr/libexec/PlistBuddy -c "Print :ProgramArguments" ~/Library/LaunchAgents/ai.openclaw.gateway.plist

After it works, you can remove the earlier NODE_OPTIONS=--use-system-ca line you appended to ~/.openclaw/.env (it’s not helping here).

@fast cairn You fixed the plist correctly (the Command: line now shows --use-bundled-ca ✅). The only issue now is the LaunchAgent is not loaded in launchd anymore, so openclaw gateway start can’t find it.

Load it back into launchd:

# (safe) make sure it’s not half-loaded
openclaw gateway stop || true
launchctl bootout gui/$UID/ai.openclaw.gateway 2>/dev/null || true

# load the plist
launchctl bootstrap gui/$UID ~/Library/LaunchAgents/ai.openclaw.gateway.plist

# start it now
launchctl kickstart -k gui/$UID/ai.openclaw.gateway

# verify

openclaw gateway status

Once gateway status shows loaded + RPC probe ok, go back to the dashboard and try the 2+2 message again.

Note: don’t run openclaw gateway install --force right now — it may rewrite the plist and remove the --use-bundled-ca arg (we can reapply it later if needed).

@fast cairn Hell yes — that’s exactly what we wanted:

• LaunchAgent loaded
• Gateway running
• RPC probe: ok
• and Node is starting with --use-bundled-ca

Now go back to the dashboard and try again:

What is 2+2? Reply with just the number.

If it replies, you’re officially unblocked. After that you can re-enable Telegram if you want (it should stop crashing now).

Also: since this ended up being a pretty specific Ventura/Node TLS trust issue, please right-click the solution message → Apps → ✅ Mark Solution so Answer Overflow indexes it.

[fast cairn]

Freak yeah! it replied with 4 :)))

[brisk arrow]

@fast cairn Yessss. That means the gateway → Anthropic connection is fixed and your dashboard chat is fully working now.

Next optional steps:

1. Remove the now-useless line we added earlier (keeps things clean):

# open and delete the NODE_OPTIONS=--use-system-ca line
nano ~/.openclaw/.env

(leave the LaunchAgent --use-bundled-ca in place)

2. Re-enable Telegram (should work now that Node fetch TLS is happy):

openclaw config set channels.telegram.enabled true --json
openclaw gateway restart

And please do the indexing thing: right-click the solution message → Apps → ✅ Mark Solution 🙏

[fast cairn]

So to recap all of this for the next person that is using macOS Ventura 13.7.8 and is facing similar issues our first issue was Ventura OS not using node 22 (and because of that, the dasboard couldn't connect) and we had a difficult time switching it from node 24 to node 22 but we finally figured it out at the end (can you please reply with the solution for that worked for us?) The next issue we had was (correct me if I'm wrong) Amazon's wifi eero's block access to SSL certificates and it took us some time to figure that out but we finally did (can you please reply with the solution that worked for us?) 5.5 hrs later we are finally up and running. Anything else that I missed?

[brisk arrow]

@fast cairn Yep — here’s the clean recap you can copy/paste for the next Ventura 13.7.8 Intel person.

Problem 1: Gateway service kept using Node 24 (nvm), not Node 22

Symptom: openclaw gateway status showed the LaunchAgent command pointing at:
~/.nvm/versions/node/v24.../lib/node_modules/openclaw/...

Why: macOS launchd doesn’t load your shell init, and the gateway service will keep whatever openclaw (and Node) it was installed with. Also, if openclaw only exists in the Node 24 nvm environment, the service will keep pointing there.

Fix that worked:

# Install Node 22 and switch nvm to it
nvm install 22
nvm use 22
nvm alias default 22

# Remove openclaw from the old Node 24 env

nvm exec 24 npm uninstall -g openclaw

# Install openclaw under Node 22
nvm exec 22 npm install -g openclaw@latest

# Reinstall the gateway LaunchAgent using the Node 22 openclaw
nvm exec 22 openclaw gateway stop
nvm exec 22 openclaw gateway uninstall
nvm exec 22 openclaw gateway install --force
nvm exec 22 openclaw gateway restart

# Verify it now points to v22
openclaw gateway status

Problem 2: Dashboard “typing…” but no replies (TLS / SSL cert chain)

Symptom: Dashboard and transcripts showed Anthropic runs failing with Connection error, and logs showed Node fetch failed.

Root cause: /usr/local/bin/node couldn’t validate normal public HTTPS certs (Node fetch errors like UNABLE_TO_GET_ISSUER_CERT_LOCALLY / SELF_SIGNED_CERT_IN_CHAIN). curl worked, but Node didn’t.

Key diagnostic:

/usr/local/bin/node -e "fetch('https://api.anthropic.com').then(r=>console.log(r.status)).catch(e=>console.error(e.cause))"

Fix that worked: force system Node to use its bundled CA store:

/usr/local/bin/node --use-bundled-ca -e "fetch('https://api.anthropic.com').then(r=>console.log('ok',r.status)).catch(e=>console.error(e.cause||e))"
# should print: ok 404

Then make the LaunchAgent always start Node with that flag:

openclaw gateway stop
plutil -insert ProgramArguments.1 -string "--use-bundled-ca" ~/Library/LaunchAgents/ai.openclaw.gateway.plist

# reload + start the LaunchAgent
launchctl bootstrap gui/$UID ~/Library/LaunchAgents/ai.openclaw.gateway.plist
launchctl kickstart -k gui/$UID/ai.openclaw.gateway

openclaw gateway status

Once gateway status showed RPC probe: ok, the dashboard started replying.

About the “Amazon eero” part

We didn’t prove it was eero specifically — we proved it was Node TLS trust on /usr/local/bin/node. Could be router security/DNS filtering, a local security product, or something else. The fix above is what mattered.

Anything else?

• You temporarily disabled Telegram (channels.telegram.enabled=false) to keep the gateway from crashing while TLS was broken.

• After the TLS fix, Telegram should behave normally again.

If this recap matches what you saw, please mark the solution (right-click → Apps → ✅ Mark Solution) so it’s indexed.

[fast cairn]

Yes telegram and dashboard work properly. I suspect that whatsapp will also work now? It didn't before and I think it was because of the same issue we had with telegram and the dashboard.

[brisk arrow]

@fast cairn Yeah — WhatsApp very likely works now too. It uses outbound HTTPS calls + web sockets, so the same Node TLS fetch failed issue would absolutely break it.

To get WhatsApp going:

1. Run the login flow (shows QR in terminal):

openclaw channels login

2. Scan the QR with WhatsApp on your phone → Linked Devices.

3. Verify channel status:

openclaw status

(or openclaw gateway status + check WhatsApp section in dashboard)

If it still fails, paste the WhatsApp-related lines from:

tail -n 120 ~/.openclaw/logs/gateway.err.log

And yep — if it failed earlier, it was almost certainly the same TLS trust problem.

[fast cairn]

Can I use both telegram and whatsapp? which one cost less tokens (not sure if it works like that).

[brisk arrow]

@fast cairn Yep — you can use both Telegram and WhatsApp at the same time.

Token cost is mostly the model run, not the chat app.

What can change tokens a bit:

• Message formatting/metadata (usually tiny)
• Whether you’re in a group vs DM (groups often include more history/context)
• Any attachments (images/audio) you send

So Telegram vs WhatsApp doesn’t inherently cost less — your usage pattern does.

If you want to reduce cost:

• keep it in DMs for “real work”
• lower messages.groupChat.historyLimit for groups
• use a cheaper default model for routine chatter (and keep Opus for “big” tasks)

If you want, tell me your goal (personal chat vs automation vs group bot) and I’ll suggest a sane low-cost default setup without breaking reliability.

[fast cairn]

what is more secure telegram or whatsapp?

[brisk arrow]

@fast cairn Depends what you mean by “secure”:

Transport encryption (message privacy in transit)

• WhatsApp: end-to-end encrypted by default for normal chats.
• Telegram: normal chats are not end-to-end encrypted (they’re server-client). Only Secret Chats are E2E — and bots can’t participate in Secret Chats.

So for “E2E by default”, WhatsApp wins.

Bot security / access control (who can trigger your agent)

This is mostly an OpenClaw config question:

• Telegram has strong pairing/allowlist options (channels.telegram.dmPolicy="pairing" etc.).
• WhatsApp similarly has allowlists (channels.whatsapp.allowFrom, group gating, mention rules).

The big caveat

Even with E2E transport, once messages hit your Gateway and then a model provider, privacy depends on your model provider and your own machine security.

If you want “most private” overall:

• keep Gateway local
• strict allowlists
• avoid group chats
• be careful with what you send to cloud models

Tell me your threat model (private notes vs multi-user bot vs family group chat) and I’ll recommend the best setup.

[fast cairn]

How do I keep the gateway local?

[brisk arrow]

@fast cairn You’re basically already doing it.

To keep the Gateway local-only:

1) Bind to loopback

Make sure your config has:

openclaw config get gateway.bind

You want loopback (or just leave it unset if it defaults to loopback).

2) Don’t expose it via Tailscale / LAN

• Keep Tailscale: off (as your openclaw status showed)
• Don’t run openclaw gateway --bind lan or --bind tailnet
• Don’t use --tailscale serve / --tailscale funnel

3) Verify it’s only listening on 127.0.0.1

openclaw gateway status

You want to see:

• bind=loopback (127.0.0.1)
• Listening: 127.0.0.1:18789

That means only apps on the same Mac can connect.

If you paste your openclaw config get gateway.bind output, I can confirm it’s locked down.

[fast cairn]

Hey krill, now that telegram is connected can you help me also set up whatsapp?

[brisk arrow]

@fast cairn Yep.

1) Make sure the gateway is up first

openclaw gateway status

(should show RPC probe: ok)

2) Start the WhatsApp linking flow (QR)

openclaw channels login

That should print a QR code in the terminal.

3) Scan it from your phone

WhatsApp → Settings → Linked Devices → Link a device → scan the QR.

4) Verify it connected

Run:

openclaw status

(or check the Channels panel in the dashboard).

If openclaw channels login errors or doesn’t show a QR, paste the last ~30 lines of:

tail -n 120 ~/.openclaw/logs/gateway.err.log

(and tell me if you’re linking WhatsApp personal or WhatsApp Business).

@fast cairn That error usually means WhatsApp isn’t configured in ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json yet, so the CLI won’t start a login flow for it.

Do this:

1) Add minimal WhatsApp config + restart

openclaw config set channels.whatsapp.dmPolicy pairing
openclaw gateway restart

(Optional, if you want allowlist instead of pairing)

openclaw config set channels.whatsapp.dmPolicy allowlist
openclaw config set channels.whatsapp.allowFrom '["+1YOURNUMBER"]' --json
openclaw gateway restart

2) Run the WhatsApp QR login explicitly

openclaw channels login --channel whatsapp

Scan via WhatsApp → Settings → Linked Devices → Link a device.

3) Verify

openclaw channels status --probe

If it still says Unsupported channel: whatsapp, run:

openclaw channels list

and paste the output — that’ll tell us whether your build is missing the WhatsApp channel (rare) or it’s just config.

[fast cairn]

I think its connected? How do I talk to openclaw on whatsapp to test?

[brisk arrow]

@fast cairn Easiest test: DM the WhatsApp account you just linked.

If you linked a dedicated OpenClaw number

• From your personal WhatsApp, send a message to that dedicated number.
• First message will either:
• reply normally (if dmPolicy=allowlist and you’re allowlisted), or
• reply with a pairing code (if dmPolicy=pairing, which is the default).

If you get a pairing code, approve it on the gateway:

openclaw pairing list whatsapp
openclaw pairing approve whatsapp <code>

Then message again.

If you linked your personal number (self-chat)

Use WhatsApp’s “Message yourself” chat to test, but you’ll need:

• channels.whatsapp.selfChatMode: true

Quick confirm it’s actually connected

openclaw channels status --probe

If you paste the WhatsApp line from that output, I can tell you whether it’s fully online and which DM policy you’re currently in.

[fast cairn]

• WhatsApp default: enabled, configured, linked, stopped, disconnected, dm:pairing, error:not linked

[brisk arrow]

@fast cairn That status means WhatsApp is configured but currently NOT linked (no valid WhatsApp Web session), so it’s disconnected.

Fix: re-run the QR login:

openclaw channels login --channel whatsapp

Scan it in WhatsApp → Settings → Linked Devices → Link a device.

Then re-check:

openclaw channels status --probe

If it keeps saying not linked right after scanning, paste the last ~80 lines of:

tail -n 120 ~/.openclaw/logs/gateway.err.log

(WhatsApp relink issues are usually very explicit in that log.)

[brisk arrow]

@fast cairn Yep — that line is still saying not linked, so WhatsApp Web auth didn’t stick yet.

Next step is still:

openclaw channels login --channel whatsapp

Scan the QR again.

If it still flips back to not linked, we need the error details from the gateway:

tail -n 120 ~/.openclaw/logs/gateway.err.log

Paste the WhatsApp-related block (it usually mentions Baileys / creds.json / QR / logged out).

Also: are you linking WhatsApp or WhatsApp Business on the phone? (either is fine, just want to know which app you scanned from).

@fast cairn Nice — the channels login output looks good (credentials saved).

If channels status --probe is still showing stopped / disconnected / not linked, that usually just means the Gateway hasn’t been restarted since the link, so it hasn’t picked up the new creds yet.

Do this:

openclaw gateway restart
openclaw channels status --probe

After it shows WhatsApp as running/works, test by DMing the linked WhatsApp account:

• if dm:pairing, your first DM will return a pairing code → approve it:

openclaw pairing list whatsapp
openclaw pairing approve whatsapp <code>

If it still says not linked after a gateway restart, paste the WhatsApp section from:

tail -n 120 ~/.openclaw/logs/gateway.err.log

[fast cairn]

Can we start over, I unlinked the device from my whatsapp on my iphone now when I scan the sam QR code, whatsapp on my phone is saying "can't lin new decices at this time. Try again later.

[brisk arrow]

@fast cairn Yep we can start over — but that WhatsApp message (“can’t link new devices at this time”) is coming from WhatsApp itself and is usually a cooldown / rate-limit after too many link/unlink attempts. The fix is mostly wait a bit, then link with a fresh QR.

Here’s the clean restart sequence:

A) Reset OpenClaw’s WhatsApp creds (on the iMac)

openclaw gateway status
openclaw channels logout --channel whatsapp
openclaw gateway restart

B) Generate a NEW QR + link again

(Do not scan an old QR)

openclaw channels login --channel whatsapp

Then on iPhone: WhatsApp → Settings → Linked Devices → Link a device → scan.

C) If WhatsApp still says “can’t link new devices…”

That’s WhatsApp blocking new links temporarily. Usual things that help:

• Wait 15–60 minutes and try again (sometimes longer).
• Make sure WhatsApp iOS app is updated.
• Toggle iPhone airplane mode once / restart the iPhone.
• Try on a different network (phone on cellular hotspot for the scan can help).

D) After it links, verify from OpenClaw

openclaw channels status --probe

You want WhatsApp to show running/works (not not linked).

If it keeps failing, paste the WhatsApp-related lines from:

tail -n 120 ~/.openclaw/logs/gateway.err.log

(That log will usually say if it’s a QR expired / logged out / device limit issue.)

[fast cairn]

okay during the linking process on my phone it syncs for about 30-60 seconds and then massage sync pauses. when i click on linked devices and then the "linked" google chome (openclaw) device under device status activity it says Active but under chat history it says Paused and then message sync is paused

[brisk arrow]

That “Chat history: Paused / Message sync paused” screen is WhatsApp’s history backfill for linked devices. It often pauses if the phone goes idle, battery/low‑power kicks in, WhatsApp is backgrounded, Wi‑Fi is flaky, or storage is tight.

Good news: even if history sync is paused, the linked “Chrome” device can still be active and send/receive new messages.

Make the sync finish (WhatsApp-side)

On the iPhone:

1. Plug into power
2. Turn Low Power Mode OFF
3. Keep WhatsApp open in the foreground with the screen on for a few minutes
4. Stay on solid Wi‑Fi (or try phone on cellular / hotspot)
5. Make sure you have free storage + WhatsApp is up to date

Verify from OpenClaw side (what actually matters)

Run:

openclaw channels status --probe

If WhatsApp shows linked + running/works, you’re good.

Quick functional test

Send a new DM to the WhatsApp account you linked (from another phone/contact if possible). If you’re in dm:pairing, the first message should trigger a pairing code → approve with:

openclaw pairing list whatsapp
openclaw pairing approve whatsapp <code>

If channels status still shows not linked / disconnected after all this, paste the WhatsApp block from:

tail -n 120 ~/.openclaw/logs/gateway.err.log

[fast cairn]

Battery is at 78% with latest update.

[brisk arrow]

Got it — battery level is fine. The two things that most often cause “history sync paused” even on good battery are:

1. WhatsApp isn’t kept foreground + screen on long enough (it pauses when the phone locks / you switch apps)
2. Network/storage hiccups.

Let’s ignore the history sync UI for a moment and check whether the bot link itself is alive.

1) What does OpenClaw think right now?

On the iMac:

openclaw channels status --probe

Paste just the WhatsApp line.

2) Quick functional test (new message, not history)

From your phone, message the linked account (or have a friend DM it). Do you get a pairing code / reply?

3) If OpenClaw says disconnected

Restart the gateway once (this often re-attaches Baileys after link):

openclaw gateway restart

If it still won’t stay connected, we’ll check the WhatsApp-related log lines:

tail -n 120 ~/.openclaw/logs/gateway.err.log

Great question — the “linked device” is just WhatsApp Web for some WhatsApp account/number. You don’t message the device directly; you message the WhatsApp number/account that OpenClaw is logged into.

So first we need to clarify which number you linked:

Case A) You linked your personal WhatsApp (same iPhone number)

Then the easiest test is WhatsApp’s built-in “Message yourself” chat:

• WhatsApp → search → “Message yourself” (or your own contact)
• Send: hi

For this mode you usually want:

channels: { whatsapp: { selfChatMode: true } }

Case B) You linked a dedicated bot number

Then from your personal WhatsApp, just DM that dedicated number like a normal contact.

Sending from the CLI (optional)

Once WhatsApp is linked and running, you can also send a message from the gateway:

openclaw message send --target +1YOURNUMBER --message "hello from openclaw"

(Replace with your real number in E.164 format.)

Next step (so I can guide you precisely)

Paste:

openclaw channels status --probe

And tell me: did you link your personal number or a separate number? (Just “personal” vs “separate” — don’t post the number.)

Yup.

That pairing code is not something you enter on the phone.

It’s OpenClaw’s security gate for WhatsApp DMs (because dmPolicy: pairing). The flow is:

1. You send a DM to the WhatsApp account that OpenClaw is logged into
2. OpenClaw replies in WhatsApp with a short pairing code
3. You approve that code on the gateway with the CLI

Approve it like this on the iMac:

openclaw pairing list whatsapp
openclaw pairing approve whatsapp <code>

(Use the code you saw.)

Then send another WhatsApp message (like hi) and it should reply normally.

If you don’t want pairing codes at all, switch to allowlist mode:

openclaw config set channels.whatsapp.dmPolicy allowlist
openclaw config set channels.whatsapp.allowFrom '["+1YOURNUMBER"]' --json
openclaw gateway restart

[brisk arrow]

You run those commands in the Terminal on your iMac (same place you ran openclaw gateway status, openclaw channels login, etc.). Not in WhatsApp.

Step-by-step:

1. Open Terminal on the iMac.
2. Run:

openclaw pairing list whatsapp

It will print pending pairing requests + the code.

3. Copy the code it shows and run:

openclaw pairing approve whatsapp <code>

Example:

openclaw pairing approve whatsapp 123456

4. Now go back to WhatsApp and send another message — it should reply.

If pairing list shows nothing, paste its output and we’ll check your WhatsApp DM policy / whether the message actually reached the gateway.

[brisk arrow]

There won’t be an “OpenClaw” contact automatically — OpenClaw is logged into an existing WhatsApp account/number.

So you message the WhatsApp number you linked (the account that shows up under WhatsApp → Settings → Linked Devices).

Two common setups:

A) You linked your personal WhatsApp number

Then the easiest test is WhatsApp’s built-in “Message yourself” chat:

• WhatsApp → search → “Message yourself” (or your own contact)
• Send: hi

(For this mode you typically enable channels.whatsapp.selfChatMode: true.)

B) You linked a separate number (recommended)

Then from your personal WhatsApp, you need to start a new chat to that separate number:

• WhatsApp → New chat → type the phone number (or add it to Contacts)
• Send: hi

Quick question

Did you link your personal number or a separate number?

If you’re not sure: in WhatsApp on your iPhone, go to Settings → Linked Devices. The account/number you’re currently using is the one OpenClaw is logged into, and that’s the one you’d message (either via Message Yourself, or from another phone/contact).

[brisk arrow]

Totally fair — the mental model is the confusing part.

The correct structure (dedicated WhatsApp number)

• Dedicated phone (Number B): this is the “owner” WhatsApp account. It must stay logged into WhatsApp (on iOS/Android).
• iMac + OpenClaw: this is a linked device (WhatsApp Web session) for Number B. OpenClaw runs here.
• Your personal phone (Number A) (or any other contact): this is what you use to DM the bot.

So:

• You do not “message the iMac device”.
• You message Number B (the dedicated WhatsApp account).

Setup steps (working recipe)

1) On the iMac (OpenClaw)

Make sure WhatsApp channel is enabled (pairing mode is fine to start):

openclaw config set channels.whatsapp.dmPolicy pairing

openclaw gateway restart

2) Link iMac to the dedicated WhatsApp account (Number B)

On the iMac:

openclaw channels login --channel whatsapp

Scan the QR using the dedicated phone (Number B):
WhatsApp → Settings → Linked Devices → Link a device.

Verify:

openclaw channels status --probe

You want WhatsApp to show linked and ideally running/works.

3) Send a test message from your personal WhatsApp (Number A)

On your personal phone (Number A): start a chat to Number B and send hi.

Because you’re in dmPolicy: pairing, the bot will respond with a pairing code.

4) Approve the pairing code on the iMac

openclaw pairing list whatsapp
openclaw pairing approve whatsapp <code>

5) Message again

Send another WhatsApp message to Number B and now OpenClaw should reply normally.

Common “what you might be missing”

• If you try to test by messaging from Number B to itself, that’s self-chat and needs channels.whatsapp.selfChatMode: true.
• If channels status --probe says not linked, you need to re-run channels login (QR).

If you paste the current output of:

openclaw channels status --probe

I can tell you exactly which step you’re currently stuck on.

[fast cairn]

Excellent, that worked thank you!

[brisk arrow]

Nice — glad it’s working now.

If you have a sec, please right‑click the message that fixed it → Apps → ✅ Mark Solution (Answer Overflow indexes it so others can find it).

[fast cairn]

How do I configure to add multiple models? Anthropic's 4.5 Opus is swallowing to many token credeits. About 10 questions cost $11.02 is that normal?

[brisk arrow]

To run with multiple models, you basically do two things:

1. Add them to your model allowlist + (optional) aliases in config (agents.defaults.models)
2. Switch per session with /model … (no restart)

Quick way (no config edits): switch in chat

Type:

• /model (picker)
• /model list
• /model <number>
• /model status (shows what’s active)

Docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai/help/faq#how-do-i-switch-models-on-the-fly-without-restarting

Config way (recommended): cheaper default + keep Opus available

In ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json (JSON5), set a cheaper default, but keep Opus in the allowlist so you can switch to it when you need it:

{
agents: {
defaults: {
model: { primary: "anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-5" },
models: {
"anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-5": { alias: "sonnet" },
"anthropic/claude-opus-4-5": { alias: "opus" }
}
}
}
}

Then you can do /model opus for “big” questions and /model sonnet for normal chat.

Docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai/concepts/models and https://docs.openclaw.ai/help/faq#how-do-i-switch-models-without-wiping-my-config

---

“10 questions cost $11” — is that normal?

It can be, especially with Opus once the session history gets big, because every turn includes: system prompt + conversation history + any tool outputs, etc.

To see what’s actually happening, enable usage info:

• /usage full (or at least /usage tokens)
• /status (shows last call input/output tokens + estimated cost)

And if the session has gotten huge, use /compact or start fresh with /new.

Token/cost explanation: https://docs.openclaw.ai/token-use

If you want, paste the output of /status (and whether you’re using an Anthropic API key vs setup-token) and I can tell you if the burn rate looks expected. Also, for current “best cheap model” picks, ask in #models (changes too fast to hardcode).

[fast cairn]

How do I implement this? what do I type into the terminal?

[brisk arrow]

You’ve got two easy options.

Option A (easiest): use the wizard

In Terminal on the machine running the Gateway:

openclaw configure --section models

In the Models section:

• set the default to anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-5
• add anthropic/claude-opus-4-5 to the allowlist (and set aliases if it asks)

Then restart:

openclaw gateway restart

Option B (direct): set the config values

openclaw config set agents.defaults.model.primary "anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-5"

openclaw config set agents.defaults.models --json '{
"anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-5": { "alias": "sonnet" },
"anthropic/claude-opus-4-5": { "alias": "opus" }
}'

openclaw gateway restart

After that, in Discord you can switch anytime with:

• /model sonnet
• /model opus
• /model list

Docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai/help/faq#how-do-i-switch-models-on-the-fly-without-restarting and https://docs.openclaw.ai/cli/config

[fast cairn]

which option has less issues or bugs? and which one is recommended?

[brisk arrow]

Recommended: Option A (openclaw configure --section models). It tends to have the fewest issues because it:

• writes the right structure for agents.defaults.models (easy to mess up by hand)
• validates choices / prompts you through it
• avoids JSON quoting/escaping mistakes in the terminal

Option B (openclaw config set …) is totally fine, but it’s more “power user”: most problems come from malformed JSON, overwriting the wrong path, or forgetting --json.

So: do Option A first. Use Option B when you want something scriptable/repeatable (or you know exactly what keys you want to set).

Your CLI wants model (singular), not models.

Try:

openclaw configure --section model

(or just openclaw configure and pick the Model step interactively).

Also: can you paste:

openclaw --version

The docs/flags have shifted a bit between versions, and the exact section names are version-dependent.

On 2026.2.3-1 the section name is model (singular) — that’s why models errors.

Run this:

openclaw configure --section model

Then in the Model step set:

• Default / primary model: anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-5
• Allowed models / model picker list: include both Sonnet + Opus (so /model opus still works)

When you exit/save, restart the gateway:

openclaw gateway restart

Sanity check:

openclaw models status

And in Discord you can switch anytime with:

• /model sonnet
• /model opus
• /model status

(If you prefer “no wizard”, tell me and I’ll give you the exact openclaw config set ... commands for your current config.)

[fast cairn]

okay I'm in the model/auth provider

[brisk arrow]

Cool — in that Model/Auth provider step, do this:

1. Select the provider you want to use (sounds like Anthropic, since you’re already on Opus).

• If it shows your Anthropic auth as already set up, don’t change it — just continue.

2. On the next screens (usually “default model” + “allowed models/model picker”):

• Set default/primary to: anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-5 (cheaper than Opus)
• Make sure Opus is still included in the allowed list so you can switch to it later (anthropic/claude-opus-4-5)
• If it asks about aliases, set sonnet and opus (optional, but nice)

3. Finish/save, then restart:

openclaw gateway restart

Sanity check:

openclaw models status

If you tell me exactly what options you see on-screen in that step (provider list / prompts), I can be super specific about what to pick next.

[fast cairn]

will I have to resubmit api token if I select anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-5?

[brisk arrow]

No — switching from Opus → Sonnet doesn’t require a new API token, as long as you’re staying on the same provider (Anthropic) and the auth profile is already set.

Your Anthropic credential (API key or setup-token) is provider-level; both models use it.

You’d only need to re-enter creds if:

• you change to a different provider (OpenAI / MiniMax / etc.), or
• your Anthropic auth isn’t saved yet / expired / was only in your shell env and not in the daemon env.

If the wizard shows your Anthropic auth as “configured/ok”, you can safely pick anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-5 and continue.

[fast cairn]

I selectected anthropic and it jumped to antropic auth method..
│
◇ Where will the Gateway run?
│ Local (this machine)
│
◇ Model/auth provider
│ Anthropic
│
◆ Anthropic auth method
│ ● Anthropic token (paste setup-token) (run claude setup-token elsewhere, then paste the token here)
│ ○ Anthropic API key
│ ○ Back
└

[brisk arrow]

Yep, that’s expected — once you pick Anthropic as the provider, the wizard has to know how to authenticate Anthropic on this machine.

You won’t need to re-enter creds every time you switch Opus ↔ Sonnet later — this is just setting up (or re-saving) the Anthropic credential.

Pick one:

• If you have an Anthropic Console API key (starts with sk-ant-...) → choose “Anthropic API key” and paste it.
• If you’re using a Claude subscription (Pro/Max) via Claude Code → choose “Anthropic token (paste setup-token)”. You generate it by running:

claude setup-token

(can be on any machine), then paste that token here.

After you finish auth, the next screens are where you set:

• default model → anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-5
• allowlist → include both Sonnet + Opus (so /model opus still works)

If you tell me which of those two you currently used to run Opus (API key vs subscription), I can tell you which radio button to pick with confidence.

[fast cairn]

wow, it changed from when I originally set it up it has a lot of models and all of them start with amazon-bedrock/...

[brisk arrow]

That’s confusing but not necessarily wrong.

amazon-bedrock/... is a totally separate provider (AWS Bedrock). Seeing a bunch of Bedrock model IDs in the picker usually means the wizard is showing a big catalog, and your cursor/filter is currently on the Bedrock section — it doesn’t mean you have to use Bedrock.

What to do:

1. In that model picker, try typing to filter (it should narrow the list):

• type sonnet (or) anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-5
• then select anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-5 as the default

2. If you can’t find any anthropic/... entries at all, skip fighting the wizard and just set it via CLI:

openclaw models set anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-5
openclaw models aliases add sonnet anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-5
openclaw models aliases add opus anthropic/claude-opus-4-5

openclaw gateway restart

Then confirm:

openclaw models status

If you paste the exact prompt line you’re on (e.g. “Default model” / “Allowed models” etc.) I can tell you exactly what to pick/what to type there.

[fast cairn]

status shows OAuth/token status - none

how do I add the token? it must have reomoved it when I canceled set up because of all the amazon-bedrock/ models

[brisk arrow]

That “OAuth/token status: none” line is only about OAuth-style logins. Anthropic API keys and setup-tokens usually won’t show up there, so that line alone doesn’t mean Anthropic is broken.

What to check:

1. Run:

openclaw models status

If it shows something like “Missing auth: anthropic”, then you do need to add your Anthropic credential again.

Add Anthropic auth back (pick ONE)

If you’re using a Claude subscription (setup-token)

1. Generate a token (wherever you have Claude Code installed):

claude setup-token

2. On the Gateway machine, store it in OpenClaw:

openclaw models auth setup-token

(choose Anthropic, then paste the token)

If you have an Anthropic API key (sk-ant-...)

openclaw models auth add

(choose Anthropic API key, paste it)

Then restart:

openclaw gateway restart

Set Sonnet as default (after auth is fixed)

openclaw models set anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-5
openclaw gateway restart

If you paste the output of openclaw models status (just that command), I can tell you whether Anthropic auth is actually missing or if it’s just the OAuth section being empty.

[lament belfry]

can you do the multiple models method I read from Krill above but with multiple services like codex oauth, google antigravity oauth , ollama, z ai API ? is it possible in the same session with different agents or openclaw must be restarted and they cannot interact with each other?

[brisk arrow]

Yes — you can mix multiple providers/services (Codex OAuth, Google Antigravity OAuth, Ollama, Z.AI API, etc.) in one OpenClaw install, and you generally do not need to restart just to use different ones.

In the same chat session (same thread)

You’re still talking to one agent, but you can switch which provider/model it uses on the fly:

• Use /model to switch for the current session (no restart).
• You can also set up fallbacks so if one provider errors/rate-limits, it automatically tries the next provider/model.

Docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai/cli/models

With different agents (multi-agent setup)

You can run multiple isolated agents side-by-side (each with its own workspace + sessions, and typically its own auth profiles). This is how you’d do “Agent A = Ollama local”, “Agent B = Codex”, etc.

• They can coexist under one Gateway process.
• They don’t share context/memory by default (that’s the point: isolation).

Docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai/concepts/multi-agent

“Can the agents interact with each other?”

By default: not really (isolated brains).

If you want collaboration, the supported pattern is:

• sub-agents (spawn background work, optionally with a different model/provider, and get the result posted back)

Docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai/tools/subagents

There is also optional agent-to-agent messaging, but it’s off by default and must be explicitly enabled/allowlisted (see the multi-agent doc).

About restart

• Switching models via /model doesn’t require restart.
• Editing config usually hot-reloads (some changes may trigger an automatic restart depending on gateway.reload.mode).

FAQ: https://docs.openclaw.ai/help/faq#do-i-have-to-restart-after-changing-config

If you tell me your goal (e.g. “default = Ollama, coding = Codex, fallback = Z.AI, plus Antigravity for X”), I can suggest the cleanest setup path (single-agent with /model + fallbacks vs multi-agent routing).

[lament belfry]

thanks Krill, you the king of the sea! last but not least, this also applies to locally installed models or even instanced in WSL2 ?

[brisk arrow]

Yep — it applies to local models too.

Think of “local” (Ollama / LM Studio / vLLM / LiteLLM) as just another model provider with a baseUrl. So you can still:

• mix it with Codex OAuth / Google Antigravity / Z.AI in the same OpenClaw install
• switch live with /model
• use fallbacks (hosted ↔ local) without a manual restart

Docs:

• Local models: https://docs.openclaw.ai/gateway/local-models
• Ollama: https://docs.openclaw.ai/providers/ollama

About WSL2

Also yes in principle, as long as the Gateway can reach the model server over HTTP.

Two common setups:

• Gateway in WSL2 + model server in WSL2 (easy: localhost)

• Gateway in WSL2 + model server on Windows host (works if you point baseUrl at an address/port that’s reachable from WSL2)

One important note for your case: WSL2 doesn’t run on macOS (it’s Windows-only). On your Intel MacBook you’d just run Ollama/LM Studio directly on macOS, or use a VM/Docker-style setup instead.

[lament belfry]

plus codex gpt 5.3

[brisk arrow]

Yes — for the “chat LLM” models in your list, you can have them all configured in the same OpenClaw Gateway and use them from the same Discord chat.

The key distinction:

1) Multiple models/providers in one OpenClaw (no restart to use them)

OpenClaw can have many providers authenticated at once (Codex OAuth, Google Antigravity OAuth for Gemini, Z.AI API key, local Ollama, OpenRouter/Moonshot/etc). Then you can:

• switch per message with /model
• or use fallbacks (provider A → provider B) automatically
• or spawn sub-agents with a different model for a task and have it report back

Docs:

• Models CLI: https://docs.openclaw.ai/cli/models
• Model providers: https://docs.openclaw.ai/concepts/model-providers
• Sub-agents: https://docs.openclaw.ai/tools/subagents

2) “Agents thing” (multi-agent) = separate brains/workspaces (optional)

Multi-agent is for when you want separate defaults + isolation, e.g.

• “coding agent” defaults to Codex
• “research agent” defaults to Gemini
• “local/private agent” defaults to Ollama

They can all run under one Gateway process, and you can switch with /agent <id> (or route specific channels/peers to specific agents).

Docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai/concepts/multi-agent

Important caveats about your specific list

• Google Antigravity OAuth is for Google models (Gemini). It’s not “Antigravity Claude”. Claude is typically via the Anthropic provider (setup-token/API key) or via a proxy like claude-max-api-proxy.
• Stuff like Flux/SDXL/AudioCraft/F5‑TTS/Whisper/TimesFM/Chronos are not “chat LLMs” in OpenClaw’s model picker sense. Those are usually handled via tools/skills (image generation, TTS, transcription, forecasting), not by swapping the main chat model.

If you tell me which ones you want as:

1. your main chat model,
2. your coding model,
3. your local/private fallback,

…I can suggest whether you should do it as one agent + /model (simplest) or multiple agents (clean separation).

Yep — Codex can just be another provider/model in the same OpenClaw install.

What to know:

• No restart needed to switch: once Codex OAuth is set up, you can switch to it in the same Discord session with /model.
• Don’t hardcode the exact model name (like “gpt 5.3”) until you confirm it exists for your account: use /model list (in chat) or openclaw models list (CLI) and pick whatever Codex exposes to you.
• If you use a model allowlist (agents.defaults.models), make sure the Codex entry you want is included — otherwise you’ll get “Model is not allowed”.

Codex auth/setup (OAuth):

• openclaw models auth login --provider openai-codex (or just run openclaw onboard and pick Codex)

Docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai/concepts/model-providers and https://docs.openclaw.ai/cli/models

[fast cairn]

Krill now that I have sonnet as my default and also set up opus and sonnet alias how do I also add Haiku 4.5 to the list?

[brisk arrow]

If you’re using an allowlist (agents.defaults.models) + custom aliases, you need to add Haiku there too (otherwise /model won’t show it / may say “Model is not allowed”).

1) First, confirm the exact Haiku model ID on your install

In chat:

• /model list

Or in a terminal:

• openclaw models list --all --provider anthropic

(Names can vary slightly, so don’t guess—copy what your list shows.)

2) Add it (two easy ways)

Option A — CLI (recommended):

openclaw models aliases add haiku anthropic/claude-haiku-4-5

Option B — config (JSON5)
Add this alongside your Opus/Sonnet entries:

{
  agents: {
    defaults: {
      models: {
        "anthropic/claude-haiku-4-5": { alias: "haiku" },
      },
    },
  },
}

3) Use it

• /model haiku (or /model anthropic/claude-haiku-4-5)

No restart is usually needed (config hot-reload), but if it doesn’t show up immediately, restart the gateway once. Docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai/cli/models

[fast cairn]

Haiku Claude 4.5 how do I add it through the terminal?

[brisk arrow]

In the terminal, add it the same way you added your Opus/Sonnet alias:

1. Find the exact Anthropic model id on your install

openclaw models list --all --provider anthropic

2. Add Haiku + alias
   (If the model id is anthropic/claude-haiku-4-5:)

openclaw models aliases add haiku anthropic/claude-haiku-4-5

3. Verify

openclaw models aliases list

Then in chat you can do:

• /model haiku (or /model anthropic/claude-haiku-4-5)

[fast cairn]

what is the difference between these two?:
anthropic/claude-haiku-4-5 text+image 195k no yes
anthropic/claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 text+image 195k no yes

[brisk arrow]

Those are basically “rolling alias” vs “pinned version”:

• anthropic/claude-haiku-4-5 = the generic model name. Anthropic can update what this points to over time (same “Haiku 4.5 family”, newer snapshot under the hood).
• anthropic/claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 = a specific dated snapshot of the model. It should stay stable, which is nice for reproducibility (same behavior next week/month).

Right now they often look identical in the list (same modalities/context/etc) because the generic one may currently resolve to that dated release.

Rule of thumb:

• Use the dated one if you want consistency for a workflow/app.
• Use the non-dated one if you want “latest improvements” without changing your config later.

[fast cairn]

I see thx. After I add the haiku alias should I restart the gateway?

[brisk arrow]

Usually no.

Two cases:

1. If you added it via the CLI (openclaw models aliases add ...):
   No restart — it should take effect immediately. Just verify with:

   openclaw models aliases list
   

   and in chat:

   • /model list
   • /model haiku

2. If you edited ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json manually:
   Also usually no restart (Gateway hot-reloads config), but sometimes it can take a moment. If it doesn’t show up after ~10–30 seconds, then do:

   openclaw gateway restart

[fast cairn]

when I type /model haiku in dashboard I get the following Model "anthropic/anthropic/claude-haiku-4-5-20251001" is not allowed. Use /models to list providers, or /models <provider> to list models.

[brisk arrow]

That error is showing two separate problems:

1) You’ve got a double provider prefix

anthropic/anthropic/claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 is invalid (it has anthropic twice).

• If you’re using the chat command, use exactly:

  • /model anthropic/claude-haiku-4-5-20251001
  • or (after your alias) just /model haiku

• If you’re setting it in the dashboard and it has a provider dropdown + model field, then pick provider anthropic and put only:

  • claude-haiku-4-5-20251001
    (no anthropic/ in the model field)

2) “Model is not allowed” means it’s not in your allowlist

If you have agents.defaults.models configured (allowlist), you must allow the exact model ref you’re selecting.

In terminal, allow it by adding an alias that points to the dated model:

openclaw models aliases add haiku anthropic/claude-haiku-4-5-20251001
openclaw models aliases list

Then switch in chat with:

• /model haiku (recommended)
• or /model anthropic/claude-haiku-4-5-20251001

If you paste the output of openclaw models aliases list (and optionally openclaw models list), I can tell you exactly what entry is missing.

Delete it by removing the alias name (not the full model path).

1. List aliases to confirm what’s there:

openclaw models aliases list

2. Remove the bad alias (yours is named haiku):

openclaw models aliases remove haiku

3. Re-add it with the correct model ref:

openclaw models aliases add haiku anthropic/claude-haiku-4-5-20251001
# (or use the rolling one)

# openclaw models aliases add haiku anthropic/claude-haiku-4-5

4. Verify:

openclaw models aliases list

No gateway restart should be needed. If the dashboard/model picker still shows the old entry, give it ~10–30s or refresh; worst case openclaw gateway restart.

[fast cairn]

Krill, how do I add brave web search capability to my open claw?

[brisk arrow]

To enable Brave web search (the web_search tool) you just need a Brave Search API key and to turn the tool on in config.

Option A (recommended): use the wizard

openclaw configure --section web

It will prompt for the Brave API key and write the right config.

Option B: set it manually in config

Edit ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json (JSON5) and add:

{
  tools: {
    web: {
      search: {

        enabled: true,
        apiKey: "BRAVE_API_KEY_HERE",
        maxResults: 5,
      },
      fetch: { enabled: true },
    },
  },
}

Option C: env var (good for daemons)

Put this in ~/.openclaw/.env so the Gateway service can see it:

BRAVE_API_KEY=...

If you use tool allowlists

Make sure web_search is allowed (or allow group:web if you’re using tool groups).

Do I need to restart?

Usually no (config hot-reloads). If it doesn’t take effect within ~30s, do:

openclaw gateway restart

Docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai/help/faq#how-do-i-enable-web-search-and-web-fetch

[fast cairn]

◆ Enable web_search (Brave Search)?
│ ○ Yes / ● No

[brisk arrow]

That prompt is from openclaw configure --section web.

• If you have (or want to use) a Brave Search API key → select Yes.
  • Use ↑/↓ arrow keys to switch from ● No to ● Yes, then Enter.
  • Next it should ask for your Brave API key (you can get one here): https://api.search.brave.com/app/keys
• If you don’t have a key yet → leave it on No for now. (web_fetch can still work without Brave; web_search specifically needs the key.)

Afterwards, you can sanity-check by asking your bot something like “search the web for …” and it should start using web_search.

Docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai/help/faq#how-do-i-enable-web-search-and-web-fetch

[fast cairn]

◆ Enable web_fetch (keyless HTTP fetch)?
│ ● Yes / ○ No

[brisk arrow]

Leave that on Yes (recommended) and press Enter.

web_fetch is the “download a webpage and extract text” tool — it doesn’t need an API key, and it’s useful even if you don’t enable Brave search yet.

[fast cairn]

do I need to restart the gateway after that?

[brisk arrow]

Usually no — the Gateway hot‑reloads config.

If web search/fetch still doesn’t work after ~30 seconds (or you don’t see it in /status), then do a restart:

openclaw gateway restart

Quick check:

• ask it: “search the web for …” (needs Brave key + web_search enabled)
• or: “fetch https://example.com and summarize it” (web_fetch only, no key needed)

[fast cairn]

How do I add my OpenAI plus subscription to openclaw and set an alias?

[brisk arrow]

Two different things get called “OpenAI subscription”, and they behave differently in OpenClaw:

A) ChatGPT / OpenAI Plus subscription

That does not include OpenAI API access.
So it won’t work with the normal openai/* provider unless you also create an API key (paid API billing).

B) OpenAI Code (Codex) subscription OAuth (works like “sign in with OpenAI”)

This is the path OpenClaw supports for subscription-style auth:

1) Login (OAuth) in terminal

openclaw models auth login --provider openai-codex --set-default

(You can also do it via openclaw onboard and choose Codex.)

2) See what models you can actually use

openclaw models list --provider openai-codex
# or:
openclaw models status

3) Set your default model (pick one from the list output)

openclaw models set openai-codex/<model-id-from-your-list>

4) Add an alias

openclaw models aliases add codex openai-codex/<model-id-from-your-list>
openclaw models aliases list

Then in chat you can switch with:

• /model codex

No restart is usually needed.

If you paste your openclaw models list --provider openai-codex output, I’ll tell you the exact <model-id> to use for the alias.

[fast cairn]

Error: No provider plugins found. Install one via openclaw plugins install.

[brisk arrow]

That error is coming from openclaw models auth login specifically — that command only works when you have at least one provider-auth plugin installed/enabled (it loads “providers” from plugins). Right now you have zero provider plugins available, so it bails.

For OpenAI Plus / subscription-style access, the reliable path is the onboarding wizard (Codex OAuth), not models auth login.

Do this instead (Codex subscription OAuth)

openclaw --version
openclaw onboard --auth-choice openai-codex

That will run the Codex OAuth flow (or reuse ~/.codex/auth.json if you already signed in via the Codex CLI).

After that, set an alias:

openclaw models list --provider openai-codex
openclaw models aliases add codex openai-codex/<model-id-from-the-list>

openclaw models aliases list

Quick sanity check on the plugin situation (optional)

openclaw plugins list

If you paste your openclaw --version + openclaw plugins list output, I can tell you whether you’re missing bundled plugins / on an older build / or just need to enable a specific plugin.

[fast cairn]

after I I connected openai it jumped to the following
│
◆ Select channel (QuickStart)
│ ○ Telegram (Bot API)
│ ● WhatsApp (QR link) (linked)
│ ○ Discord (Bot API)
│ ○ Google Chat (Chat API)
│ ○ Slack (Socket Mode)
│ ○ Signal (signal-cli)
│ ○ iMessage (imsg)
│ ○ Feishu (Lark Open Platform)
│ ○ Nostr (NIP-04 DMs)
│ ○ Microsoft Teams (Bot Framework)
│ ○ Mattermost (plugin)
│ ○ Nextcloud Talk (self-hosted)
│ ○ Matrix (plugin)
│ ○ BlueBubbles (macOS app)
│ ○ LINE (Messaging API)
│ ○ Zalo (Bot API)
│ ○ Zalo (Personal Account)
│ ○ Tlon (Urbit)
│ ○ Skip for now
└

[brisk arrow]

That’s normal — you’re still inside openclaw onboard. After the model/auth step (Codex OAuth), the wizard moves on to Channels (QuickStart).

What to pick:

• If you’re already using OpenClaw via Discord (this server): choose Discord (Bot API) only if you want to set up a Discord bot token and have OpenClaw reply in Discord directly.
• If you don’t want to change/add any channels right now: choose Skip for now.

Either way, you can always add/modify channels later with:

openclaw configure
# or rerun:
openclaw onboard

So the safe move right now: Skip for now (unless you explicitly want to set up a new channel).

[fast cairn]

if I hit ctrl+c to exit out of settup will it save my openai model or do I have to run through the entire settup for it to save it?

[brisk arrow]

Don’t Ctrl+C right after an auth step if you can avoid it — it might not have written the config/auth changes yet (depends on exactly which step you’re on).

Safest options:

Option 1 (recommended): finish the wizard quickly

Pick “Skip for now” for channels, then keep hitting Skip/Next until you get the final summary/“done” screen. That guarantees everything is saved cleanly.

Option 2: if you already Ctrl+C’d

Your OAuth token is often still saved, but verify:

openclaw models status
openclaw models list --provider openai-codex

If openai-codex shows up with a valid auth profile, you’re good. If not, rerun:

openclaw onboard --auth-choice openai-codex

[fast cairn]

• openai-codex usage: 5h 100% left ⏱4h 59m · Day 100% left ⏱6d 23h
  • openai-codex:default ok expires in 10d
    sorenlv@Sorens-iMac ~ % openclaw models aliases add codex openai-codex/<model-id-from-the-list>
    zsh: parse error near `\n'
    sorenlv@Sorens-iMac ~ %

[brisk arrow]

Nice — the openai-codex usage … + openai-codex:default ok lines mean your Codex OAuth is saved and working.

The error is just because you literally pasted the placeholder <> — zsh treats <model-id…> as shell redirection and throws a parse error.

Do this:

1. List the real Codex models you have:

openclaw models list --provider openai-codex

2. Copy the exact model id from that output and use it without < >, e.g.:

openclaw models aliases add codex openai-codex/gpt-5.2
# or whatever you see in the list

3. Verify:

openclaw models aliases list

If you paste the output of openclaw models list --provider openai-codex I’ll tell you which one to pick for a good default alias.

[fast cairn]

~ % openclaw models list --provider openai-codex
No models found.

[brisk arrow]

openclaw models list --provider openai-codex only shows models you’ve already configured/allowlisted, not the full provider catalog — so “No models found” just means you haven’t added any openai-codex/* model to your config yet.

Use one of these to see what’s available:

Show the full Codex catalog (terminal)

openclaw models list --all --provider openai-codex

Or from chat

Send:

• /models (to see providers)
• /models openai-codex (to list that provider’s models)

Once you see a real model name, add the alias (no < >):

openclaw models aliases add codex openai-codex/<the-real-model-id>

If --all still shows nothing, paste:

openclaw --version
openclaw models status

and I’ll tell you what’s off.

[fast cairn]

what would the alias name be if I type openclaw models aliases add codex openai-codex/<the-real-model-id>?

[brisk arrow]

The alias name is the first argument after add.

So in:

openclaw models aliases add codex openai-codex/<the-real-model-id>

• codex is the alias name.
• openai-codex/<the-real-model-id> is what it points to.

After you add it, you can switch to it in chat with:

• /model codex

You can name it anything you want, e.g. code, openai, gpt, etc. Just keep it short and unique.

[fast cairn]

how do I get a list of all my alias's models I've set up?

[brisk arrow]

In the terminal:

openclaw models aliases list

That prints your aliases like:

• alias -> provider/model

If you also want to see the full model allowlist (including ones without aliases), run:

openclaw models list

[fast cairn]

why do I see the following in my dashboard when I type /model codex? Model "openai-codex/openai-codex/gpt-5.2-codex" is not allowed. Use /models to list providers, or /models to list models.

[brisk arrow]

That error means you’re accidentally prefixing the provider twice again:

openai-codex/openai-codex/gpt-5.2-codex ❌
should be either:

• Full ref (single field): openai-codex/gpt-5.2-codex ✅
  or
• If the dashboard has a provider dropdown set to openai-codex: put only gpt-5.2-codex ✅ in the model box.

Then fix the “not allowed” part (allowlist):

1. Make sure the model exists in your catalog:

openclaw models list --all --provider openai-codex

2. Add it to your allowlist (and optionally set alias) with one command:

openclaw models aliases add codex openai-codex/gpt-5.2-codex

3. Verify:

openclaw models list --provider openai-codex
openclaw models aliases list

If you paste the output of openclaw models list --all --provider openai-codex, I’ll tell you the exact model string to use (sometimes accounts differ).

[fast cairn]

here is what I got how do I set up the alias's for these properly?

~ % openclaw models list --all --provider openai-codex

🦞 OpenClaw 2026.2.3

Model Input Ctx Local Auth Tags
openai-codex/gpt-5.1 text+image 266k no yes
openai-codex/gpt-5.1-codex-max text+image 266k no yes
openai-codex/gpt-5.1-codex-mini text+image 266k no yes
openai-codex/gpt-5.2 text+image 266k no yes
openai-codex/gpt-5.2-codex text+image 266k no yes

[brisk arrow]

You’ve got the list now — perfect. You can make aliases for any/all of those with:

openclaw models aliases add <alias-name> <provider/model>

Here’s a clean setup I’d do (copy/paste):

# “codex” = the coding-tuned one (most people want this)
openclaw models aliases add codex openai-codex/gpt-5.2-codex

# “gpt” = the general one
openclaw models aliases add gpt openai-codex/gpt-5.2

# Optional: if you want the 5.1 line too

openclaw models aliases add gpt51 openai-codex/gpt-5.1
openclaw models aliases add codex51max openai-codex/gpt-5.1-codex-max
openclaw models aliases add codex51mini openai-codex/gpt-5.1-codex-mini

Verify:

openclaw models aliases list

Then in chat you can switch with:

• /model codex
• /model gpt

Two gotchas (based on your earlier errors):

• Don’t type openai-codex/ twice.

• Don’t use < > in the command (shell treats them specially).

[fast cairn]

Error: Alias codex already points to openai-codex/openai-codex/gpt-5.2-codex.

how do I delete the incorrect one that is currently already there?

[brisk arrow]

Remove aliases by alias name.

1. List aliases (so you can confirm what’s set):

openclaw models aliases list

2. Remove the bad one:

openclaw models aliases remove codex

3. Re-add it correctly:

openclaw models aliases add codex openai-codex/gpt-5.2-codex

If aliases remove codex says “Alias not found”, it means the alias name isn’t exactly codex (or it’s set in a different agent profile). In that case paste the output of openclaw models aliases list and I’ll tell you the exact remove command.

[brisk arrow]

OpenClaw doesn’t have a generic “email/IMAP” integration with a built‑in read‑only toggle. For Gmail, the supported path is gogcli (Google Workspace CLI) + the Gmail Pub/Sub → OpenClaw hook flow, which is effectively read-only (it ingests/summarizes new mail; it doesn’t send mail).

Recommended (read-only): Gmail Pub/Sub → OpenClaw (new mail summaries)

On macOS, run the helper wizard:

openclaw webhooks gmail setup --account [e-mail]

What this does (per docs):

• installs/uses gog, gcloud, and (recommended) tailscale
• configures OpenClaw hooks (hooks.enabled, hooks.presets: ["gmail"])
• starts a Gmail “watch” and forwards new mail into OpenClaw as webhook events

Docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai/automation/gmail-pubsub

Deliver summaries into chat

In ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json, make sure hooks are enabled (the wizard typically sets this), and add a mapping that sets deliver: true if you want it pushed to your chat surface.

(Example is in the doc above.)

If you mean “let the bot query my inbox but never send”

That’s trickier: inbox querying is usually done by letting the agent run gog gmail search ... via the exec tool, and OpenClaw tool policy/exec approvals don’t (currently) restrict subcommands (so gog could also send).

Two practical “read-only-ish” options:

1. Keep it push-only (Pub/Sub) and don’t enable general exec for that agent.
2. Use exec approvals = ask always, and only approve read commands (manual guardrail).

If you tell me which behavior you want:

• (A) “summarize new emails automatically” (push)
  or
• (B) “I want to ask ‘search my inbox for X’ interactively” (query)
  …I’ll give you the cleanest config for that setup.

[brisk arrow]

That error is from openclaw webhooks gmail setup and it means: OpenClaw can’t figure out which Google Cloud Project to create the Pub/Sub topic/subscription in.

You can fix it in either of these ways:

Option 1 (simplest): pass the project id explicitly

1. Find your GCP project id (in Google Cloud Console, or via):

gcloud projects list

2. Run setup again with --project:

openclaw webhooks gmail setup --account [e-mail] --project <your-project-id>

Option 2: make sure gog is already fully authenticated (so setup can infer it)

Check if you already have gog credentials/accounts:

gog auth list

If that shows nothing, you need to do the one-time gog OAuth setup first (download an OAuth client_secret.json from Google Cloud, then):

gog auth credentials /path/to/client_secret.json
gog auth add [e-mail] --services gmail

Then rerun:

openclaw webhooks gmail setup --account [e-mail]

Important gotcha

Gmail Watch requires the Pub/Sub topic to live in the same GCP project as the OAuth client you used for gog. So don’t pick a random project—pick the one that owns the client_secret.

If you paste:

• gog auth list
• and the exact command you ran (openclaw webhooks gmail setup ...)
  …I can tell you which path you’re on and what to enter for --project.

[fast cairn]

Error: ERROR: (gcloud.pubsub.topics.create) The value of ``--project'' flag was set to Project number.To use this command, set it to PROJECT ID instead.

[brisk arrow]

That one’s straightforward: you passed a project number (looks like 123456789012) but gcloud pubsub … --project requires the project ID (looks like my-project-name-abc123).

Get the correct PROJECT ID

Run:

gcloud projects list

You’ll see columns like PROJECT_ID and PROJECT_NUMBER. Copy the PROJECT_ID.

Re-run setup with the PROJECT_ID

openclaw webhooks gmail setup --account [e-mail] --project <PROJECT_ID>

If you only have the number and want to map it → ID

gcloud projects list --filter="PROJECT_NUMBER=<your-number>" --format="value(PROJECT_ID)"

That’s just the shell interpreting the <...> and the extra text as redirection / a filename.

Don’t type the angle brackets, and don’t concatenate PROJECT_ID with the number.

Use exactly one real project ID string, like my-gmail-bot-4f3a2b:

openclaw webhooks gmail setup --account [e-mail] --project my-gmail-bot-4f3a2b

First, get the correct project ID:

gcloud projects list

Copy the value under PROJECT_ID (not PROJECT_NUMBER), then paste it into the command above.

If you paste your gcloud projects list output (you can redact names if you want), I’ll point at the exact value to use.

That error means OpenClaw tried to run:

tailscale status --json

…but the local Tailscale daemon isn’t running (or you’re not logged into Tailscale yet). The Gmail Pub/Sub setup uses Tailscale (Funnel) to create a public HTTPS endpoint for Google to push email events to.

Fix (macOS)

1. Start the Tailscale app (menu bar icon):

open -a Tailscale

2. Log in / connect (either via the UI, or terminal):

tailscale up

(If it prompts for admin permission, approve it.)

3. Verify it works:

tailscale status --json

4. Re-run your command:

openclaw webhooks gmail setup --account [e-mail] --project your-project-id

If you don’t want to use Tailscale

You can do an unsupported/manual tunnel instead, but then you must provide your own public HTTPS “push endpoint” (ngrok/cloudflared/etc). The supported path is Tailscale.

If tailscale status --json still fails after opening the app, tell me what tailscale status prints (non-json is fine).

That error just means Tailscale isn’t installed on your Mac yet (so open -a Tailscale can’t find the app, and tailscale status --json fails).

Install Tailscale (macOS)

Pick one:

Option A — Homebrew (fastest)

brew install --cask tailscale

Then launch it from Applications, or:

open -a Tailscale

Option B — Download the macOS app
Download/install from: https://tailscale.com/download/mac

Bring it up / log in

After installing:

tailscale up

Then verify:

tailscale status --json

Then re-run your Gmail setup

openclaw webhooks gmail setup --account [e-mail] --project your-project-id

Note (if you hit Funnel issues)

The Gmail Pub/Sub helper prefers a Tailscale “public HTTPS” setup (Funnel). On macOS, Funnel can require the open‑source Tailscale app variant (their docs mention this). If you get an error specifically about Funnel after installing Tailscale, paste that error and I’ll tell you the exact fix (or how to run without Funnel).

Yep — that’s the expected message if you installed via Homebrew cask (it needs sudo to install the app).

Once it finishes:

1. Launch + sign in:

open -a Tailscale

Then in the Tailscale window/menu bar, Log in and Connect.

2. Verify the daemon is running:

tailscale status --json

3. Bring it up from terminal (if it isn’t already):

tailscale up

4. Retry Gmail setup:

openclaw webhooks gmail setup --account [e-mail] --project <your-project-id>

If you get stuck at any step, paste the output of tailscale status (non-json is fine).

It’s asking for your Mac user account password (the one you use to log into the Mac / unlock settings), because brew install --cask tailscale needs admin rights to install an app into /Applications and set up system components.

Notes:

• It’s not your Apple ID password.
• When you type it in Terminal, it won’t show any characters (that’s normal). Type it and press Enter.

If you don’t have admin rights on that Mac (work machine / managed device), you’ll need an admin to install Tailscale or use a different tunneling approach.

Good news: Tailscale itself installed successfully (tailscale-app was successfully installed!). Next step is just to start it + log in.

1) Start Tailscale + connect

open -a Tailscale

Then in the Tailscale UI/menu bar: Log in → Connect.

Verify from terminal:

tailscale status --json
# if it says you're not up yet:
tailscale up

2) Retry the Gmail setup

openclaw webhooks gmail setup --account [e-mail] --project <your-project-id>

---

About the Homebrew “directories not writable” message

That’s a Homebrew permission issue, not a Tailscale install failure.

Also: the paths it printed (/usr/local/share/manX/manXX) look like placeholders, so don’t run that sudo chown -R ... line as-is.

If you want to fix Brew properly later, run:

brew doctor

and paste the output here — it’ll tell the exact real directories/commands. For now you can continue with Tailscale/OpenClaw.

Click Install Now and approve it.

On macOS, Tailscale needs a system/network extension to create the VPN interface. After you click it, macOS may send you to:

System Settings → Privacy & Security
Look for a banner like “System software from developer ‘Tailscale Inc.’ was blocked” and click Allow (you may need your Mac password again).

Then:

1. Quit/reopen Tailscale (if it asks).
2. Connect (Log in → Connect).
3. Verify in terminal:

tailscale status

Once tailscale status shows you’re connected, rerun:

openclaw webhooks gmail setup --account [e-mail] --project <your-project-id>

If you paste what tailscale status shows after allowing the extension, I can confirm you’re good.

Generally yes — Tailscale is considered safe by most people who use it (it’s WireGuard-based, widely deployed in companies, and the macOS “system extension” is the normal way VPN apps work now).

That said, the real safety question is: who controls the Tailnet you’re joining.

Safe if…

• It’s your own Tailnet (you created it), or a Tailnet run by someone you fully trust.
• You can see the device show up in the admin console and you recognize it.

What the permission actually enables

• It installs a macOS network/system extension so Tailscale can create a VPN interface.
• It does not automatically expose your Mac to the public internet.

Quick “don’t accidentally route everything” checks (recommended)

In the Tailscale app after connecting:

• Make sure “Use Exit Node” is OFF (unless you explicitly want all traffic routed through another machine).
• Be cautious with accepting subnet routes (only accept if you know why you need it).
• If you don’t need it, keep Tailscale SSH off.

If you’re uneasy

You can still run OpenClaw without Tailscale (local-only), but the Gmail Pub/Sub helper uses Tailscale Funnel/Serve as the supported way to receive Google’s inbound push events. Without it, you’d need a different public HTTPS tunnel (more DIY).

If you tell me whether you’re joining your own Tailnet vs someone else’s, I can give a more specific “yes/no + what to check” recommendation.

If you just installed Tailscale and you’re about to click Log in, it will take you to a browser and you’ll sign in with an identity (Google/GitHub/Microsoft/email). The Tailnet you end up in is tied to that account/org.

Here are the easy ways to tell:

1) Check in the Tailscale web admin

After you log in, open:
https://login.tailscale.com/admin

At the top/left you’ll see the tailnet name / account. If it’s:

• your personal email / something you recognize as “you” → it’s your tailnet
• a company/org name you don’t control → it’s someone else’s

2) Check in the macOS Tailscale app

Open the Tailscale menu bar app → it usually shows the account you’re logged in as (often your email/domain). If it’s a work domain/org, that’s a work tailnet.

3) CLI check (after you’re connected)

Run:

tailscale status

It will show your device plus other devices on the tailnet. If you see a bunch of machines you don’t recognize (company servers, coworkers’ laptops), you’re probably on an org tailnet.

Quick rule of thumb

• If you signed in with your personal email and never got invited to a company tailnet, you’re almost certainly on your own.
• If you signed in with a work Google Workspace / Microsoft account, you might be joining a company tailnet by default.

If you paste (redacting names is fine):

• the first line or two of tailscale status, or
• what you see at login.tailscale.com/admin (tailnet name),
  I can help you interpret it.

If it’s your own tailnet, the defaults are already pretty safe (Tailscale is “deny by default” in practice unless you add sharing/ACLs). But there are a few settings worth checking so you don’t accidentally open access.

1) Don’t share your device

In the admin console (https://login.tailscale.com/admin):

• Sharing: make sure you didn’t share the device with anyone.
• Don’t generate “share invite links” unless you mean to.

2) Keep ACLs restrictive (recommended)

If you’ve never touched ACLs, you’re usually fine. If you want to be explicit:

• only allow your own user to access your devices
• don’t allow broad *:* rules

(Admin Console → Access Controls)

3) Make sure you’re not acting as an exit node (OFF)

In the Tailscale app / admin:

• Exit Node: don’t enable “Advertise Exit Node” unless you know why.

• This doesn’t let people “access your Mac”, but it can route traffic through it.

4) Be cautious with subnet routes (usually OFF)

Only enable/accept subnet routes if you intentionally want access to your LAN from the tailnet.

5) Turn off Tailscale SSH unless you want it

Admin Console → SSH:

• keep it disabled unless you specifically want SSH-over-Tailscale.

6) Turn on 2FA on the identity you use to log in

This is the big one:

• If you log in with Google/GitHub/Microsoft, enable 2FA there.
• That’s the main way someone else would “get into” your tailnet.

Quick check: who can reach you?

After you’re connected, run:

tailscale status

If you only see your own devices, you’re in good shape.

If you tell me whether this is a personal tailnet or a work/org tailnet, I can give the right “must-do” list (org tailnets can have admins/ACLs you don’t control).

Tailscale is a private networking / VPN tool that makes your devices behave like they’re on the same secure LAN, even when they’re on different Wi‑Fi networks or across the internet.

Under the hood it uses WireGuard (modern, fast VPN crypto), but it hides most of the painful VPN setup.

What it’s for (common uses)

• Access your own machines remotely without opening ports on your router
  (SSH into a server, reach a NAS, remote desktop, etc.)
• Connect a laptop + phone + home server as if they’re on one network
• Securely expose a local web service to just your devices (Tailnet-only)
• Share access with a small team (with ACLs so not everyone can reach everything)
• Make public HTTPS tunnels via Funnel (optional), kind of like ngrok

How it relates to OpenClaw

OpenClaw uses Tailscale for “nice” remote access patterns:

• Serve: gives you an HTTPS URL on your tailnet for the Gateway dashboard (private)
• Funnel: gives you a public HTTPS URL (used for things like Gmail Pub/Sub push events), without you setting up your own server/tunnel

Docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai/gateway/tailscale

Mental model

• Your tailnet = your private “mesh network”
• Only devices/users you authorize join it
• No random internet user can see it unless you explicitly use Funnel or share access

Next is basically: (1) confirm Tailscale is actually up, (2) make sure gog + gcloud are authenticated, then (3) rerun the Gmail Pub/Sub setup.

Here’s the shortest “do this in order” checklist on your Mac:

0) Confirm Tailscale is connected

tailscale status

If it says you’re not connected yet:

tailscale up

1) Confirm gog is installed + your Gmail account is added

gog auth list

• If you don’t see your Gmail account there yet, you need to do the one-time gog OAuth setup (client_secret.json) and add the account:

  gog auth credentials /path/to/client_secret.json
  gog auth add [e-mail] --services gmail
  

2) Confirm gcloud is installed + logged in + using the right PROJECT_ID

gcloud --version
gcloud auth login
gcloud projects list

Pick the PROJECT_ID (string like my-project-abc123, not the numeric project number), then:

gcloud config set project <PROJECT_ID>

Important: the Gmail watch requires the Pub/Sub topic to live in the same GCP project as the OAuth client you used for gog.

3) Run the OpenClaw Gmail setup (again)

openclaw webhooks gmail setup --account [e-mail] --project <PROJECT_ID>

Docs (this is the flow you’re doing):
https://docs.openclaw.ai/automation/gmail-pubsub

If it errors again

Paste the output of:

tailscale status
gog auth list
gcloud config get-value project

(and the exact openclaw webhooks gmail setup ... command you ran). That’ll make it obvious which step is missing.

Yep — that warning is normal-ish and usually not a problem.

It means the CLI client (tailscale on your Mac) and the background daemon (tailscaled) are on slightly different builds/versions. The “server” string often has extra suffixes because it’s the daemon build metadata.

What to do

1. First see if you’re actually connected anyway:

tailscale status

If you see your device + an IP (usually 100.x.y.z) you’re fine and can continue the Gmail setup.

2. If Tailscale isn’t working (can’t connect / status errors), the usual fix is just:

• Quit Tailscale from the menu bar
• Reopen it
• Or reboot the Mac (yes, boring, but it fixes daemon mismatches a lot)

3. If you want to make the warning go away:
   Update Tailscale so both pieces match:

brew upgrade --cask tailscale

But honestly: if tailscale status works, proceed.

That error means the Tailscale daemon (tailscaled) isn’t running, so the tailscale CLI has nothing to talk to. On macOS, tailscale up usually can’t start the service by itself — launching the app (and approving the extension) is what starts it.

Do this:

1. Launch the Tailscale app

open -a Tailscale

Make sure you see the menu bar icon, then log in and click Connect in the app.

2. Approve the system extension (if prompted)
   System Settings → Privacy & Security → look for a Tailscale “System software blocked” / “Network extension” prompt → Allow.
   Then quit/reopen Tailscale.

3. Check again

tailscale status

If tailscale status works, then tailscale up will work too.

If it still says “failed to connect…”, the quickest fix is a reboot (this is very common right after installing network extensions on macOS).

If you paste the output of:

tailscale status

I can tell you exactly where it’s stuck (not installed vs extension blocked vs not logged in).

[fast cairn]

gog auth list returns "No tokens stored"

[fast cairn]

gog auth list returns "No tokens stored"

Krill you awake?

[brisk arrow]

Yep — still here.

For the Tailscale error (“failed to connect to local Tailscale service”), the next thing I need from you is:

1. Did you open the Tailscale app and do you see the menu bar icon?
2. What does this print?

tailscale status

If tailscale status also fails, the usual fix path is:

• System Settings → Privacy & Security → Allow the Tailscale system/network extension
• quit/reopen Tailscale
• reboot once if it still won’t start

Paste the exact tailscale status output and I’ll tell you the next move.

[fast cairn]

Tailscale is up and running "gog auth list" returns "No tokens stored"

[brisk arrow]

Cool — Tailscale is sorted. Now you’re blocked on gog: “No tokens stored” means you haven’t done the one-time Google OAuth for gog yet.

What you need to do next (one-time)

1) Create/download a Google OAuth client JSON (Desktop app)

In Google Cloud Console:

• APIs & Services → Credentials
• Create Credentials → OAuth client ID
• Application type: Desktop app
• Download the JSON (often named client_secret_....json)

(Use the same GCP project you’ll use for Pub/Sub later.)

2) Point gog at that credentials file

gog auth credentials /path/to/client_secret.json

3) Add your Gmail account + grant Gmail scope

gog auth add [e-mail] --services gmail

4) Verify tokens exist

gog auth list

Then go back to OpenClaw Gmail setup

openclaw webhooks gmail setup --account [e-mail] --project <PROJECT_ID>

If you tell me what file you downloaded (name + where it is, e.g. ~/Downloads/client_secret_....json) I can give you the exact command with the right path.

Got it. Clean restart from “Tailscale is working now”:

Step 0 — Confirm Tailscale really works

tailscale status --json

If that prints JSON, you’re good.

---

Step 1 — Set up gog (this is the piece you’re missing)

Right now you said gog auth list → No tokens stored, so we must do this first.

1A) Create/download Google OAuth client for gog

In Google Cloud Console (same project you’ll use for Pub/Sub):

• APIs & Services → Credentials
• Create Credentials → OAuth client ID

• Type: Desktop app
• Download the JSON (client secret)

1B) Tell gog where that JSON is

Example if it’s in Downloads:

gog auth credentials ~/Downloads/client_secret_*.json

1C) Add your Gmail account

gog auth add [e-mail] --services gmail

Verify:

gog auth list

You should now see your account listed.

---

Step 2 — Pick the correct GCP PROJECT_ID (not the number)

gcloud auth login
gcloud projects list

Copy the PROJECT_ID column (string like my-project-abc123), then:

gcloud config set project <PROJECT_ID>

---

Step 3 — Run OpenClaw Gmail setup

Now rerun with real values:

openclaw webhooks gmail setup --account [e-mail] --project <PROJECT_ID>

---

Fastest way for us to continue

Paste the output of:

tailscale status --json
gcloud projects list

ls -1 ~/Downloads | head

(You can redact project names/emails if you want.) Then I’ll tell you exactly what to put for <PROJECT_ID> and the exact gog auth credentials ... path.

That’s expected, but those scopes are not read-only.

gog auth add ... --services gmail asks Google for Gmail API permissions, and the Gmail API bundles scopes that include things like read + send + settings (filters/labels). That’s why it’s showing “manage sensitive mail settings” and “read/compose/send”.

What you should do (based on your “read-only” goal)

If you only want read-only email access: click Cancel for now.

OpenClaw’s supported Gmail integration for “safe-ish / read-only” is the Pub/Sub watch → summarize flow (new mail notifications), not giving an agent broad Gmail API scopes that can send mail.

Two paths you can choose

Path A (recommended, read-only-ish): “notify + summarize new emails”

This uses the Gmail Pub/Sub hook. It still needs Google Cloud + Gmail watch setup, but you don’t hand the agent an easy “send email” tool. It’s closer to read-only.

Docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai/automation/gmail-pubsub

Path B (full Gmail access via gog)

If you click Continue, you’re granting permissions that can read and send and touch some settings. You can mitigate with approvals (only approve read commands), but it’s not a hard read-only guarantee.

Quick question so I don’t steer you wrong

Do you want:

1. Read-only notifications/summaries (“tell me what’s new, no sending”), or
2. Interactive inbox search + drafting (and you accept that it could send if approved)?

Reply “1” or “2” and I’ll give you the exact next steps.

[fast cairn]

1

what if I don't check any of those permissions an press continue?

[brisk arrow]

Cool — then you want the Gmail Pub/Sub “new mail → summary” setup (notify/summarize), not interactive “search inbox / draft / send”.

One important reality check though: the Pub/Sub flow still needs Google OAuth (via gog) to create/renew the Gmail watch, and Google may show broad-sounding scopes. If you want true “cannot send from my real inbox”, the safest pattern is to use a separate Gmail account for OpenClaw and forward/copy mail into it.

Recommended “read-only-ish” safest setup

A) (Best) Use a dedicated Gmail account

1. Create [e-mail] (or similar).
2. In your real Gmail, set up forwarding (or a filter) to forward/copy the emails you want summarized to that bot mailbox.
3. Set up OpenClaw on the bot mailbox, not your primary email.

This way, even if OAuth scopes include “send”, the worst-case is “send from the bot mailbox”, not your real one.

Next steps (now)

1) Finish gog auth (required)

You do need gog tokens for whichever Gmail account you’re using (ideally the bot account).

• If the consent screen is up right now, you can continue only if you’re OK with it.

• After you finish, this should no longer say “No tokens stored”:

gog auth list

2) Run the OpenClaw Gmail Pub/Sub setup

Use your GCP project ID (string, not the number):

openclaw webhooks gmail setup --account [e-mail] --project your-project-id

If you want to reduce what gets sent into OpenClaw, you can avoid including bodies (recommended for privacy). The helper supports flags like --include-body / --max-bytes (see the CLI help if needed):

openclaw webhooks gmail setup --account [e-mail] --project your-project-id --include-body false

3) Verify it’s running

After setup, the Gateway should run the watcher and post summaries when new mail arrives.

---

If you paste:

gog auth list
gcloud config get-value project

I’ll tell you exactly whether you’re past the auth step and ready to rerun openclaw webhooks gmail setup.

You can’t “uncheck” those in that flow.

On Google’s OAuth consent screen, that list is just a summary of scopes the app is requesting. If you click Continue, you’re granting all of them to gog (and anything using that token). If you don’t grant them, the login/auth won’t complete (so gog auth list will stay “No tokens stored”).

If you’re not comfortable granting “read/compose/send/settings” on your main inbox, the safer pattern for your “1) summaries only” goal is:

• use a separate Gmail account for OpenClaw, and forward/copy the emails you want summarized into it, or
• proceed anyway, but understand it’s not truly read-only at the OAuth level (you can still keep OpenClaw from using send by not enabling workflows/tools that send, but the token itself is capable).

You can also revoke later anytime here:
https://myaccount.google.com/permissions

That’s not an OpenClaw bug — it’s Tailscale telling you Funnel is disabled for your tailnet, so OpenClaw can’t create the public HTTPS endpoint that Gmail Pub/Sub needs.

What happened

openclaw webhooks gmail setup tries to run something like:

tailscale funnel --bg --set-path /gmail-pubsub --yes 8788

and Tailscale replies:

Funnel is not enabled on your tailnet.

Fix option A (supported / easiest): enable Funnel

1. Open the exact URL Tailscale printed (log in with the same account you used in the Tailscale app):

https://login.tailscale.com/f/funnel?node=...

2. In the Tailscale admin UI, enable Funnel for that node / tailnet (you may also need to enable HTTPS if it asks).

3. Then retry:

openclaw webhooks gmail setup --account [e-mail] --project <PROJECT_ID>

If this is a work/org tailnet and you’re not an admin, you may not be allowed to enable Funnel — you’d need the tailnet admin to do it.

Fix option B (no Funnel): use your own public tunnel (DIY/unsupported)

If you can’t/won’t enable Funnel, you need some other public HTTPS URL (ngrok / cloudflared / a VPS), then tell OpenClaw to not use Tailscale for the push endpoint. The docs mention this explicitly:

• https://docs.openclaw.ai/automation/gmail-pubsub (look for --push-endpoint / --tailscale off)

About the “client version != tailscaled server version” warning

That mismatch warning is usually harmless; the blocking issue here is Funnel being disabled.

If you tell me whether you control the Tailscale admin for the tailnet (yes/no), I’ll tell you which option is realistic.

Enabling HTTPS is safe (it just means Tailscale will serve things over TLS instead of plain HTTP).

Enabling Funnel is the one to think about: Funnel makes a service on your machine reachable from the public internet (still via a hard-to-guess URL, but it’s public). So it can be safe if you keep the exposed service locked down.

For your OpenClaw Gmail setup, it can be safe if you do these:

1. Only expose the Gmail push handler, not your whole OpenClaw dashboard.
   • The helper uses a path like /gmail-pubsub and a token.
2. Make sure your OpenClaw hooks are protected:
   • hooks.token should be set (the wizard does this).
3. Don’t expose your main Gateway UI/WS via Funnel unless you really mean to.
   • Keep gateway.bind on loopback.
   • Avoid funneling port 18789 (gateway) publicly.

Why OpenClaw wants Funnel here

Gmail Pub/Sub push needs Google to hit a public HTTPS endpoint. Funnel is just the supported “easy button” way to do that without running a VPS or ngrok.

If you want maximum safety

• Use a dedicated Gmail account for the bot (you already chose summaries-only).
• Keep the hook endpoint tokenized.
• After setup, you can confirm what’s being exposed with:

  tailscale serve status
  tailscale funnel status
  

If you paste your openclaw webhooks gmail setup ... command (with account redacted) and your hooks config section, I can sanity-check that you’re only exposing the narrow /gmail-pubsub handler and not the whole gateway.

Here’s what’s going on, step by step, in plain English.

What “HTTPS” means (safe)

HTTPS = encryption. It means data sent to your Mac is encrypted in transit (so other people on the internet/Wi‑Fi can’t read it). Enabling HTTPS is normal and good.

What “Funnel” means (the one to think about)

Funnel = public internet access. It creates a public https://... URL that forwards traffic from the internet to a port on your Mac.

For Gmail Pub/Sub, you need a public HTTPS URL because Google has to call your machine.

So the goal is:

• Funnel exposes ONLY the Gmail push handler (port 8788, path /gmail-pubsub)
• Your OpenClaw dashboard (port 18789) stays private (localhost only)

---

Step-by-step: make this safe + get Gmail working

Step 1) Open the Funnel enable page

Open the exact URL Tailscale printed:
https://login.tailscale.com/f/funnel?node=...

Log in with the same account you used in the Tailscale app.

Step 2) Enable Funnel + HTTPS (only for this node)

On that page, enable Funnel for your Mac/node.
If it asks to enable HTTPS, do it.

Step 3) Re-run the OpenClaw Gmail setup

Run (with your real project ID, not the number):

openclaw webhooks gmail setup --account [e-mail] --project your-project-id

Step 4) Verify what you exposed (important safety check)

Run:

tailscale funnel status

You want to see something that indicates it’s exposing 8788 and /gmail-pubsub.

You do not want to see your OpenClaw gateway port (18789) being funneled.

Step 5) Confirm OpenClaw dashboard is still local-only

OpenClaw dashboard should still be at:

• http://127.0.0.1:18789/ (on your Mac)

If you tell me what tailscale funnel status shows after enabling Funnel, I’ll sanity-check that you’re only exposing the Gmail handler and not your whole gateway.

[fast cairn]

~ % tailscale funnel status
No serve config

[brisk arrow]

“No serve config” is actually a good sign: it just means you are not currently exposing anything via Tailscale Serve/Funnel yet.

For the Gmail Pub/Sub setup, OpenClaw will create that config for you (it sets up Funnel to expose the Gmail push handler). Here’s what to do next:

1) Confirm Funnel is enabled for your tailnet/node

Open the link Tailscale printed earlier (the /f/funnel?node=... URL) and make sure Funnel is enabled.

If it’s not enabled, openclaw webhooks gmail setup will fail again with “Funnel is not enabled on your tailnet”.

2) Make sure you’re connected

tailscale status

3) Make sure gog is authenticated (you previously had “No tokens stored”)

gog auth list

If it still says no tokens, you need to complete the gog OAuth login first (otherwise the Gmail watch can’t be created).

4) Re-run the OpenClaw setup (this should create the Funnel config)

openclaw webhooks gmail setup --account [e-mail] --project <YOUR_PROJECT_ID>

5) Verify it’s now exposed

After the setup succeeds:

tailscale funnel status

Now you should see a mapping (port/path), not “No serve config”.

If step (4) still errors, paste the exact error output from openclaw webhooks gmail setup ... and also the output of gog auth list.

[fast cairn]

gog auth list = No tokens stored
How do I enter my google token?

[brisk arrow]

You don’t paste a “Google token” manually for gog. gog gets its own token by running a normal Google OAuth login in your browser — but first it needs an OAuth client secret JSON file.

Do this step-by-step:

1) Download a Google OAuth client_secret.json

In Google Cloud Console (pick the same project you’re using for Pub/Sub):

1. Go to APIs & Services → Credentials
2. Click Create Credentials → OAuth client ID
3. If it asks, configure consent screen (External is fine for personal use)
4. Application type: Desktop app
5. Create → then Download JSON

You’ll get a file like client_secret_XXXX.json (usually in ~/Downloads).

2) Point gog at that JSON file

In Terminal:

gog auth credentials ~/Downloads/client_secret_*.json

(If the filename is different, drag the JSON file into Terminal to paste the exact path.)

3) Run the OAuth login (this is where tokens get created)

gog auth add [e-mail] --services gmail

This opens a browser window. After you click Continue/Allow, gog stores tokens locally.

4) Confirm it worked

gog auth list

Once this shows your account, you can go back to:

openclaw webhooks gmail setup --account [e-mail] --project your-project-id

If you don’t have the JSON file yet

Check:

ls ~/Downloads | rg -i "client_secret|credentials|oauth"

If you paste the output of that ls (or tell me the exact filename you downloaded), I’ll give you the exact gog auth credentials ... command to run.

That error usually happens for one of these reasons:

1. you typed a truncated path with ... (ellipsis isn’t real), or
2. the file simply isn’t in Downloads (or has a different name, like client_secret_123.json (1)).

Do this:

1) Find the real filename in Downloads

Run:

ls -1 ~/Downloads | grep -i secret
ls -1 ~/Downloads | grep -i oauth
ls -1 ~/Downloads | grep -i json

Or more direct:

find ~/Downloads -maxdepth 1 -iname "*client*secret*.json" -print

2) Use the exact path (no ...)

Once you see the exact filename, run gog with it, e.g.:

gog auth credentials "/Users/sorenlv/Downloads/client_secret_XXXX.json"

Tip: you can type:

gog auth credentials ~/Downloads/

then press Tab to autocomplete, or just drag the JSON file from Finder into the Terminal window to paste the full path.

3) If you don’t find any client_secret JSON at all

Then you still need to download it from Google Cloud Console:
APIs & Services → Credentials → create OAuth client ID (Desktop app) → Download JSON.

After that:

gog auth credentials ~/Downloads/client_secret*.json
gog auth add [e-mail] --services gmail
gog auth list

Paste the output of:

ls -1 ~/Downloads | head -50

and I’ll point out exactly which file to use.

[fast cairn]

Error: No auth for gmail

[brisk arrow]

Nice — that means gog auth credentials ... worked (it registered the client secret; “client default” is expected).

Next steps:

1) Actually sign in (this creates the tokens)

gog auth add [e-mail] --services gmail

This will open a browser login/consent flow. Complete it.

2) Confirm tokens are stored

gog auth list

You should now see your account (not “No tokens stored”).

3) Run the OpenClaw Gmail Pub/Sub setup

Make sure you use your PROJECT_ID (string, not the number):

openclaw webhooks gmail setup --account [e-mail] --project <PROJECT_ID>

If you don’t know your PROJECT_ID:

gcloud projects list

After openclaw webhooks gmail setup succeeds, run:

tailscale funnel status

and it should no longer say “No serve config” (because the setup will configure Funnel for /gmail-pubsub).

[brisk arrow]

That error means gog still doesn’t have Gmail OAuth tokens for your account. (gog auth credentials … only registers the OAuth client; it does not log you in.)

Do this:

1) Log gog into Gmail (this is the missing step)

gog auth add [e-mail] --services gmail

A browser window will open. You must finish the Google login/consent flow so tokens get stored.

2) Verify tokens exist

gog auth list

You should now see your account listed (not “No tokens stored”).

3) Quick test (optional but useful)

gog gmail search "newer_than:1d" --max 3 --account [e-mail]

4) Re-run the OpenClaw Gmail setup

openclaw webhooks gmail setup --account [e-mail] --project <PROJECT_ID>

If step (1) opens the consent screen again and you hit “Cancel”, you’ll keep getting “No auth for gmail” (because no token gets saved).

[fast cairn]

when I type in gog auth list I get a pop up saying "gog wants to use your confidential information stored in "" in your keychain. The authenticity of "gog" cannot be verified. To allow this, enter the "login" keychain password." - Always Allow - Deny - Allow

[brisk arrow]

That’s a normal macOS Keychain prompt.

What it means:

• gog stores its OAuth tokens in your Login keychain.
• macOS is asking if the gog app/CLI is allowed to read them.

Which button to pick

• If this is your machine and you trust gog (installed via the official brew formula), choose Always Allow.
  Otherwise you’ll keep getting prompted, and background stuff (like the Gmail watcher) can break.
• If you’re unsure, choose Allow (one-time) and see if it works.

“login keychain password” = what?

It’s the password you use to log into your Mac user account (same one you used for sudo earlier), not your Apple ID.

After you allow it, rerun:

gog auth list

[kind skiff]

when I type "openclaw models list --all --provider openai-codex"

I get the following list:

🦞 OpenClaw 2026.2.3-1

Model Input Ctx Local Auth Tags
openai-codex/gpt-5.1 text+image 266k no yes
openai-codex/gpt-5.1-codex-max text+image 266k no yes
openai-codex/gpt-5.1-codex-mini text+image 266k no yes
openai-codex/gpt-5.2 text+image 266k no yes configured,alias:gpt
openai-codex/gpt-5.2-codex text+image 266k no yes configured,alias:codex

How do I know which one of those models are OpenAi's GPT-5.1 Instant?

[brisk arrow]

“GPT‑5.1 Instant” is a marketing/UI label, not necessarily the exact model id OpenClaw shows.

In your Codex provider list, the closest mapping is usually:

• openai-codex/gpt-5.1 → the general GPT‑5.1 model (this is the one most likely to correspond to “Instant”)
• openai-codex/gpt-5.1-codex-mini → a smaller/faster coding‑tuned variant (could also feel “instant”, but it’s a different thing: codex mini, not “instant”)
• openai-codex/gpt-5.1-codex-max → larger/heavier coding variant (least “instant”)

How to be sure on your account: compare behavior/latency.

Quick way:

1. temporarily switch in chat:

• /model openai-codex/gpt-5.1
• /model openai-codex/gpt-5.1-codex-mini

2. ask the same short prompt (like “summarize this in 1 sentence: …”) and see which responds faster / matches what OpenAI calls “Instant” in their UI.

If you want, paste a screenshot/text of where OpenAI shows “GPT‑5.1 Instant” (which product/app), because the naming differs between ChatGPT UI vs Codex vs API.

[fast cairn]

Krill, with TailScale am I able to connect to the openclaw dashboard on my other device if I am on a different wifi network?

[brisk arrow]

Yes — that’s one of the main reasons to use Tailscale.

If both devices are logged into the same Tailnet, you can reach your OpenClaw dashboard from anywhere (different Wi‑Fi, cellular, etc.) without opening router ports.

You have two common ways to do it:

Option A (recommended): Tailscale Serve (HTTPS, tailnet‑only)

This keeps OpenClaw bound to localhost and Tailscale exposes it privately.

1. Make sure OpenClaw is running on your Mac.
2. Enable Serve from the Mac (or via OpenClaw if you already configured it):

openclaw gateway --tailscale serve

3. On your other device (also on Tailscale), open:

• https://<your-mac-magicdns-name>/

This is tailnet-only (not public internet).

Option B: Connect directly to the Mac’s Tailscale IP (HTTP)

Find the Mac’s Tailscale IP:

tailscale status

Look for something like 100.x.y.z, then from the other device open:

• http://100.x.y.z:18789/

Auth note

Depending on your gateway.auth settings, you may need the gateway token (or if Serve + gateway.auth.allowTailscale is enabled, identity headers can satisfy auth automatically).

If you tell me what gateway.bind is set to (or paste openclaw status), I can tell you which URL will work in your setup.

[fast cairn]

well I have tailscale installed on this imac give me the steps to install it on my other mac that will connect to this one

[brisk arrow]

Install Tailscale on the other Mac, log into the same Tailnet, then use Serve (or the Tailscale IP) to open the OpenClaw dashboard.

1) Install Tailscale on the other Mac

Homebrew (easy):

brew install --cask tailscale

or download the app:
https://tailscale.com/download/mac

2) Open Tailscale + log in

open -a Tailscale

In the app:

• Log in
• Connect

macOS may ask to allow a network/system extension → Allow / Install Now.

3) Verify both Macs are on the same tailnet

On the other Mac:

tailscale status

You should see both devices listed.

4) Expose the OpenClaw dashboard from the iMac (best: Serve)

On the iMac (where OpenClaw runs):

openclaw gateway --tailscale serve

5) Open the dashboard from the other Mac

On the other Mac, open in a browser:

• https://<iMac-MagicDNS-name>/

You can find the MagicDNS name in tailscale status (it’ll look like imac-name.tailnet-xxxx.ts.net).

If Serve isn’t set up

You can also use the iMac’s Tailscale IP (from tailscale status), and open:

• http://100.x.y.z:18789/

If you paste the output of tailscale status from the iMac (just the device lines), I’ll tell you the exact URL to open on the other Mac.

[lament belfry]

que es esto @brisk arrow Health check failed: gateway closed (1006 abnormal closure (no close frame)): no close reason

[brisk arrow]

Eso es un mensaje de diagnóstico de OpenClaw: el health check intentó hablar con el Gateway (por WebSocket) y la conexión se cerró de forma inesperada.

• 1006 abnormal closure = el socket se cortó sin “close frame” (típico cuando el proceso del gateway se reinicia/crashea, la máquina se duerme, o hay un corte de red).

Para ver por qué pasó, lo que más ayuda es:

1. Estado general

openclaw status

2. Estado del servicio del gateway

openclaw gateway status

3. Logs en vivo (aquí suele salir la causa real)

openclaw logs --follow

4. Si está caído o colgado, prueba:

openclaw gateway restart

Si puedes, pega aquí la salida de:

openclaw --version
openclaw status --all

(status --all suele ser “safe to share” y trae un log tail útil).

[kind skiff]

Hey Krill, what is this second brain mission control that I see people post about on social media. If creates a hiearchy of multiple agents that collaborate and work with each other and gives the user a window to look into what the agents are talking and colaborating about. They have a round table and a water color and there is an animation that shows what they are doing.