#OpenClaw Browser Tool Configuration Failure. The OpenClaw browser tool is currently non-functional

1 messages · Page 1 of 1 (latest)

sweet pivot
#

cannot be started or reconfigured by the agent. Attempts to change its profile consistently fail with an "invalid config" error.
Details:
•Current Browser Status: • browser(action="status") output:
JSON
{
"enabled": true,
"profile": "chrome",
"running": false,
"cdpReady": false,
"cdpHttp": true,
"pid": null,
"cdpPort": 18792,
"cdpUrl": "http://127.0.0.1:18792",
"chosenBrowser": null,
"detectedBrowser": "brave",
"detectedExecutablePath": "/usr/bin/brave-browser",
"detectError": null,
"userDataDir": null,
"color": "#00AA00",
"headless": false,
"noSandbox": false,
"executablePath": null,
"attachOnly": false
}
•Interpretation: The browser control service is not running. It's configured to use profile: "chrome", which requires the "OpenClaw Browser Relay" Chrome extension. The user reports they cannot find this extension in Chrome or the Web Store.
•Attempt to Start: browser(action="start") fails with Error: Chrome extension relay is running, but no tab is connected.... This creates a deadlock.
•Attempts to Change Profile (consistently failed): • The goal was to change the profile from "chrome" to "openclaw" (to use an isolated browser instance, bypassing the extension dependency).
•The agent attempted to use default_api.gateway(action="config.patch") multiple times, targeting the agents.defaults.tools.browser.profile path based on the openclaw.json structure.
•Failing config.patch Command Example:
Python
print(default_api.gateway(action = "config.patch", raw = '''
{
"agents": {
"defaults": {
"tools": {
"browser": {
"profile": "openclaw"
}
}
}
}
}
''', reason = "Setting default browser profile to 'openclaw' for all agents"))
• Consistent Error: All config.patch attempts for this setting resulted in gateway_response: {"status": "error", "tool": "gateway", "error": "invalid config"}.
• Conclusion: There appears to be an undocumented constraint or a bug in how config.patch handles updates to the agents.defaults.tools.browser.profile setting within the openclaw.json schema

trim cedarBOT
#

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compact jasperBOT
# sweet pivot cannot be started or reconfigured by the agent. Attempts to change its profile c...

That behavior is expected for the chrome browser profile, and the config path you tried to patch is (most likely) just the wrong schema path.

1) Why browser(action="start") fails with “no tab is connected”

Your status shows profile: "chrome". That profile is the extension relay (“take over an existing tab”), so there’s nothing for OpenClaw to “start” unless a tab is attached.

Fix is either:

  • Attach a tab via the extension (see next section), or
  • Use the managed browser profile (openclaw) instead.

Docs (this exact error is covered):
https://docs.openclaw.ai/tools/browser-linux-troubleshooting#problem-chrome-extension-relay-is-running-but-no-tab-is-connected

2) The extension is NOT in the Chrome Web Store

You install it as an unpacked extension:

# 
openclaw browser extension install
openclaw browser extension path

Then in Chrome or Brave:

  • go to chrome://extensions (Brave: brave://extensions)
  • enable Developer mode
  • Load unpacked → select the folder printed by openclaw browser extension path
  • pin it, then click the toolbar button on the tab you want to control (badge ON)

Docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai/tools/chrome-extension
FAQ entry: https://docs.openclaw.ai/help/faq#how-do-i-install-the-chrome-extension-for-browser-takeover

3) Changing default from chrome → openclaw: correct config key

This is the key point: the default profile is not agents.defaults.tools.browser.profile.

#

It’s:

  • browser.defaultProfile

So either set it via CLI:

openclaw config set browser.defaultProfile "openclaw"
openclaw gateway restart

Or (if you’re using gateway config.patch) patch this shape:

{
  "browser": {