#error connecting

1 messages · Page 1 of 1 (latest)

hybrid umbra
#

Gateway connection details:
Gateway target: ws://127.0.0.1:18789
Source: local loopback
Config: /home/yucky/.openclaw/openclaw.json
Bind: loopback

âś“ Config: /home/yucky/.openclaw/openclaw.json
âś“ Restart sentinel: none
âś“ Port 18789
✓ Tailscale: off · Running · lxvela.tailc9b1aa.ts.net
ips: 100.104.140.57, fd7a:115c:a1e0::6601:8c96
✓ Skills: 13 eligible · 0 missing · /home/yucky/.openclaw/workspace
! Channel issues skipped (gateway unreachable)

Gateway health:
connect failed: connect ECONNREFUSED 127.0.0.1:18789

Pasteable debug report. Auth tokens redacted.

hard elbowBOT
#

connect ECONNREFUSED 127.0.0.1:18789 means nothing is listening on that port on that machine — i.e. the Gateway process is stopped or crashing immediately on startup (this is not an auth/token problem).

Can you paste the output of these (in order)?

openclaw --version
openclaw gateway status
openclaw logs --follow

Then try a restart in another terminal:

openclaw gateway restart
openclaw gateway status
#

What we’re looking for:

  • openclaw gateway status
    • If it says Runtime: stopped → the service isn’t running (start/restart + logs will show why).
    • If it says Runtime: running but RPC probe: failed → often a service config mismatch or startup crash; openclaw doctor usually points at it.

Also worth checking (no gateway required):

openclaw config get gateway.mode
openclaw config get gateway.port

Docs runbook for this exact situation: https://docs.openclaw.ai/gateway/troubleshooting (see “Gateway service not running”).

hybrid umbra
#

got it fixed: what's the easiest way to configure tools between a vps and my local machine in a secure way?

hard elbowBOT
#

Easiest “secure but not annoying” setup is:

1) Keep the Gateway on the VPS and don’t expose it to the public internet

Best practice is Tailnet-only access:

  • Option A (best UX): keep gateway.bind: "loopback" and use Tailscale Serve for HTTPS Control UI.
    • openclaw gateway --tailscale serve
    • You open https://<magicdns>/ and still get device pairing + (optionally) Tailscale identity auth.
  • Option B (simpler for nodes): bind to tailnet and require a token:
    • gateway.bind: "tailnet" + gateway.auth.token: "..."

Either way: ensure your VPS firewall/security group does not allow 18789 from 0.0.0.0/0.

Docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai/gateway/remote and https://docs.openclaw.ai/web/control-ui

2) Run your local machine as a Node Host (so tools run locally)

On your laptop/desktop, run a node that connects outbound to the VPS Gateway:

# 
export OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKEN="<gateway.auth.token>"
openclaw node install --host <vps-magicdns-or-tailnet-ip> --port 18789 --display-name "My Laptop"
openclaw node restart

Approve the pairing request on the gateway side (openclaw devices list → openclaw devices approve <id>), then you can route tools like exec to the node.

Docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai/nodes

3) Lock down exec with allowlists + approvals (don’t run “full”)

Set exec to run on the node + require allowlist/approval:

openclaw config set tools.exec.host node
openclaw config set tools.exec.security allowlist
# 
openclaw config set tools.exec.node "My Laptop"

Then manage allowlists/“ask on miss” in Control UI → Nodes → Exec approvals.

Docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai/tools/exec-approvals

If you tell me what tools you care about most (exec only? browser takeover? file access?), I can suggest the cleanest split—some tools are naturally “gateway-side”, others are best “node-side”.

hybrid umbra
#

browser access

hard elbowBOT
#

For browser access with a Gateway on a VPS, the clean/secure pattern is:

Recommended: run the browser on your local machine via a node host

This keeps “real browser with your logins” off the VPS, and the Gateway just proxies browser tool calls to your node.

  1. Put VPS Gateway + your laptop on the same private network (ideally Tailscale, not public internet).

    • Best UX: keep gateway.bind: "loopback" on the VPS and use Tailscale Serve for the Control UI.

  2. On your local machine, start a node host connected to the VPS Gateway:

export OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKEN="<gateway.auth.token from the VPS>"
openclaw node install --host <vps-magicdns-or-tailnet-ip> --port 18789 --display-name "Local Browser Node"
openclaw node restart
  1. Approve the node pairing (on the gateway side):
# 
openclaw devices list
openclaw devices approve <requestId>

After that, the browser tool will typically auto-route to the node (this is the default “node browser proxy” behavior for remote gateways).

Docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai/tools/browser and https://docs.openclaw.ai/nodes

If you specifically mean “control my existing Chrome tab”

Use the Chrome extension relay on your local machine:

  • Install the extension files:
openclaw browser extension install
openclaw browser extension path
#
  • Load unpacked in chrome://extensions (dev mode), then click the toolbar button on the tab you want to attach (badge shows ON).
  • Then use browser profile chrome (extension relay).

Docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai/tools/chrome-extension

Security notes (worth following)

  • Treat browser control like “operator access” (don’t expose it publicly; avoid Tailscale Funnel for this).
  • Prefer the dedicated openclaw browser profile unless you really need to drive your daily Chrome tabs.
  • If you have multiple nodes, you can pin which node handles browser proxying via gateway.nodes.browser.node (and you can disable proxy routing entirely with gateway.nodes.browser.mode="off" when you don’t need it).

If you tell me your OS (local machine) + whether you want headless or visible browser, I can suggest the most reliable setup (Brave/Chrome path, snap Chromium gotchas on Linux, etc.).

hybrid umbra
#

but wait my openclaw is on my vps

hard elbowBOT
#

Yep — if the Gateway (OpenClaw) is on the VPS, then you’ve basically got two sane choices for browser tool:

Option A (most common): browser runs on your local machine via a Node

Even though OpenClaw is on the VPS, you can still get “real browser on my laptop” by running a node host on your laptop. The Gateway will proxy browser calls to that node.

High level:

  • VPS: runs the agent + receives your messages
  • Laptop: runs the node host + has Chrome/Brave + (optional) the extension

You’ll want the VPS + laptop connected via Tailscale (recommended) or an SSH tunnel.

Docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai/nodes and https://docs.openclaw.ai/tools/browser

Option B: browser runs on the VPS (headless/remote)

This is simplest infra-wise, but it’s a VPS browser (no visible window on your laptop unless you add VNC/etc). Good for scraping, form fills, screenshots, PDFs.

Typical quick checks on the VPS:

# 
openclaw browser status --browser-profile openclaw
openclaw browser start  --browser-profile openclaw
openclaw browser open https://example.com --browser-profile openclaw

On Linux VPSes you often need a real Chrome/Brave binary (snap Chromium can be weird) — see: https://docs.openclaw.ai/tools/browser-linux-troubleshooting

Chrome extension relay note (controlling your existing Chrome tabs)

That extension must run on the same machine as Chrome. So with a VPS Gateway, you’d still do Option A (node on your laptop), then use the chrome browser profile (extension relay) on that node.

Docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai/tools/chrome-extension

If you tell me your local OS (macOS/Windows/Linux) and whether you want a visible browser or headless is fine, I’ll point you to the exact shortest setup path.

hybrid umbra
#

my agent is saying that i need to install openclaw cli on my local machine for this to work is that correct?

hard elbowBOT
#

If your Gateway is on the VPS and you want the browser to run on your local machine (either the managed openclaw browser or controlling your existing Chrome via the extension), then yes — you need to run a local OpenClaw component on the same machine as the browser.

That local component can be either:

  1. OpenClaw CLI as a node host (cross‑platform)

    • This is what provides the “node browser proxy” + (for the extension) the local relay.
    • You run: openclaw node run ... or openclaw node install ...

  2. The macOS menubar app in node mode (mac only)

    • In that case you might not need the CLI, but you still need something OpenClaw running locally.

If you instead run the browser on the VPS (headless), then no local CLI is required.

Quick local install (CLI only, no onboarding)

On your local machine:

# 
curl -fsSL --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 https://openclaw.ai/install.sh | bash -s -- --no-onboard

(or the “local prefix” installer: install-cli.sh)

Docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai/install/installer

If you tell me your local OS (macOS/Windows/Linux) and whether you want managed browser vs Chrome extension takeover, I’ll give you the exact minimal commands for that path.

hybrid umbra
#

whats the openclaw install command for arch?

hard elbowBOT
#

On Arch there isn’t a special “Arch installer” — the main thing is: have Node ≥ 22 + npm + git, then install OpenClaw via npm.

Arch (manual, reliable)

sudo pacman -Syu --needed nodejs npm git curl
node -v   # make sure it's >= 22

sudo npm i -g openclaw@latest
openclaw --version

If your node -v is below 22, upgrade Node first (Arch repos usually move fast, but double-check).

Alternative (installs its own Node under ~/.openclaw)

sudo pacman -Syu --needed git curl
# 
curl -fsSL https://openclaw.ai/install-cli.sh | bash
# then ensure ~/.openclaw/bin is on your PATH

Docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai/install/installer

If you tell me what node -v prints on your Arch box, I can tell you whether you’re good to go or need a Node upgrade path.

hybrid umbra
#

node -v returns v25.6.0

hard elbowBOT
#

v25.6.0 is totally fine (it’s >= 22, so you’re good).

On Arch you can just do:

sudo pacman -Syu --needed npm git curl
sudo npm i -g openclaw@latest
openclaw --version

Then for the “local machine as node host” setup (so your VPS gateway can use your local browser/exec):

export OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKEN="<token from your VPS (gateway.auth.token)>"
openclaw node install --host <your-vps-host-or-tailnet-name> --port 18789 --display-name "Arch Node"
openclaw node restart