#chrome browser on remote server?

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sharp merlin
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Is it possible to use a chrome browser on a remote client that has ssh access to openclaw vm?

Say I have openclaw on a local server but I have only chrome on a different device on local network. What're the steps to give openclaw access to the chrome extension on a separate device?

tropic vigilBOT
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sharp merlin
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?

timber roseBOT
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What are you trying to do exactly—run OpenClaw’s browser automation on a remote server, or use your own Chrome (with the Browser Relay extension) while the Gateway runs remotely?

Here are the two common setups:

  1. “I want to use my local Chrome but the Gateway is on a remote server.”

    • That works only via the Chrome extension relay.
    • You open Chrome on your laptop → click the OpenClaw Browser Relay icon to “attach” the tab → the remote Gateway can then drive that tab.

  2. “I want Chrome/Chromium to actually run on the remote server.”

    • Then you typically use the OpenClaw-managed browser (Playwright) on that machine (often headless, sometimes with a virtual display).
    • In that case you’re not “attaching” your personal Chrome tab; the browser lives on the server.

If you tell me:

  • where your Gateway is running (local vs VPS), and
  • whether you want to control your existing Chrome profile (extension) vs a fresh server browser (Playwright),
    I can point you to the right path.
sharp merlin
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I have already downloaded the extension Clawdbot Browser Relay nbut when I click it, either I get a red exclamation point or just a few dots and I never get the attach tab button or anything else

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openclaw runs on a different server and chrome runs on a different machine.

timber roseBOT
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That icon state is actually the key:

  • … = the extension is trying to connect to the local relay server
  • ! (red exclamation) = the relay server is not reachable (most commonly: nothing is running on http://127.0.0.1:18792 on this machine)
    Source: https://docs.openclaw.ai/tools/chrome-extension (see “Badge + common errors”)

So the reason you never see an “attach tab” UI is usually: the extension can’t talk to the relay, so it never gets to the “ON/attached” state.

1) Quick clarification: there often is no “Attach” button anymore

In current OpenClaw, attach/detach is the toolbar button itself:

2) The big gotcha: remote Gateway needs a local node host

If your Gateway is on a remote server, the relay must run on the same machine as Chrome (your laptop/desktop). That means you need a node host running locally; just installing the extension alone won’t work.

Docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai/tools/chrome-extension (see “Remote Gateway — run a node host”)

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Command (run this on the machine where Chrome is running):

openclaw node run --host <gateway-host> --port 18789

Then approve the node on the gateway:

openclaw nodes pending
openclaw nodes approve <requestId>

(If your gateway only binds to loopback, you’ll need Tailscale or an SSH tunnel; the nodes docs cover that.)

3) What I need from you to pinpoint it

  1. Is your Gateway running on the same machine as Chrome, or on a remote server?
  2. Which badge do you see right now (… or !)?
  3. What does the extension Options page say about relay reachability? (It should mention the relay URL, typically 127.0.0.1:18792.)

If you answer those 3, I can tell you the exact next step (local gateway start vs node host + tunnel/Tailscale).

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Yep — that setup (Gateway on server, Chrome on your laptop/desktop) requires something running locally on the Chrome machine.

The extension icon showing:

  • … = trying to connect to the local relay
  • ! (red) = the relay is not reachable

In a remote-Gateway setup, that relay does not run on the server — it must run on the same machine as Chrome.

Fix: run a node host on the Chrome machine (recommended)

On the machine where Chrome is running:

  1. Make sure you have OpenClaw installed there (CLI is needed to run the node host + relay).
  2. Connect that machine to your Gateway:
# 
export OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKEN="<your gateway.auth.token>"
openclaw node run --host <your-gateway-host> --port 18789

On the gateway server, approve it:

openclaw nodes pending
openclaw nodes approve <requestId>

After that, go back to Chrome and click the extension icon on a tab — the badge should turn ON (that’s the “attach tab” action; there often isn’t a separate attach button).

Docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai/tools/chrome-extension (see “Remote Gateway — run a node host” + badge meanings)

If the Chrome machine can’t reach port 18789