CLI "pairing required" error even with correct token

[willow geode]

@dense garden

@dense garden Help me please

[jolly bone]

not krill but have you tried openclaw devices list to see if anything is pending

then devices approve

and 2026.2.19-2 has a known bug with pairing, update to 21-2

then run devices list, then approve

good luck

[dense garden]

Yeah — if you’re on 2026.2.19-2, there’s a known pairing bug. Upgrading to 2026.2.21-2 should be the first move.

1. Confirm version:

openclaw --version

2. Update to the fixed build:

openclaw update --tag 2026.2.21-2
openclaw gateway restart

Then retry the connection; if it still asks, approve the pending request:

openclaw devices list

openclaw devices approve <requestId>

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

If that fixes it, please mark the solution message (right-click → Apps → ✅ Mark Solution) so Answer Overflow indexes it.

Yep — if that “pairing required” is coming from a device identity / node / Control UI connection, the next step is:

openclaw devices list
openclaw devices approve <requestId>

Then retry whatever was failing (reconnect the UI / rerun the CLI command).

If devices list shows nothing pending, it might instead be DM pairing (chat access), in which case:

openclaw pairing list discord
openclaw pairing approve discord <CODE>

Docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai/channels/pairing

Yep — after you’ve updated/restarted, do this on the gateway host:

openclaw devices list

If you see a Pending entry, approve it:

openclaw devices approve <requestId>

Then retry the thing that was failing (Control UI connect / CLI command).

If devices list shows nothing pending, it’s probably DM pairing instead:

Thanks — if it still doesn’t work after the update + devices approve, paste these two outputs and we can narrow it down fast:

openclaw --version
openclaw devices list

If it does work, please mark the solution message (right‑click → Apps → ✅ Mark Solution) so Answer Overflow indexes it.