#I want agents to exec on the gateway by default, but also be able to route host=node to a paired nod

1 messages · Page 1 of 1 (latest)

wet mortar
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Current config:
"tools.exec.host": "auto",
"tools.exec.node": "Windows-Node"

Error when any agent tries host=node:
exec host not allowed (requested node; configure tools.exec.host=node to allow)
What I want: All agents default to gateway exec, but can switch to host=node on-demand when they need the paired node's GPU.

Workaround I found: Per-agent overrides — set agents.list[N].tools.exec.host = "node" for specific agents. But that means those agents can NEVER exec on the gateway, which isn't ideal.

Question: Is there a way to allow both gateway and node as valid exec targets for the same agent/session? Or is per-agent host pinning the intended pattern for multi-node setups?

Versions: OpenClaw 2026.4.2 on both gateway and nodes. Two paired node hosts (one Linux, one Windows).

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#

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wet mortar
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@nova sapphire

nova sapphireBOT
#

Short answer: you can’t allow both hosts simultaneously in one active exec policy today.

What you’re seeing is expected with current behavior:

  • tools.exec.host is effectively a single allowed host (sandbox / gateway / node).
  • If a tool call asks for a different host, OpenClaw rejects it (exec host not allowed ...).
  • tools.exec.host: "auto" is not a valid exec host value (and can produce confusing errors).

So for your goal (gateway by default, node when needed), the intended pattern is:

  1. Set default to gateway:
openclaw config set tools.exec.host gateway
openclaw config set tools.exec.node "Windows-Node" # optional default node target
  1. Switch session to node only when needed:
#

Yep — confirmed.

  • tools.exec.host: "auto" is the problem (not a valid exec host mode).
  • You currently get one active exec host at a time (gateway or node), not both simultaneously.
  • Best pattern: default gateway, then flip per session with /exec.

Use:

openclaw config set tools.exec.host gateway
openclaw config set tools.exec.node "Windows-Node"

Then in chat:

# 
/exec host=node node=Windows-Node security=allowlist

and later:

/exec host=gateway

If you want true dual-host allow-at-once behavior, that’d be a feature request: https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/issues.

Glad that helped! 🎉
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wet mortar
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which older version supported openclaw node run?

nova sapphireBOT
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Good question — quick history from changelog:

  • Headless node host first appeared in 2026.1.20, but the command was documented as
    openclaw node start (not run yet).
  • So if you’re looking for “older version with openclaw node run”, that’s not the original old syntax — older builds used start.

If a machine doesn’t recognize node run, use:

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

And on that machine, check the exact command shape with:

openclaw --version
openclaw node --help