Unable to execute on node when host set to auto | Friends of the Crustacean 🦞🤝 | Page 1

hidden hamlet Apr 4, 2026, 7:01 PM

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The documentation states that gateway + node should be allowed when tools.exec.host is set to auto. However, when my openclaw attempts to do so, it gets the following error:

exec host not allowed (requested node; configure tools.exec.host=node to allow).

autumn eagleBOT Apr 4, 2026, 7:01 PM

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pure pumiceBOT Apr 4, 2026, 7:02 PM

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Can you paste openclaw --version first? (This behavior changed over time, so version matters.)

What you’re seeing is expected on current versions:

tools.exec.host=auto = routing only: sandbox if available, otherwise gateway
It is not a wildcard that allows host=node per tool call
So a call that explicitly requests host=node will fail with exactly that error unless host is set to node

Use one of these:

# Global default to node
openclaw config set tools.exec.host node
openclaw config set tools.exec.node "<node-id-or-name>"
openclaw gateway restart

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or per-session in chat:

/exec host=node node=<id-or-name>

If you want to stay on auto, then don’t request host=node in the exec call.

Docs (current behavior):

If you share the exact doc line that says auto should allow node override, I can help pinpoint whether that page is outdated.

hidden hamlet Apr 4, 2026, 7:03 PM

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OpenClaw 2026.4.2 (d74a122)

auto is the default routing strategy, not a wildcard. Per-call host=node is allowed from auto; per-call host=gateway is only allowed when no sandbox runtime is active.

pure pumiceBOT Apr 4, 2026, 7:03 PM

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Yep — thanks, that confirms it.

On 2026.4.2, your runtime behavior is correct, and that quoted sentence is incorrect/outdated.

In this version, auto is strictly routing (sandbox -> gateway fallback) and does not permit per-call host=node override. The code path explicitly rejects it with the exact error you got.

So today your options are:

Set node as host (global/per-agent/per-session), then run exec with host=node, or
Keep auto, but don’t request host=node in the tool call.

Quick commands:

openclaw config get tools.exec.host
openclaw config set tools.exec.host node

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openclaw config set tools.exec.node "<id-or-name>"
openclaw gateway restart

Or in chat session:

/exec host=node node=<id-or-name>

References:

If you share where that quoted line came from, we should open a docs fix issue: https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/issues

hidden hamlet Apr 4, 2026, 7:04 PM

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It came from https://docs.openclaw.ai/tools/exec

pure pumiceBOT Apr 4, 2026, 7:04 PM

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You’re 100% right — that line on <https://docs.openclaw.ai/tools/exec> is currently misleading.

For 2026.4.2 (and current code), behavior is:

tools.exec.host=auto is routing only
per-call host=node from auto is rejected (exactly the error you saw)

So this is a docs/runtime mismatch.

Practical workaround:

if you want node exec, set it explicitly (tools.exec.host=node or /exec host=node ...)
keep auto only when you want sandbox→gateway routing without node override

If you can, please report this as a docs bug so it gets fixed:
https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/issues

Suggested issue title:

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docs/tools/exec says host=node override is allowed from auto, but runtime rejects it

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#Unable to execute on node when host set to auto