Comprehensive OpenClaw commands for managing your personal AI agent across multiple messaging channels and platforms.
| Platform | Command |
|---|
| macOS/Linux | curl -fsSL https://openclaw.ai/install.sh | bash |
| npm (global) | npm install -g openclaw |
| Update | openclaw update |
| Verify | openclaw --version |
| Command | Description |
|---|
openclaw onboard | Interactive setup wizard for gateway, workspace, channels, and skills |
openclaw onboard --install-daemon | Setup and install gateway as background service |
openclaw onboard --flow quickstart | Quick setup with sensible defaults |
openclaw onboard --flow advanced | Full setup with all configuration options |
openclaw onboard --non-interactive | Headless setup (requires explicit flags) |
openclaw setup --workspace ~/my-agent | Initialize config and workspace directory |
openclaw configure | Interactive wizard for models, channels, skills, and gateway |
openclaw doctor | Health checks and quick fixes for config and gateway |
openclaw doctor --deep | Deep scan including system services |
openclaw reset --scope config | Reset configuration only |
openclaw reset --scope full --yes | Full reset of config, credentials, and sessions |
| Command | Description |
|---|
openclaw config get <path> | Print a config value |
openclaw config set <path> <value> | Set a config value (JSON5 or raw string) |
openclaw config unset <path> | Remove a config value |
openclaw configure | Launch interactive configuration wizard |
| Variable | Purpose |
|---|
OPENCLAW_HOME | Override default home directory |
OPENCLAW_STATE_DIR | Custom state directory |
OPENCLAW_CONFIG_PATH | Custom config file path |
| Command | Description |
|---|
openclaw gateway run | Run WebSocket Gateway in foreground |
openclaw gateway run --port 18789 | Run gateway on specific port |
openclaw gateway run --bind lan | Bind to LAN interface |
openclaw gateway run --bind tailnet | Bind via Tailscale |
openclaw gateway status | Check gateway status via RPC |
openclaw gateway health | Fetch health from running gateway |
openclaw gateway install | Install gateway as system service |
openclaw gateway start | Start installed service |
openclaw gateway stop | Stop running service |
openclaw gateway restart | Restart service |
openclaw gateway uninstall | Remove service |
openclaw gateway discover | Discover gateways on network |
openclaw logs --follow | Tail gateway logs in real-time |
openclaw logs --limit 100 --json | Last 100 log entries as JSON |
| Command | Description |
|---|
openclaw channels list | Show all configured channels and auth profiles |
openclaw channels status | Check gateway reachability and channel health |
openclaw channels add --channel telegram | Add Telegram channel |
openclaw channels add --channel whatsapp | Add WhatsApp channel |
openclaw channels add --channel discord | Add Discord channel |
openclaw channels add --channel slack | Add Slack channel |
openclaw channels add --channel signal | Add Signal channel |
openclaw channels add --channel imessage | Add iMessage channel |
openclaw channels add --channel msteams | Add Microsoft Teams channel |
openclaw channels remove --channel telegram | Remove a channel |
openclaw channels login --channel discord | Interactive channel login |
openclaw channels logout --channel telegram | Log out of channel |
openclaw channels logs --channel whatsapp | Show recent channel logs |
| Command | Description |
|---|
openclaw message send --text "Hello" | Send a message |
openclaw message send --to user123 --text "Hi" | Send to specific destination |
openclaw message poll | Poll for new messages |
openclaw message read | Mark messages as read |
openclaw message edit --text "Updated" | Edit a sent message |
openclaw message delete | Delete a message |
openclaw message react --emoji "👍" | React to a message |
openclaw message reactions | List reactions on a message |
openclaw message search --text "query" | Search messages |
openclaw message pin | Pin a message |
openclaw message unpin | Unpin a message |
openclaw message pins | List pinned messages |
openclaw message thread create | Create a message thread |
openclaw message thread list | List threads |
openclaw message thread reply | Reply in a thread |
| Command | Description |
|---|
openclaw agent --message "Research this topic" | Run single agent turn via gateway |
openclaw agent --message "Hello" --thinking high | Agent turn with extended thinking |
openclaw agent --message "task" --local | Run agent locally (embedded) |
openclaw agent --message "task" --deliver | Deliver response to channel |
openclaw agents list | List configured agents |
openclaw agents add myagent --workspace ~/work | Add isolated agent with workspace |
openclaw agents add myagent --model claude-sonnet | Add agent with specific model |
openclaw agents delete myagent --force | Delete an agent |
| Command | Description |
|---|
openclaw models list | List available models |
openclaw models list --all | List all models including unavailable |
openclaw models list --local | List local models only |
openclaw models list --provider anthropic | Filter by provider |
openclaw models status | Show token and auth status |
openclaw models status --probe | Live probe auth profiles |
openclaw models set claude-sonnet | Set primary model |
openclaw models set-image dall-e-3 | Set primary image model |
openclaw models scan | Scan and discover available models |
openclaw models auth add | Interactive auth helper |
openclaw models auth setup-token --provider openai | Setup provider token |
openclaw models fallbacks add gpt-4o | Add fallback model |
openclaw models fallbacks list | List fallback models |
openclaw models aliases add sonnet claude-sonnet | Create model alias |
| Command | Description |
|---|
openclaw browser start | Launch controlled browser |
openclaw browser stop | Close browser |
openclaw browser status | Check browser status |
openclaw browser open "https://example.com" | Open URL in browser |
openclaw browser tabs | List open tabs |
openclaw browser focus <targetId> | Focus a specific tab |
openclaw browser close <targetId> | Close a specific tab |
openclaw browser screenshot | Take viewport screenshot |
openclaw browser screenshot --full-page | Full page screenshot |
openclaw browser snapshot --format aria | Get accessibility tree |
openclaw browser navigate "https://url" | Navigate to URL |
openclaw browser click <ref> | Click an element |
openclaw browser type <ref> "text" | Type text into element |
openclaw browser press Enter | Press a keyboard key |
openclaw browser evaluate --fn "document.title" | Execute JavaScript |
openclaw browser pdf | Generate PDF of current page |
openclaw browser profiles | List browser profiles |
openclaw browser create-profile --name work | Create browser profile |
| Command | Description |
|---|
openclaw node run --host gateway.local --port 18789 | Run headless node |
openclaw node install --host gw.local | Install node as service |
openclaw node status | Check node status |
openclaw nodes list | List all nodes |
openclaw nodes status --connected | Show connected nodes only |
openclaw nodes pending | Show pending approval requests |
openclaw nodes approve <requestId> | Approve node request |
openclaw nodes run --node mypc "ls -la" | Run command on remote node |
openclaw nodes camera snap --node phone | Capture camera image |
openclaw nodes screen record --node desktop | Record screen |
openclaw nodes location get --node mobile | Get device location |
| Command | Description |
|---|
openclaw cron list | List all scheduled jobs |
openclaw cron status | Show cron system status |
openclaw cron add --name "Daily report" --every 24h --message "Generate daily report" | Add recurring job |
openclaw cron add --name "Morning brief" --at "08:00" --message "Brief me" | Add time-based job |
openclaw cron add --name "Backup" --cron "0 2 * * *" --system-event "run backup" | Add cron expression job |
openclaw cron enable <id> | Enable a job |
openclaw cron disable <id> | Disable a job |
openclaw cron run <id> | Execute job immediately |
openclaw cron runs --id <id> | Show job run history |
openclaw cron edit <id> | Modify existing job |
openclaw cron rm <id> | Delete a job |
| Command | Description |
|---|
openclaw plugins list | Discover available plugins |
openclaw plugins info <id> | Show plugin details |
openclaw plugins install <path> | Install plugin from path or npm |
openclaw plugins enable <id> | Enable a plugin |
openclaw plugins disable <id> | Disable a plugin |
openclaw plugins doctor | Report plugin load errors |
openclaw skills list | List available skills |
openclaw skills list --eligible | Show only ready skills |
openclaw skills info <name> | Show skill details |
openclaw skills check | Readiness summary for all skills |
| Command | Description |
|---|
openclaw security audit | Audit config and local state |
openclaw security audit --deep | Live gateway security probe |
openclaw security audit --fix | Auto-tighten safe defaults |
openclaw approvals get | View current approval settings |
openclaw approvals set | Configure approval workflows |
openclaw approvals allowlist add | Add to approval allowlist |
openclaw pairing list telegram | List pending pairing requests |
openclaw pairing approve telegram <code> | Approve DM pairing |
| Command | Description |
|---|
openclaw memory status | Show memory index stats |
openclaw memory index | Reindex memory files |
openclaw memory search "query" | Semantic search over memory |
openclaw sessions | List stored conversation sessions |
openclaw sessions --active 60 | Show sessions active in last 60 min |
openclaw status | Show linked session health |
openclaw status --all --deep | Full diagnosis with channel probes |
# Install and onboard
curl -fsSL https://openclaw.ai/install.sh | bash
openclaw onboard --install-daemon
# Add Telegram channel
openclaw channels add --channel telegram
# Verify everything works
openclaw doctor
openclaw status --all
# Set preferred model
openclaw models set claude-sonnet
# Add fallback
openclaw models fallbacks add gpt-4o
# Run agent turn
openclaw agent --message "Summarize my emails" --thinking high
# Create daily job at 8 AM
openclaw cron add \
--name "Morning briefing" \
--at "08:00" \
--message "Give me a summary of today's tasks and any urgent notifications"
# Verify it's scheduled
openclaw cron list
# List connected nodes
openclaw nodes status --connected
# Run command on remote machine
openclaw nodes run --node "desktop" "df -h"
# Take screenshot of remote screen
openclaw nodes screen record --node "desktop" --duration 5s
- Use
--install-daemon during onboarding to run gateway as a background service
- Run
openclaw doctor regularly to catch configuration issues early
- Set model fallbacks to ensure availability when primary model is rate-limited
- Use
--thinking high for complex agent tasks requiring deep reasoning
- Create browser profiles to isolate browsing contexts for different tasks
- Use
--json flag when scripting or piping output to other tools
- Run security audits with
--deep flag before exposing gateway to network
| Issue | Solution |
|---|
| Gateway won’t start | Run openclaw doctor --deep to diagnose |
| Channel disconnected | Check with openclaw channels status then re-login |
| Model auth failed | Run openclaw models status --probe to test tokens |
| Plugin load error | Run openclaw plugins doctor for diagnostics |
| Node not connecting | Verify with openclaw nodes pending and approve if needed |
| Slow responses | Check openclaw status --usage for rate limits |
| Config corruption | Use openclaw reset --scope config to reset safely |
