Command Reference
Every openclaw command at a glance. Click any command to see the full documentation.
💡 Quick help: Run
openclaw help or openclaw <command> --help for inline docs.
Getting Started
Initialize config, workspace, and model provider. First thing to run after install.
Interactive onboarding wizard. Guides you through model setup and channel connection.
Interactive prompts to change configuration. Re-run anytime to adjust settings.
Get, set, or unset individual config values.
openclaw config set key valueRun health checks and guided repairs. Diagnoses common issues automatically.
Update OpenClaw to the latest version. Auto-restarts the gateway if running.
Create a local backup archive of your OpenClaw data and configuration.
Reset local state or config. Use with caution — can clear sessions and auth.
Remove the gateway service and optionally all local data.
Runtime & Status
Manage the Gateway daemon:
start, stop, restart, status.Full diagnostics dashboard: gateway, channels, models, sessions, and system info.
Quick health check via Gateway RPC. Returns uptime, memory, connections.
Tail gateway logs in real-time. Add
--level error to filter.Legacy alias for
gateway. Same commands, different name.Agent & Sessions
Send one agent turn via the Gateway. Good for scripting and automation.
List, add, delete agents. Manage bindings between agents and channels.
List stored sessions with usage stats. See who talked to your bot.
List available models, set defaults, scan providers, manage auth tokens.
Check memory status, rebuild the search index, or search agent memory.
Run the Agent Communication Protocol bridge for IDE integrations (Codex, Claude Code).
Generate shell completion scripts for bash, zsh, or fish.
Messaging & Channels
Send a message to any channel.
openclaw message send --to "name" --text "hello"List channels, check status, login/logout.
openclaw channels login whatsappView contacts, peers, and groups known to the gateway.
Devices & Nodes
List connected nodes, check status, invoke commands (camera, screen, canvas).
Manage device pairings. Rotate tokens, revoke access.
Run a headless node (server-side). Exposes commands without a phone/Mac.
Approve or list pending pairing requests from mobile/desktop apps.
Generate a QR code or setup code for pairing the iOS/Android app.
Tools & Extensions
Search, install, update, list skills from ClawHub.
Schedule background jobs.
openclaw cron add --every 30m --task "check email"Manage browser profiles, tabs, and actions. Chrome CDP integration.
Manage sandbox runtimes. Inspect and recreate isolated execution environments.
Configure agent hooks — triggers that run before/after agent actions.
Webhook helpers and Gmail Pub/Sub integration.
Voice call plugin commands. Make and receive calls (if plugin installed).
Security & Network
Audit and fix common security footguns. Checks permissions, exposed ports, auth.
Reload, audit, and configure secrets. Manages API keys and tokens securely.
Wide-area discovery helpers. Set up DNS records for remote gateway access.
Manage exec approvals. Approve or deny elevated commands from agents.
Interface
Open the web-based Control UI in your browser. Full admin interface.
Terminal UI — rich chat interface connected to the Gateway. Runs in your terminal.
List, install, uninstall, enable/disable plugins. Plugin marketplace.
Search the live documentation index.
openclaw docs "how to setup whatsapp"Global Flags
--dev
Isolate state under
~/.openclaw-dev and shift default ports. For development.--profile <name>
Isolate state under
~/.openclaw-<name>. Run multiple instances side by side.--no-color
Disable ANSI colors. Also respects
NO_COLOR=1 environment variable.--json
Machine-readable JSON output. Great for scripting and automation.
-V / --version
Print OpenClaw version and exit.