CLI Reference

Complete reference for the openclaw command-line interface.

Global Flags

Flag	Description
--version	Print version
--help	Show help
--config <path>	Use custom config file
--verbose	Enable verbose output
--quiet	Suppress non-essential output
--json	Output in JSON format

Commands

openclaw onboard

Interactive setup wizard.

openclaw onboard [--install-daemon] [--skip-channels]

Flag	Description
--install-daemon	Install gateway as a system service
--skip-channels	Skip messaging channel setup
--provider <name>	Pre-select LLM provider

openclaw dashboard

Launch the Control UI in your browser for system monitoring and management.

openclaw dashboard [--no-open]

Flag	Description
--no-open	Print the tokenized URL without opening a browser

The Control UI runs on localhost:18789 and requires your gateway auth token. For remote access, use SSH port forwarding:

ssh -N -L 18789:127.0.0.1:18789 root@your-server-ip

openclaw gateway

Manage the gateway process.

openclaw gateway [start|stop|restart|status] [flags]

Flag	Description
--daemon	Run as background daemon
--port <number>	Override gateway port (default: 18789)
--host <addr>	Override bind address (default: 127.0.0.1)

openclaw chat

Send messages to the agent.

openclaw chat [message] [flags]

Flag	Description
--format <type>	Output format: markdown, plain, json
--model <name>	Override model for this message
--no-memory	Don't load or save memory
--context <file>	Load additional context from file

Without a message argument, starts an interactive chat session.

openclaw channel

Manage messaging channels.

openclaw channel <add|remove|list|status|reconnect> [channel-name]

openclaw skill

Manage installed skills.

openclaw skill <install|remove|list|test|config> [skill-name|path]

Subcommand	Description
install <path>	Install a skill from file
remove <name>	Remove an installed skill
list	List all installed skills
test <path> <msg>	Test a skill without installing
config <name>	View/set skill configuration

openclaw plugins

Manage installed plugins.

openclaw plugins <list|inspect|install|uninstall|update|enable|disable|doctor|marketplace> [args]

Subcommand	Description
list	Show installed plugins
inspect <name>	View plugin details
install <name>	Install a plugin
uninstall <name>	Remove a plugin
update [name]	Upgrade plugins (all or specific)
enable <name>	Enable a disabled plugin
disable <name>	Disable a plugin
doctor	Diagnose plugin issues
marketplace list	Browse available plugins

openclaw clawhub

Interact with the ClawHub marketplace.

openclaw clawhub <search|install|publish|browse|info|view|login|outdated|update|report|security-report|validate> [args]

openclaw heartbeat

Manage the heartbeat system.

openclaw heartbeat [--now] [--dry-run]

Flag	Description
--now	Trigger an immediate heartbeat
--dry-run	Show what would happen without executing

openclaw logs

View gateway logs.

openclaw logs [--filter <component>] [--follow] [--lines <n>]

Flag	Description
--filter	Filter by component: heartbeat, channel, brain, hands
--follow	Stream logs in real-time
--lines <n>	Show last N lines (default: 50)

openclaw status

Show gateway and system status.

openclaw status [--json]

openclaw stats

Show usage statistics.

openclaw stats [heartbeat|tokens|channels] [--period <days>]

openclaw security

Security tools.

openclaw security <check|scan> [--all]

Subcommand	Description
check	Audit current security configuration
scan <path>	Scan a skill file for security issues
scan --all	Scan all installed skills

openclaw config

View and modify configuration.

openclaw config <get|set|list> [key] [value]

Exit Codes

Code	Meaning
0	Success
1	General error
2	Configuration error
3	Gateway not running
4	Authentication failure
5	Network error

See Also

• Configuration Reference — Config file format
• Environment Variables — Env var overrides