OpenClaw Operations Runbook

Diagnose and fix real problems. Every command here is tested and works.

Quick Health Check

Run this first when anything seems wrong. Copy-paste the whole block:

echo "=== GATEWAY ===" && \

ps aux | grep -c "[o]penclaw" && \

echo "=== CONFIG JSON ===" && \

python3 -m json.tool ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json > /dev/null 2>&1 && echo "JSON: OK" || echo "JSON: BROKEN" && \

echo "=== CHANNELS ===" && \

cat ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json | jq -r '.channels | to_entries[] | "\(.key): policy=\(.value.dmPolicy // "n/a") enabled=\(.value.enabled // "implicit")"' && \

echo "=== PLUGINS ===" && \

cat ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json | jq -r '.plugins.entries | to_entries[] | "\(.key): \(.value.enabled)"' && \

echo "=== CREDS ===" && \

ls ~/.openclaw/credentials/whatsapp/default/ 2>/dev/null | wc -l | xargs -I{} echo "WhatsApp keys: {} files" && \

for d in ~/.openclaw/credentials/telegram/*/; do bot=$(basename "$d"); [ -f "$d/token.txt" ] && echo "Telegram $bot: OK" || echo "Telegram $bot: MISSING"; done && \

[ -f ~/.openclaw/credentials/bird/cookies.json ] && echo "Bird cookies: OK" || echo "Bird cookies: MISSING" && \

echo "=== CRON ===" && \

cat ~/.openclaw/cron/jobs.json | jq -r '.jobs[] | "\(.name): enabled=\(.enabled) status=\(.state.lastStatus // "never") \(.state.lastError // "")"' && \

echo "=== RECENT ERRORS ===" && \

tail -10 ~/.openclaw/logs/gateway.err.log 2>/dev/null && \

echo "=== MEMORY DB ===" && \

sqlite3 ~/.openclaw/memory/main.sqlite "SELECT COUNT(*) || ' chunks, ' || (SELECT COUNT(*) FROM files) || ' files indexed' FROM chunks;" 2>/dev/null

File Map

~/.openclaw/

├── openclaw.json                    # MAIN CONFIG — channels, auth, gateway, plugins, skills

├── openclaw.json.bak*               # Auto-backups (.bak, .bak.1, .bak.2 ...)

├── exec-approvals.json              # Exec approval socket config

│

├── agents/main/

│   ├── agent/auth-profiles.json     # Anthropic auth tokens

│   └── sessions/

│       ├── sessions.json            # SESSION INDEX — keys are like agent:main:whatsapp:+1234

│       └── *.jsonl                  # Session transcripts (one JSON per line)

│

├── workspace/                       # Agent workspace (git-tracked)

│   ├── SOUL.md                      # Personality, writing style, tone rules

│   ├── IDENTITY.md                  # Name, creature type, vibe

│   ├── USER.md                      # Owner context and preferences

│   ├── AGENTS.md                    # Session behavior, memory rules, safety

│   ├── BOOT.md                      # Boot instructions (autopilot notification protocol)

│   ├── HEARTBEAT.md                 # Periodic task checklist (empty = skip heartbeat)

│   ├── MEMORY.md                    # Curated long-term memory (main session only)

│   ├── TOOLS.md                     # Contacts, SSH hosts, device nicknames

│   ├── memory/                      # Daily logs: YYYY-MM-DD.md, topic-chat.md

│   └── skills/                      # Workspace-level skills

│

├── memory/main.sqlite               # Vector memory DB (Gemini embeddings, FTS5 search)

│

├── logs/

│   ├── gateway.log                  # Runtime: startup, channel init, config reload, shutdown

│   ├── gateway.err.log              # Errors: connection drops, API failures, timeouts

│   └── commands.log                 # Command execution log

│

├── cron/

│   ├── jobs.json                    # Job definitions (schedule, payload, delivery target)

│   └── runs/                        # Per-job run logs: {job-uuid}.jsonl

│

├── credentials/

│   ├── whatsapp/default/            # Baileys session: ~1400 app-state-sync-key-*.json files

│   ├── telegram/{botname}/token.txt # Bot tokens (one per bot account)

│   └── bird/cookies.json            # X/Twitter auth cookies

│

├── extensions/{name}/               # Custom plugins (TypeScript)

│   ├── openclaw.plugin.json         # {"id", "channels", "configSchema"}

│   ├── index.ts                     # Entry point

│   └── src/                         # channel.ts, actions.ts, runtime.ts, types.ts

│

├── identity/                        # device.json, device-auth.json

├── devices/                         # paired.json, pending.json

├── media/inbound/                   # Received images, audio files

├── media/browser/                   # Browser screenshots

├── browser/openclaw/user-data/      # Chromium profile (~180MB)

├── tools/signal-cli/                # Signal CLI binary

├── subagents/runs.json              # Sub-agent execution log

├── canvas/index.html                # Web canvas UI

└── telegram/

    ├── update-offset-coder.json     # {"lastUpdateId": N} — Telegram polling cursor

    └── update-offset-sales.json     # Reset these to 0 to replay missed messages

Troubleshooting: WhatsApp

"I sent a message but got no reply"

This is the #1 issue. The message arrives but the bot doesn't respond. Check in this order:

# 1. Is the bot actually running?

grep -i "whatsapp.*starting\|whatsapp.*listening" ~/.openclaw/logs/gateway.log | tail -5

# 2. Check for 408 timeout drops (WhatsApp web disconnects frequently)

grep -i "408\|499\|retry" ~/.openclaw/logs/gateway.err.log | tail -10

# If you see "Web connection closed (status 408). Retry 1/12" — this is normal,

# it auto-recovers. But if retries reach 12/12, the session dropped completely.

# 3. Check for cross-context messaging blocks

grep -i "cross-context.*denied" ~/.openclaw/logs/gateway.err.log | tail -10

# Common: "Cross-context messaging denied: action=send target provider "whatsapp" while bound to "signal""

# This means the agent was in a Signal session and tried to reply on WhatsApp.

# FIX: The message needs to come through in the WhatsApp session context, not Signal.

# 4. Check the session exists for that contact

cat ~/.openclaw/agents/main/sessions/sessions.json | jq -r 'to_entries[] | select(.key | test("whatsapp")) | "\(.key) | \(.value.origin.label // "?")"'

# 5. Check if the sender is allowed

cat ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json | jq '.channels.whatsapp | {dmPolicy, allowFrom, selfChatMode, groupPolicy}'

# If dmPolicy is "allowlist" and the sender isn't in allowFrom, message is silently dropped.

# 6. Check if it's a group message (groups are disabled by default)

cat ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json | jq '.channels.whatsapp.groupPolicy'

# "disabled" means ALL group messages are ignored.

# 7. Check for lane congestion (agent busy with another task)

grep "lane wait exceeded" ~/.openclaw/logs/gateway.err.log | tail -5

# If the agent is stuck on a long LLM call, new messages queue up.

# 8. Check for agent run timeout

grep "embedded run timeout" ~/.openclaw/logs/gateway.err.log | tail -5

# Hard limit is 600s (10 min). If the agent's response takes longer, it's killed.

"WhatsApp fully disconnected"

# Check credential files exist (should be ~1400 files)

ls ~/.openclaw/credentials/whatsapp/default/ | wc -l

# If 0 files: session was never created or got wiped

# Fix: re-pair with `openclaw configure`

# Check for QR/pairing events

grep -i "pair\|link\|qr\|scan\|logged out" ~/.openclaw/logs/gateway.log | tail -10

# Check for Baileys errors

grep -i "baileys\|DisconnectReason\|logout\|stream:error" ~/.openclaw/logs/gateway.err.log | tail -20

# Nuclear fix: delete credentials and re-pair

# rm -rf ~/.openclaw/credentials/whatsapp/default/

# openclaw configure

Troubleshooting: Telegram

"Bots have issues / forget things"

Two separate problems that look the same:

# 1. Check for config validation errors (THE COMMON ONE)

grep -i "telegram.*unrecognized\|telegram.*invalid\|telegram.*policy" ~/.openclaw/logs/gateway.err.log | tail -10

# Known issue: the keys "token" and "username" under accounts are not recognized.

# The correct field is "botToken", not "token".

# 2. Check the actual config

cat ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json | jq '.channels.telegram'

# Verify each bot has "botToken" (not "token") and "name" fields.

# 3. Check polling status — bots die after getUpdates timeout

grep -i "telegram.*exit\|telegram.*timeout\|getUpdates" ~/.openclaw/logs/gateway.err.log | tail -10

# "[telegram] [sales] channel exited: Request to 'getUpdates' timed out after 500 seconds"

# This means the bot lost connection to Telegram's API and stopped listening.

# Fix: restart gateway — `openclaw gateway restart`

# 4. Check the polling offset (if bot "forgets" or replays old messages)

cat ~/.openclaw/telegram/update-offset-coder.json

cat ~/.openclaw/telegram/update-offset-sales.json

# If lastUpdateId is stuck or 0, the bot will reprocess old messages.

# To skip to latest: the gateway sets this automatically on restart.

# 5. Check if both bots are starting

grep -i "telegram.*starting\|telegram.*coder\|telegram.*sales" ~/.openclaw/logs/gateway.log | tail -10

# 6. "Bot forgets" — this is usually a session issue, not Telegram

# Each Telegram user gets their own session in sessions.json.

# Check if the session exists:

cat ~/.openclaw/agents/main/sessions/sessions.json | jq -r 'to_entries[] | select(.key | test("telegram")) | "\(.key) | \(.value.origin.label // "?")"'

# 7. Check if compaction happened (context window pruned = "forgot")

SESS_ID="paste-session-id"

grep '"compaction"' ~/.openclaw/agents/main/sessions/$SESS_ID.jsonl | wc -l

# If compaction count > 0, old messages were pruned from context.

# The agent's compaction mode is:

cat ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json | jq '.agents.defaults.compaction'

Telegram config fix template

# Correct Telegram config structure:

cat ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json | jq '.channels.telegram = {

  "enabled": true,

  "accounts": {

    "coder": {

      "name": "Bot Display Name",

      "enabled": true,

      "botToken": "your-bot-token-here"

    },

    "sales": {

      "name": "Sales Bot Name",

      "enabled": true,

      "botToken": "your-bot-token-here"

    }

  },

  "dmPolicy": "pairing",

  "groupPolicy": "disabled"

}' > /tmp/oc.json && mv /tmp/oc.json ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json

Troubleshooting: Signal

"Signal RPC Failed to send message"

This blocks cron jobs and cross-channel notifications.

# 1. Check if signal-cli process is alive

ps aux | grep "[s]ignal-cli"

# 2. Check the RPC endpoint

grep -i "signal.*starting\|signal.*8080\|signal.*rpc" ~/.openclaw/logs/gateway.log | tail -10

# Should see: "[signal] [default] starting provider (http://127.0.0.1:8080)"

# 3. Check for connection instability

grep -i "HikariPool\|reconnecting\|SSE stream error\|terminated" ~/.openclaw/logs/gateway.err.log | tail -10

# "HikariPool-1 - Thread starvation or clock leap detected" = signal-cli internal DB issue

# "SSE stream error: TypeError: terminated" = lost connection to signal-cli daemon

# 4. Check for rate limiting

grep -i "signal.*rate" ~/.openclaw/logs/gateway.err.log | tail -5

# "Signal RPC -5: Failed to send message due to rate limiting"

# 5. Check for wrong target format

grep -i "unknown target" ~/.openclaw/logs/gateway.err.log | tail -5

# "Unknown target "adi" for Signal. Hint: <E.164|uuid:ID|...>"

# The agent must use phone numbers (+1...) or uuid: format, not names.

# 6. Fix profile name warning spam

grep -c "No profile name set" ~/.openclaw/logs/gateway.err.log

# If high count: run signal-cli updateProfile to set a name

# 7. Test signal-cli directly

ACCT=$(cat ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json | jq -r '.channels.signal.account')

echo "Account: $ACCT"

# signal-cli -a $ACCT send -m "test" +TARGET_NUMBER

# 8. Check if the signal-cli daemon needs restart

# The gateway manages signal-cli as a subprocess.

# Restart the whole gateway: openclaw gateway restart

Troubleshooting: Cron Jobs

# 1. Overview of all jobs

cat ~/.openclaw/cron/jobs.json | jq -r '.jobs[] | "\(.enabled | if . then "ON " else "OFF" end) \(.state.lastStatus // "never" | if . == "error" then "FAIL" elif . == "ok" then "OK  " else .  end) \(.name)"'

# 2. Failing jobs with error details

cat ~/.openclaw/cron/jobs.json | jq '.jobs[] | select(.state.lastStatus == "error") | {name, error: .state.lastError, lastRun: (.state.lastRunAtMs | . / 1000 | todate), id}'

# 3. Read the actual run log for a failing job

JOB_ID="paste-job-uuid-here"

tail -20 ~/.openclaw/cron/runs/$JOB_ID.jsonl | python3 -c "

import sys, json

for line in sys.stdin:

    try:

        obj = json.loads(line)

        if obj.get('type') == 'message':

            role = obj['message']['role']

            text = ''.join(c.get('text','') for c in obj['message'].get('content',[]) if isinstance(c,dict))

            if text.strip():

                print(f'[{role}] {text[:300]}')

    except: pass

"

# 4. Common cron failure causes:

#    - "Signal RPC -1" → Signal daemon down, see Signal section above

#    - "gateway timeout after 10000ms" → gateway was restarting when cron fired

#    - "Brave Search 429" → free tier rate limit hit (2000 req/month)

#    - "embedded run timeout" → job took longer than 600s

# 5. Next scheduled run times

cat ~/.openclaw/cron/jobs.json | jq -r '.jobs[] | select(.enabled) | "\(.name): \((.state.nextRunAtMs // 0) | . / 1000 | todate)"'

# 6. Disable a broken job temporarily

cat ~/.openclaw/cron/jobs.json | jq '(.jobs[] | select(.name == "JOB_NAME")).enabled = false' > /tmp/cron.json && mv /tmp/cron.json ~/.openclaw/cron/jobs.json

Troubleshooting: Memory / "It Forgot"

The memory system has 3 layers. When the agent "forgets," one of these broke:

Layer 1: Context window (within a session)

# Check compaction count for a session (compaction = old messages pruned)

grep -c '"compaction"' ~/.openclaw/agents/main/sessions/SESSION_ID.jsonl

# 7 compactions = the agent has "forgotten" its earliest messages 7 times.

# Check compaction mode

cat ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json | jq '.agents.defaults.compaction'

# "safeguard" = only compacts when hitting context limit

Layer 2: Workspace memory files

# What daily memory files exist

ls -la ~/.openclaw/workspace/memory/

# What's in MEMORY.md (long-term curated)

cat ~/.openclaw/workspace/MEMORY.md

# Search memory files for something specific

grep -ri "KEYWORD" ~/.openclaw/workspace/memory/

Layer 3: Vector memory database (SQLite + Gemini embeddings)

# What files are indexed

sqlite3 ~/.openclaw/memory/main.sqlite "SELECT path, size, datetime(mtime/1000, 'unixepoch') as modified FROM files;"

# How many chunks (text fragments) exist

sqlite3 ~/.openclaw/memory/main.sqlite "SELECT COUNT(*) FROM chunks;"

# Search chunks by text (FTS5 full-text search)

sqlite3 ~/.openclaw/memory/main.sqlite "SELECT substr(text, 1, 200) FROM chunks_fts WHERE chunks_fts MATCH 'KEYWORD' LIMIT 5;"

# Check embedding config

sqlite3 ~/.openclaw/memory/main.sqlite "SELECT value FROM meta WHERE key='memory_index_meta_v1';" | python3 -m json.tool

# Check for Gemini embedding rate limits (breaks indexing)

grep -i "gemini.*batch.*failed\|RESOURCE_EXHAUSTED\|429" ~/.openclaw/logs/gateway.err.log | tail -10

# "embeddings: gemini batch failed (2/2); disabling batch" = indexing degraded

# Rebuild memory index (re-index all workspace files)

# Delete the DB and restart gateway — it will rebuild:

# rm ~/.openclaw/memory/main.sqlite && openclaw gateway restart

Searching Sessions

Find a person's conversations

# Search session index by name (case-insensitive)

cat ~/.openclaw/agents/main/sessions/sessions.json | jq -r 'to_entries[] | select(.value.origin.label // "" | test("NAME"; "i")) | "\(.value.sessionId) | \(.value.lastChannel) | \(.value.origin.label)"'

Find sessions by channel

cat ~/.openclaw/agents/main/sessions/sessions.json | jq -r 'to_entries[] | select(.value.lastChannel == "whatsapp") | "\(.value.sessionId) | \(.value.origin.label // .key)"'

# Replace "whatsapp" with: signal, telegram, or check .key for cron sessions

Most recent sessions

cat ~/.openclaw/agents/main/sessions/sessions.json | jq -r '[to_entries[] | {id: .value.sessionId, updated: .value.updatedAt, label: (.value.origin.label // .key), ch: (.value.lastChannel // "cron")}] | sort_by(.updated) | reverse | .[:10][] | "\(.updated | . / 1000 | todate) | \(.ch) | \(.label)"'

Search message content across all sessions

# Quick: find which session files contain a keyword

grep -l "KEYWORD" ~/.openclaw/agents/main/sessions/*.jsonl

# Detailed: show matching messages with timestamps

grep "KEYWORD" ~/.openclaw/agents/main/sessions/*.jsonl | python3 -c "

import sys, json

for line in sys.stdin:

    path, data = line.split(':', 1)

    try:

        obj = json.loads(data)

        if obj.get('type') == 'message':

            role = obj['message']['role']

            text = ''.join(c.get('text','') for c in obj['message'].get('content',[]) if isinstance(c,dict))

            if text.strip():

                sid = path.split('/')[-1].replace('.jsonl','')[:8]

                ts = obj.get('timestamp','')[:19]

                print(f'{ts} [{sid}] [{role}] {text[:200]}')

    except: pass

" | head -30

Read a specific session transcript

# Last 30 messages from a session

tail -50 ~/.openclaw/agents/main/sessions/SESSION_ID.jsonl | python3 -c "

import sys, json

for line in sys.stdin:

    try:

        obj = json.loads(line)

        if obj.get('type') == 'message':

            role = obj['message']['role']

            text = ''.join(c.get('text','') for c in obj['message'].get('content',[]) if isinstance(c,dict))

            if text.strip() and role != 'toolResult':

                print(f'[{role}] {text[:300]}')

                print()

    except: pass

"

Config Editing

Safe edit pattern

Always: backup, edit with jq, restart.

cp ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json.bak.manual

jq 'YOUR_EDIT_HERE' ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json > /tmp/oc.json && mv /tmp/oc.json ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json

openclaw gateway restart

Common edits

# Switch WhatsApp to allowlist

jq '.channels.whatsapp.dmPolicy = "allowlist" | .channels.whatsapp.allowFrom = ["+1XXXXXXXXXX"]' ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json > /tmp/oc.json && mv /tmp/oc.json ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json

# Enable WhatsApp autopilot (bot responds as you to everyone)

jq '.channels.whatsapp += {dmPolicy: "open", selfChatMode: false, allowFrom: ["*"]}' ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json > /tmp/oc.json && mv /tmp/oc.json ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json

# Add number to Signal allowlist

jq '.channels.signal.allowFrom += ["+1XXXXXXXXXX"]' ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json > /tmp/oc.json && mv /tmp/oc.json ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json

# Change model

jq '.agents.defaults.models = {"anthropic/claude-sonnet-4": {"alias": "sonnet"}}' ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json > /tmp/oc.json && mv /tmp/oc.json ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json

# Set concurrency

jq '.agents.defaults.maxConcurrent = 10 | .agents.defaults.subagents.maxConcurrent = 10' ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json > /tmp/oc.json && mv /tmp/oc.json ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json

# Disable a plugin

jq '.plugins.entries.imessage.enabled = false' ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json > /tmp/oc.json && mv /tmp/oc.json ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json

Restore from backup

# Latest backup

cp ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json.bak ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json

# List all backups by date

ls -lt ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json.bak*

# Validate JSON before restart

python3 -m json.tool ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json > /dev/null && echo "OK" || echo "BROKEN"

# Nuclear reset

openclaw configure

Channel Security Modes

Mode

Behavior

Risk

open + allowFrom: ["*"]

Anyone can message, bot responds to all

HIGH — burns API credits, bot speaks as you

allowlist + allowFrom: ["+1..."]

Only listed numbers get through

LOW — explicit control

pairing

Unknown senders get a code, you approve

LOW — approval gate

disabled

Channel completely off

NONE

Check current security posture

cat ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json | jq '{

  whatsapp: {policy: .channels.whatsapp.dmPolicy, from: .channels.whatsapp.allowFrom, groups: .channels.whatsapp.groupPolicy, selfChat: .channels.whatsapp.selfChatMode},

  signal: {policy: .channels.signal.dmPolicy, from: .channels.signal.allowFrom, groups: .channels.signal.groupPolicy},

  telegram: {policy: .channels.telegram.dmPolicy, groups: .channels.telegram.groupPolicy, bots: [.channels.telegram.accounts | to_entries[] | "\(.key)=\(.value.enabled)"]},

  imessage: {enabled: .channels.imessage.enabled, policy: .channels.imessage.dmPolicy}

}'

Workspace Files

File

What

When to edit

SOUL.md

Personality: tone, style ("no em dashes, lowercase casual")

To change how the bot talks

IDENTITY.md

Name (Jarvis), creature type, emoji

To rebrand

USER.md

Owner info, preferences

When user context changes

AGENTS.md

Operating rules: memory protocol, safety, group chat behavior, heartbeat instructions

To change bot behavior

BOOT.md

Startup instructions (autopilot notification protocol: WA → Signal)

To change what happens on boot

HEARTBEAT.md

Periodic checklist (empty = no heartbeat API calls)

To add/remove periodic tasks

MEMORY.md

Curated long-term memory (loaded only in main/direct sessions)

Bot manages this itself

TOOLS.md

Contacts, SSH hosts, device nicknames

To add local tool notes

memory/*.md

Daily raw logs, topic-specific chat logs

Bot writes automatically

Session JSONL Format

Each .jsonl file has one JSON object per line. Types:

type

What

session

Session header: id, timestamp, cwd

message

Conversation turn: role (user/assistant/toolResult), content, model, usage

custom

Metadata: model-snapshot, openclaw.cache-ttl

compaction

Context window was pruned (old messages dropped)

model_change

Model was switched mid-session

thinking_level_change

Thinking level adjusted

Session index (sessions.json) keys:

• Pattern: agent:main:{channel}:{contact} or agent:main:cron:{job-uuid}

• Fields: sessionId (UUID = filename), lastChannel, origin.label (human name), origin.from (canonical address), updatedAt (epoch ms), chatType (direct/group)

Gateway Startup Sequence

Normal startup takes ~3 seconds:

[heartbeat] started

[gateway] listening on ws://127.0.0.1:18789

[browser/service] Browser control service ready

[hooks] loaded 3 internal hook handlers (boot-md, command-logger, session-memory)

[whatsapp] [default] starting provider

[signal] [default] starting provider (http://127.0.0.1:8080)

[telegram] [coder] starting provider

[telegram] [sales] starting provider

[whatsapp] Listening for personal WhatsApp inbound messages.

[signal] signal-cli: Started HTTP server on /127.0.0.1:8080

If any line is missing, that component failed to start. Check gateway.err.log.

Known Error Patterns

Error

Meaning

Fix

Web connection closed (status 408)

WhatsApp web timeout, auto-retries up to 12x

Usually self-heals. If reaches 12/12, restart gateway

Signal RPC -1: Failed to send message

signal-cli daemon lost connection

Restart gateway

Signal RPC -5: Failed to send message due to rate limiting

Signal rate limit

Wait and retry, reduce message frequency

No profile name set (signal-cli WARN)

Floods logs, harmless

signal-cli -a +ACCOUNT updateProfile --given-name "Name"

Cross-context messaging denied

Agent tried to send across channels

Not a bug — security guardrail. Message must originate from correct channel session

getUpdates timed out after 500 seconds

Telegram bot lost polling connection

Restart gateway

Unrecognized keys: "token", "username"

Wrong config keys for Telegram bots

Use botToken not token in openclaw.json

RESOURCE_EXHAUSTED (Gemini 429)

Embedding rate limit

Reduce workspace file churn, or upgrade Gemini quota

lane wait exceeded

Agent blocked on long LLM call

Wait, or restart if stuck > 2 min

embedded run timeout: timeoutMs=600000

Agent response exceeded 10 min

Break task into smaller pieces

gateway timeout after 10000ms

Gateway unreachable during restart window

Cron fired while gateway was down — transient

Extending OpenClaw

OpenClaw has 4 extension layers. Each solves a different problem:

Layer

What

Where

How to add

Skills

Knowledge + workflows the agent loads on demand

/opt/homebrew/lib/node_modules/openclaw/skills/ or ~/.openclaw/workspace/skills/

clawdhub install <slug> or npx add-skill <repo>

Extensions

Custom channel plugins (TypeScript)

~/.openclaw/extensions/{name}/

Create openclaw.plugin.json + TypeScript source

Channels

Messaging platforms (built-in)

openclaw.json → channels.* + plugins.entries.*

Configure in openclaw.json, add credentials

Cron jobs

Scheduled autonomous tasks

~/.openclaw/cron/jobs.json

Agent creates them via tool, or edit jobs.json directly

Skills: ClawdHub Ecosystem

Skills are the primary way to extend what the agent knows and can do. They're markdown files with optional scripts/assets that get loaded into context when relevant.

# Search for skills (vector search across the registry)

clawdhub search "postgres optimization"

clawdhub search "image generation"

# Browse latest skills

clawdhub explore

# Install a skill

clawdhub install supabase-postgres-best-practices

clawdhub install nano-banana-pro

# Install a specific version

clawdhub install my-skill --version 1.2.3

# List what's installed

clawdhub list

# Update all installed skills

clawdhub update --all

# Update a specific skill

clawdhub update my-skill

clawdhub update my-skill --force  # overwrite local changes

Currently installed skills (bundled with OpenClaw):

Category

Skills

Messaging

discord, slack, imsg, wacli, voice-call

Social/Web

bird (X/Twitter), blogwatcher, github, trello, notion

Google

gog, google-workspace-mcp, goplaces, local-places

Media

nano-banana-pro (Gemini image gen), openai-image-gen, video-frames, gifgrep, pixelation, sag (TTS), openai-whisper, sherpa-onnx-tts, songsee, camsnap

Coding agents

coding-agent (Codex/Claude Code/Pi), ccbg (background runner), tmux

Productivity

apple-notes, apple-reminders, bear-notes, things-mac, obsidian, himalaya (email)

Smart home

openhue (Philips Hue), eightctl (Eight Sleep), sonoscli, blucli (BluOS)

Dev tools

github, worktree, starter, desktop, supabase-postgres-best-practices, superdesign

Content

remotion-best-practices, remotion-fastest-tech-stack, humanizer, summarize, market, buildinpublic

Meta

skill-creator, clawdhub, find-skills, add-skill, model-usage, session-logs, recentplans, canvas

Creating Your Own Skill

A skill is just a folder with a SKILL.md:

my-skill/

├── SKILL.md              # Required: YAML frontmatter + markdown instructions

├── scripts/              # Optional: executable scripts

├── references/           # Optional: docs loaded on demand

└── assets/               # Optional: templates, images

SKILL.md format:

---

name: my-skill

description: What this does and WHEN to trigger it. The description is the primary

  trigger — the agent reads this to decide whether to load the full skill.

---

# My Skill

Instructions go here. Only loaded AFTER the skill triggers.

Keep under 500 lines. Split large content into references/ files.

Key principle: the context window is a shared resource. Only include what the agent doesn't already know. Prefer concise examples over verbose explanations.

# Publish to ClawdHub

clawdhub login

clawdhub publish ./my-skill --slug my-skill --name "My Skill" --version 1.0.0

# Or publish to GitHub for npx add-skill

# (see add-skill skill for details)

Multi-Agent Orchestration

OpenClaw can spawn other AI agents (Codex, Claude Code, Pi) as background workers. This is how you run parallel coding tasks, reviews, or any work that benefits from multiple agents.

The pattern: bash pty:true background:true workdir:/path command:"agent 'task'"

# Spawn Codex to build something (background, auto-approve)

bash pty:true workdir:~/project background:true command:"codex exec --full-auto 'Build a REST API for todos'"

# Returns sessionId for tracking

# Spawn Claude Code on a different task

bash pty:true workdir:~/other-project background:true command:"claude 'Refactor the auth module'"

# Monitor all running agents

process action:list

# Check output of a specific agent

process action:log sessionId:XXX

# Send input if agent asks a question

process action:submit sessionId:XXX data:"yes"

# Kill a stuck agent

process action:kill sessionId:XXX

Parallel PR reviews:

# Fetch all PR refs

git fetch origin '+refs/pull/*/head:refs/remotes/origin/pr/*'

# Launch one agent per PR

bash pty:true workdir:~/project background:true command:"codex exec 'Review PR #86. git diff origin/main...origin/pr/86'"

bash pty:true workdir:~/project background:true command:"codex exec 'Review PR #87. git diff origin/main...origin/pr/87'"

Parallel issue fixing with git worktrees:

git worktree add -b fix/issue-78 /tmp/issue-78 main

git worktree add -b fix/issue-99 /tmp/issue-99 main

bash pty:true workdir:/tmp/issue-78 background:true command:"codex --yolo 'Fix issue #78: description. Commit and push.'"

bash pty:true workdir:/tmp/issue-99 background:true command:"codex --yolo 'Fix issue #99: description. Commit and push.'"

Auto-notify when agent finishes:

bash pty:true workdir:~/project background:true command:"codex --yolo exec 'Your task.

When completely finished, run: openclaw gateway wake --text \"Done: summary\" --mode now'"

Adding a New Channel

Channels are messaging platforms the agent can communicate through. Built-in: WhatsApp, Signal, Telegram, iMessage, Discord, Slack.

Enable a built-in channel:

# 1. Enable the plugin

jq '.plugins.entries.discord.enabled = true' ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json > /tmp/oc.json && mv /tmp/oc.json ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json

# 2. Add channel config

jq '.channels.discord = {enabled: true, dmPolicy: "pairing", groupPolicy: "disabled"}' ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json > /tmp/oc.json && mv /tmp/oc.json ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json

# 3. Add credentials (channel-specific)

# 4. Restart gateway

openclaw gateway restart

Build a custom channel extension:

~/.openclaw/extensions/{name}/

├── openclaw.plugin.json    # {"id": "name", "channels": ["name"], "configSchema": {...}}

├── package.json            # Standard npm package

├── index.ts                # Entry point

└── src/

    ├── channel.ts          # Inbound message handling + outbound send

    ├── actions.ts          # Tool actions the agent can invoke

    ├── runtime.ts          # Lifecycle: start, stop, health check

    ├── config-schema.ts    # JSON schema for plugin config

    └── types.ts            # TypeScript types

# List installed extensions

ls ~/.openclaw/extensions/

# View extension manifests

cat ~/.openclaw/extensions/*/openclaw.plugin.json | jq .

# Check extension source files

find ~/.openclaw/extensions/ -name "*.ts" -not -path "*/node_modules/*"

Cross-Channel Communication

The agent can receive on one channel and send on another, but there are guardrails:

# Check cross-context settings

cat ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json | jq '.tools.message.crossContext'

# allowAcrossProviders: true = agent CAN send across channels

# marker.enabled: false = no "[via Signal]" prefix on cross-channel messages

# If you see "Cross-context messaging denied" errors:

# The agent tried to send from a session bound to channel A to channel B.

# This is a security feature. To allow it:

jq '.tools.message.crossContext.allowAcrossProviders = true' ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json > /tmp/oc.json && mv /tmp/oc.json ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json

BOOT.md notification protocol (already configured):

The agent receives WhatsApp messages, responds on WhatsApp, then sends a notification summary to Signal. This is the primary cross-channel pattern — autopilot on one channel, control center on another.

Canvas: Web UI for Connected Devices

Push HTML/games/dashboards to connected Mac/iOS/Android nodes:

# Check canvas config

cat ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json | jq '.canvasHost // "not configured"'

# List connected nodes

openclaw nodes list

# Present HTML content on a node

# canvas action:present node:<node-id> target:http://localhost:18793/__moltbot__/canvas/my-page.html

# Canvas files live in:

ls ~/.openclaw/canvas/

Voice Calls

Initiate phone calls via Twilio/Telnyx/Plivo:

# Check if voice-call plugin is enabled

cat ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json | jq '.plugins.entries["voice-call"] // "not configured"'

# CLI usage

openclaw voicecall call --to "+15555550123" --message "Hello"

openclaw voicecall status --call-id <id>

Cron: Scheduled Autonomous Tasks

# View all jobs

cat ~/.openclaw/cron/jobs.json | jq '.jobs[] | {name, enabled, schedule: .schedule, channel: .payload.channel, to: .payload.to}'

# Job schedule types:

# "kind": "at", "atMs": <epoch>          — one-shot at specific time

# "kind": "every", "everyMs": <ms>       — recurring interval

# Job delivery targets:

# channel + to fields determine where results go (signal, whatsapp, telegram)

# sessionTarget: "isolated" = fresh context each run (no memory of previous runs)

# To add a job, the agent creates it via tool, or edit jobs.json:

# See existing jobs as templates in ~/.openclaw/cron/jobs.json

License

MIT