CLI Reference

Complete command reference for OpenClaw - all commands, options, and usage examples

Note: The primary CLI command is openclaw. Both moltbot and clawdbot remain available as compatibility shims for backward compatibility.

Core Commands

onboard

Run the onboarding wizard to set up OpenClaw:

Onboard Command 
openclaw onboard [--install-daemon]
  • --install-daemon - Install Gateway as system service (systemd on Linux, launchd on macOS)

Documentation: The --install-daemon flag installs OpenClaw Gateway as a background service that starts automatically on system boot. This is recommended for production deployments.

Example: openclaw onboard --install-daemon will guide you through initial setup and install the Gateway as a system service.

gateway

Start the Gateway:

Gateway Command 
openclaw gateway [--port PORT] [--bind ADDRESS] [--verbose] [--token TOKEN]
  • --port - Gateway port (default: 18789)
  • --bind - Bind address (default: 127.0.0.1)
  • --verbose - Verbose logging
  • --token - Authentication token

agent

Send a message to the agent:

Agent Command 
openclaw agent --message "your message" [--thinking LEVEL]
  • --message - Message to send
  • --thinking - Thinking level (low, medium, high)

Channel Commands

channels login

Link a channel device (shows QR for WhatsApp):

Channel Login 
openclaw channels login [channel]

channels list

List configured channels:

List Channels 
openclaw channels list

Message Commands

message send

Send a message via a channel:

Send Message 
openclaw message send --target +1234567890 --message "Hello"

Session Commands

sessions list

List active sessions:

List Sessions 
openclaw sessions list

sessions history

View session conversation history:

Session History 
openclaw sessions history [session-id]

Configuration Commands

configure

Interactive configuration:

Configure 
openclaw configure

doctor

Check configuration and diagnose issues:

Doctor 
openclaw doctor [--fix]
  • --fix - Automatically fix common issues found during diagnosis

Example: openclaw doctor --fix will check your configuration and automatically fix issues like permission problems, missing directories, and configuration errors.

Gateway Commands

gateway restart

Restart the Gateway service:

Restart Gateway 
openclaw gateway restart

This command stops the current Gateway instance and starts it again. Useful when you need to reload configuration or recover from errors.

gateway status

Check Gateway status and connection:

Gateway Status 
openclaw gateway status

Shows whether the Gateway is running, the port it's listening on, and connection status.

gateway logs

View Gateway logs:

Gateway Logs 
openclaw gateway logs

Displays recent Gateway log entries for debugging.

Skills Commands

skills list

List all installed skills:

List Skills 
openclaw skills list

Shows all skills installed in your workspace (~/clawd/skills/).

System Commands

status

Check Gateway status:

Status 
openclaw status

health

Check system health:

Health 
openclaw health

update

Update OpenClaw:

Update 
openclaw update [--channel CHANNEL]
  • --channel - Release channel (stable, beta, dev)

restart

Restart OpenClaw Gateway (convenience command):

Restart 
openclaw restart

Shortcut for openclaw gateway restart. Stops and restarts the Gateway service.

Pairing Commands

pairing approve

Approve a pairing request:

Approve Pairing 
openclaw pairing approve <channel> <code>

Skills Commands

skills list

List installed skills:

List Skills 
openclaw skills list

Help & Documentation

Get help for any command:

Help 
openclaw --help
openclaw <command> --help

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