Skip to main content
OpenClaw reads an optional config from ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json. If the file is missing, OpenClaw uses safe defaults. The active config path must be a regular file. OpenClaw-owned writes replace it atomically (rename onto the path), so a symlinked openclaw.json gets its target replaced rather than written through - avoid symlinked config layouts. If you keep config outside the default state directory, point OPENCLAW_CONFIG_PATH directly at the real file. Common reasons to add a config:
  • Connect channels and control who can message the bot
  • Set models, tools, sandboxing, or automation (cron, hooks)
  • Tune sessions, media, networking, or UI
See the full reference for every available field. Agents and automation should use config.schema.lookup for exact field-level docs before editing config. Use this page for task-oriented guidance and Configuration reference for the broader field map and defaults.
New to configuration? Start with openclaw onboard for interactive setup, or check out the Configuration Examples guide for complete copy-paste configs.

​
Minimal config

// ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json
{
  agents: { defaults: { workspace: "~/.openclaw/workspace" } },
  channels: { whatsapp: { allowFrom: ["+15555550123"] } },
}

​
Editing config

openclaw onboard       # full onboarding flow
openclaw configure     # config wizard

​
Strict validation

OpenClaw only accepts configurations that fully match the schema. Unknown keys, malformed types, or invalid values cause the Gateway to refuse to start. The only root-level exception is $schema (string), so editors can attach JSON Schema metadata.
openclaw config schema prints the canonical JSON Schema used by Control UI and validation. config.schema.lookup fetches a single path-scoped node plus child summaries for drill-down tooling. Field title/description docs metadata carries through nested objects, wildcard (*), array-item ([]), and anyOf/ oneOf/allOf branches. Runtime plugin and channel schemas merge in when the manifest registry is loaded. When validation fails:
  • The Gateway does not boot
  • Only diagnostic commands work (openclaw doctor, openclaw logs, openclaw health, openclaw status)
  • Run openclaw doctor to see exact issues
  • Run openclaw doctor --fix (--repair is the same flag; --yes skips prompts) to apply repairs
The Gateway keeps a trusted last-known-good copy after each successful startup, but startup and hot reload do not restore it automatically - only openclaw doctor --fix does. If openclaw.json fails validation (including plugin-local validation), Gateway startup fails or the reload is skipped and the current runtime keeps the last accepted config. A rejected write is also saved as <path>.rejected.<timestamp> for inspection. The Gateway blocks writes that look like accidental clobbers - dropping gateway.mode, losing the meta block, or shrinking the file by more than half - unless the write explicitly allows destructive changes. Promotion to last-known-good is skipped when a candidate contains a redacted secret placeholder such as *** or [redacted].

​
Common tasks

Each channel has its own config section under channels.<provider>. See the dedicated channel page for setup steps:All channels share the same DM policy pattern:
{
  channels: {
    telegram: {
      enabled: true,
      botToken: "123:abc",
      dmPolicy: "pairing",   // pairing | allowlist | open | disabled
      allowFrom: ["tg:123"], // only for allowlist/open
    },
  },
}
Set the primary model and optional fallbacks:
{
  agents: {
    defaults: {
      model: {
        primary: "anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-6",
        fallbacks: ["openai/gpt-5.4"],
      },
      models: {
        "anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-6": { alias: "Sonnet" },
        "openai/gpt-5.4": { alias: "GPT" },
      },
    },
  },
}
  • agents.defaults.models defines the model catalog and acts as the allowlist for /model; provider/* entries filter /model, /models, and model pickers to selected providers while still using dynamic model discovery.
  • Use openclaw config set agents.defaults.models '<json>' --strict-json --merge to add allowlist entries without removing existing models. Plain replacements that would remove entries are rejected unless you pass --replace.
  • Model refs use provider/model format (e.g. anthropic/claude-opus-4-6).
  • agents.defaults.imageMaxDimensionPx controls transcript/tool image downscaling (default 1200); lower values usually reduce vision-token usage on screenshot-heavy runs.
  • See Models CLI for switching models in chat and Model Failover for auth rotation and fallback behavior.
  • For custom/self-hosted providers, see Custom providers in the reference.
DM access is controlled per channel via dmPolicy (default "pairing"):
  • "pairing": unknown senders get a one-time pairing code to approve
  • "allowlist": only senders in allowFrom (or the paired allow store)
  • "open": allow all inbound DMs (requires allowFrom: ["*"])
  • "disabled": ignore all DMs
For groups, use groupPolicy ("allowlist" | "open" | "disabled") plus groupAllowFrom or channel-specific allowlists.See the full reference for per-channel details.
Group messages default to require mention. Configure trigger patterns per agent. Normal group/channel replies post automatically; opt into the message-tool path for shared rooms where the agent should decide when to speak:
{
  messages: {
    visibleReplies: "automatic", // set "message_tool" to require message-tool sends everywhere
    groupChat: {
      visibleReplies: "message_tool", // opt-in; visible output requires message(action=send)
      unmentionedInbound: "room_event", // unmentioned always-on group chatter is quiet context
    },
  },
  agents: {
    list: [
      {
        id: "main",
        groupChat: {
          mentionPatterns: ["@openclaw", "openclaw"],
        },
      },
    ],
  },
  channels: {
    whatsapp: {
      groups: { "*": { requireMention: true } },
    },
  },
}
  • Metadata mentions: native @-mentions (WhatsApp tap-to-mention, Telegram @bot, etc.)
  • Text patterns: safe regex patterns in mentionPatterns
  • Visible replies: messages.visibleReplies can require message-tool sends globally; messages.groupChat.visibleReplies overrides that for groups/channels.
  • See full reference for visible reply modes, per-channel overrides, and self-chat mode.
Use agents.defaults.skills for a shared baseline, then override specific agents with agents.list[].skills:
{
  agents: {
    defaults: {
      skills: ["github", "weather"],
    },
    list: [
      { id: "writer" }, // inherits github, weather
      { id: "docs", skills: ["docs-search"] }, // replaces defaults
      { id: "locked-down", skills: [] }, // no skills
    ],
  },
}
  • Omit agents.defaults.skills for unrestricted skills by default.
  • Omit agents.list[].skills to inherit the defaults.
  • Set agents.list[].skills: [] for no skills.
  • See Skills, Skills config, and the Configuration Reference.
Control how aggressively the gateway restarts channels that look stale:
{
  gateway: {
    channelHealthCheckMinutes: 5,
    channelStaleEventThresholdMinutes: 30,
    channelMaxRestartsPerHour: 10,
  },
  channels: {
    telegram: {
      healthMonitor: { enabled: false },
      accounts: {
        alerts: {
          healthMonitor: { enabled: true },
        },
      },
    },
  },
}
  • Values shown are the defaults. Set gateway.channelHealthCheckMinutes: 0 to disable health-monitor restarts globally.
  • channelStaleEventThresholdMinutes should be greater than or equal to the check interval.
  • Use channels.<provider>.healthMonitor.enabled or channels.<provider>.accounts.<id>.healthMonitor.enabled to disable auto-restarts for one channel or account without disabling the global monitor.
  • See Health Checks for operational debugging and the full reference for all fields.
Give local clients more time to complete the pre-auth WebSocket handshake on loaded or low-powered hosts:
{
  gateway: {
    handshakeTimeoutMs: 30000,
  },
}
  • Default is 15000 milliseconds.
  • OPENCLAW_HANDSHAKE_TIMEOUT_MS still takes precedence for one-off service or shell overrides.
  • Prefer fixing startup/event-loop stalls first; this knob is for hosts that are healthy but slow during warmup.
Sessions control conversation continuity and isolation:
{
  session: {
    dmScope: "per-channel-peer",  // recommended for multi-user
    threadBindings: {
      enabled: true,
      idleHours: 24,
      maxAgeHours: 0,
    },
    reset: {
      mode: "daily",
      atHour: 4,
      idleMinutes: 120,
    },
  },
}
  • dmScope: main (shared) | per-peer | per-channel-peer | per-account-channel-peer
  • threadBindings: global defaults for thread-bound session routing. /focus, /unfocus, /agents, /session idle, and /session max-age bind, unbind, list, and tune this per session (Discord binds threads, Telegram binds topics/conversations).
  • See Session Management for scoping, identity links, and send policy.
  • See full reference for all fields.
Run agent sessions in isolated sandbox runtimes:
{
  agents: {
    defaults: {
      sandbox: {
        mode: "non-main",  // off | non-main | all
        scope: "agent",    // session | agent | shared
      },
    },
  },
}
Build the image first - from a source checkout run scripts/sandbox-setup.sh, or from an npm install see the inline docker build command in Sandboxing § Images and setup.See Sandboxing for the full guide and full reference for all options.
Relay-backed push for public App Store builds uses the hosted OpenClaw relay: https://ios-push-relay.openclaw.ai.Custom relay deployments require a deliberately separate iOS build/deployment path whose relay URL matches the gateway relay URL. If you are using a custom relay build, set this in gateway config:
{
  gateway: {
    push: {
      apns: {
        relay: {
          baseUrl: "https://relay.example.com",
          // Optional. Default: 10000
          timeoutMs: 10000,
        },
      },
    },
  },
}
CLI equivalent:
openclaw config set gateway.push.apns.relay.baseUrl https://relay.example.com
What this does:
  • Lets the gateway send push.test, wake nudges, and reconnect wakes through the external relay.
  • Uses a registration-scoped send grant forwarded by the paired iOS app. The gateway does not need a deployment-wide relay token.
  • Binds each relay-backed registration to the gateway identity that the iOS app paired with, so another gateway cannot reuse the stored registration.
  • Keeps local/manual iOS builds on direct APNs. Relay-backed sends apply only to official distributed builds that registered through the relay.
  • Must match the relay base URL baked into the iOS build, so registration and send traffic reach the same relay deployment.
End-to-end flow:
  1. Install the official iOS app.
  2. Optional: configure gateway.push.apns.relay.baseUrl on the gateway only when using a deliberately separate custom relay build.
  3. Pair the iOS app to the gateway and let both node and operator sessions connect.
  4. The iOS app fetches the gateway identity, registers with the relay using App Attest plus the app receipt, and then publishes the relay-backed push.apns.register payload to the paired gateway.
  5. The gateway stores the relay handle and send grant, then uses them for push.test, wake nudges, and reconnect wakes.
Operational notes:
  • If you switch the iOS app to a different gateway, reconnect the app so it can publish a new relay registration bound to that gateway.
  • If you ship a new iOS build that points at a different relay deployment, the app refreshes its cached relay registration instead of reusing the old relay origin.
Compatibility note:
  • OPENCLAW_APNS_RELAY_BASE_URL and OPENCLAW_APNS_RELAY_TIMEOUT_MS still work as temporary env overrides.
  • Custom gateway relay URLs must match the relay base URL baked into the iOS build; the public App Store release lane rejects custom iOS relay URL overrides.
  • OPENCLAW_APNS_RELAY_ALLOW_HTTP=true remains a loopback-only development escape hatch; do not persist HTTP relay URLs in config.
See iOS App for the end-to-end flow and Authentication and trust flow for the relay security model.
{
  agents: {
    defaults: {
      heartbeat: {
        every: "30m",
        target: "last",
      },
    },
  },
}
  • every: duration string (30m, 2h). Set 0m to disable. Default: 30m.
  • target: last | none | <channel-id> (for example discord, matrix, telegram, or whatsapp)
  • directPolicy: allow (default) or block for DM-style heartbeat targets
  • See Heartbeat for the full guide.
{
  cron: {
    enabled: true,
    maxConcurrentRuns: 8, // default; cron dispatch + isolated cron agent-turn execution
    sessionRetention: "24h",
    runLog: {
      maxBytes: "2mb",
      keepLines: 2000,
    },
  },
}
  • sessionRetention: prune completed isolated run sessions from sessions.json (default 24h; set false to disable).
  • runLog: prune retained cron run-history rows per job. History is stored in SQLite; maxBytes (default 2_000_000) is retained for compatibility with older file-backed run logs, keepLines defaults to 2000.
  • See Cron jobs for feature overview and CLI examples.
Enable HTTP webhook endpoints on the Gateway:
{
  hooks: {
    enabled: true,
    token: "shared-secret",
    path: "/hooks",
    defaultSessionKey: "hook:ingress",
    allowRequestSessionKey: false,
    allowedSessionKeyPrefixes: ["hook:"],
    mappings: [
      {
        match: { path: "gmail" },
        action: "agent",
        agentId: "main",
        deliver: true,
      },
    ],
  },
}
Security note:
  • Treat all hook/webhook payload content as untrusted input.
  • Use a dedicated hooks.token; do not reuse active Gateway auth secrets (gateway.auth.token / OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKEN or gateway.auth.password / OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_PASSWORD).
  • Hook auth is header-only (Authorization: Bearer ... or x-openclaw-token); query-string tokens are rejected.
  • hooks.path cannot be /; keep webhook ingress on a dedicated subpath such as /hooks.
  • Keep unsafe-content bypass flags disabled (hooks.gmail.allowUnsafeExternalContent, hooks.mappings[].allowUnsafeExternalContent) unless doing tightly scoped debugging.
  • If you enable hooks.allowRequestSessionKey, also set hooks.allowedSessionKeyPrefixes to bound caller-selected session keys.
  • For hook-driven agents, prefer strong modern model tiers and strict tool policy (for example messaging-only plus sandboxing where possible).
See full reference for all mapping options and Gmail integration.
Run multiple isolated agents with separate workspaces and sessions:
{
  agents: {
    list: [
      { id: "home", default: true, workspace: "~/.openclaw/workspace-home" },
      { id: "work", workspace: "~/.openclaw/workspace-work" },
    ],
  },
  bindings: [
    { agentId: "home", match: { channel: "whatsapp", accountId: "personal" } },
    { agentId: "work", match: { channel: "whatsapp", accountId: "biz" } },
  ],
}
See Multi-Agent and full reference for binding rules and per-agent access profiles.
Use $include to organize large configs:
// ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json
{
  gateway: { port: 18789 },
  agents: { $include: "./agents.json5" },
  broadcast: {
    $include: ["./clients/a.json5", "./clients/b.json5"],
  },
}
  • Single file: replaces the containing object
  • Array of files: deep-merged in order (later wins), up to 10 nested levels deep
  • Sibling keys: merged after includes (override included values)
  • Relative paths: resolved relative to the including file
  • Path format: include paths must not contain null bytes and must be strictly shorter than 4096 characters before and after resolution
  • OpenClaw-owned writes: when a write changes only one top-level section backed by a single-file include such as plugins: { $include: "./plugins.json5" }, OpenClaw updates that included file and leaves openclaw.json intact
  • Unsupported write-through: root includes, include arrays, and includes with sibling overrides fail closed for OpenClaw-owned writes instead of flattening the config
  • Confinement: $include paths must resolve under the directory holding openclaw.json. To share a tree across machines or users, set OPENCLAW_INCLUDE_ROOTS to a path-list (: on POSIX, ; on Windows) of additional directories that includes may reference. Symlinks are resolved and re-checked, so a path that lexically lives in a config dir but whose real target escapes every allowed root is still rejected.
  • Error handling: clear errors for missing files, parse errors, circular includes, invalid path format, and excessive length

​
Config hot reload

The Gateway watches ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json and applies changes automatically - no manual restart needed for most settings. Direct file edits are treated as untrusted until they validate. The watcher waits for editor temp-write/rename churn to settle, reads the final file, and rejects invalid external edits without rewriting openclaw.json. OpenClaw-owned config writes use the same schema gate before writing (see Strict validation for the clobber/rollback rules that apply to every write). If you see config reload skipped (invalid config) or startup reports Invalid config, inspect the config, run openclaw config validate, then run openclaw doctor --fix for repair. See Gateway troubleshooting for the checklist.

​
Reload modes

ModeBehavior
hybrid (default)Hot-applies safe changes instantly. Automatically restarts for critical ones.
hotHot-applies safe changes only. Logs a warning when a restart is needed - you handle it.
restartRestarts the Gateway on any config change, safe or not.
offDisables file watching. Changes take effect on the next manual restart.
{
  gateway: {
    reload: { mode: "hybrid", debounceMs: 300 },
  },
}

​
What hot-applies vs what needs a restart

Most fields hot-apply without downtime; some hot-applied sections restart just that subsystem (channel, cron, heartbeat, health monitor) rather than the whole Gateway. In hybrid mode, Gateway-restart-required changes are handled automatically.
CategoryFieldsGateway restart needed?
Channelschannels.*, web (WhatsApp) - all built-in and plugin channelsNo (restarts that channel)
Agent & modelsagent, agents, models, routingNo
Automationhooks, cron, agent.heartbeatNo (restarts that subsystem)
Sessions & messagessession, messagesNo
Tools & mediatools, skills, mcp, audio, talkNo
Plugin configplugins.entries.*, plugins.allow, plugins.deny, plugins.enabledNo (reloads plugin runtime)
UI & miscui, logging, identity, bindingsNo
Gateway servergateway.* (port, bind, auth, tailscale, TLS, HTTP, push)Yes
Infrastructurediscovery, browser, plugins.load, plugins.installsYes
gateway.reload and gateway.remote are exceptions under gateway.* - changing them does not trigger a restart. Individual plugins can also override this table: a loaded plugin may declare its own restart-triggering config prefixes (for example the bundled Canvas plugin restarts the Gateway for plugins.enabled, plugins.allow, and plugins.deny, not just its own plugins.entries.canvas), so the actual behavior depends on which plugins are active.

​
Reload planning

When you edit a source file that is referenced through $include, OpenClaw plans the reload from the source-authored layout, not the flattened in-memory view. That keeps hot-reload decisions (hot-apply vs restart) predictable even when a single top-level section lives in its own included file such as plugins: { $include: "./plugins.json5" }. Reload planning fails closed if the source layout is ambiguous.

​
Config RPC (programmatic updates)

For tooling that writes config over the gateway API, prefer this flow:
  • config.schema.lookup to inspect one subtree (shallow schema node + child summaries)
  • config.get to fetch the current snapshot plus hash
  • config.patch for partial updates (JSON merge patch: objects merge, null deletes, arrays replace when explicitly confirmed with replacePaths if entries would be removed)
  • config.apply only when you intend to replace the entire config
  • update.run for explicit self-update plus restart; include continuationMessage when the post-restart session should run one follow-up turn
  • update.status to inspect the latest update restart sentinel and verify the running version after a restart
Agents should treat config.schema.lookup as the first stop for exact field-level docs and constraints. Use Configuration reference when they need the broader config map, defaults, or links to dedicated subsystem references.
Control-plane writes (config.apply, config.patch, update.run) are rate-limited to 3 requests per 60 seconds per deviceId+clientIp. Restart requests coalesce and then enforce a 30-second cooldown between restart cycles. update.status is read-only but admin-scoped because the restart sentinel can include update step summaries and command output tails.
Example partial patch: 
openclaw gateway call config.get --params '{}'  # capture payload.hash
openclaw gateway call config.patch --params '{
  "raw": "{ channels: { telegram: { groups: { \"*\": { requireMention: false } } } } }",
  "baseHash": "<hash>"
}'
Both config.apply and config.patch accept raw, baseHash, sessionKey, note, and restartDelayMs. baseHash is required for both methods once a config file already exists (a first write with no existing config skips the check). config.patch also accepts replacePaths, an array of config paths whose array replacement is intentional. If a patch would replace or delete an existing array with fewer entries, the Gateway rejects the write unless that exact path appears in replacePaths; nested arrays under array entries use [], such as agents.list[].skills. This prevents truncated config.get snapshots from silently clobbering routing or allowlist arrays. Use config.apply when you intend to replace the full config.

​
Environment variables

OpenClaw reads env vars from the parent process plus:
  • .env from the current working directory (if present)
  • ~/.openclaw/.env (global fallback)
Neither file overrides existing env vars. You can also set inline env vars in config: 
{
  env: {
    OPENROUTER_API_KEY: "sk-or-...",
    vars: { GROQ_API_KEY: "gsk-..." },
  },
}
If enabled and expected keys aren’t set, OpenClaw runs your login shell and imports only the missing keys:
{
  env: {
    shellEnv: { enabled: true, timeoutMs: 15000 },
  },
}
Env var equivalent: OPENCLAW_LOAD_SHELL_ENV=1. Default timeoutMs: 15000.
Reference env vars in any config string value with ${VAR_NAME}:
{
  gateway: { auth: { token: "${OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKEN}" } },
  models: { providers: { custom: { apiKey: "${CUSTOM_API_KEY}" } } },
}
Rules:
  • Only uppercase names matched: [A-Z_][A-Z0-9_]*
  • Missing/empty vars throw an error at load time
  • Escape with $${VAR} for literal output
  • Works inside $include files
  • Inline substitution: "${BASE}/v1" → "https://api.example.com/v1"
For fields that support SecretRef objects, you can use:
{
  models: {
    providers: {
      openai: { apiKey: { source: "env", provider: "default", id: "OPENAI_API_KEY" } },
    },
  },
  skills: {
    entries: {
      "image-lab": {
        apiKey: {
          source: "file",
          provider: "filemain",
          id: "/skills/entries/image-lab/apiKey",
        },
      },
    },
  },
  channels: {
    googlechat: {
      serviceAccountRef: {
        source: "exec",
        provider: "vault",
        id: "channels/googlechat/serviceAccount",
      },
    },
  },
}
SecretRef details (including secrets.providers for env/file/exec) are in Secrets Management. Supported credential paths are listed in SecretRef Credential Surface.
See Environment for full precedence and sources.

​
Full reference

For the complete field-by-field reference, see Configuration Reference.
Related: Configuration Examples · Configuration Reference · Doctor