openclaw-cli

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Master the OpenClaw CLI - gateway, agents, channels, skills, hooks, and automation

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NPX Install

npx skill4agent add irangareddy/openclaw-essentials openclaw-cli

OpenClaw CLI

Complete reference for openclaw command-line interface operations.

When to Use

Managing OpenClaw gateway, agents, channels, skills, hooks, and automation.

Core Commands

Setup & Onboarding

Initial setup:
bash
# Quick onboarding with daemon install
openclaw onboard --install-daemon

# Setup workspace and config
openclaw setup --workspace ~/.openclaw/workspace

# Interactive configuration
openclaw configure
Health check:
bash
openclaw doctor

Gateway Management

Run gateway:
bash
# Interactive mode
openclaw gateway

# With specific port
openclaw gateway --port 18789

# With tailscale
openclaw gateway --tailscale serve
Gateway service:
bash
# Install as system service
openclaw gateway install

# Control service
openclaw gateway start
openclaw gateway stop
openclaw gateway restart
openclaw gateway status
Gateway health:
bash
openclaw status
openclaw status --deep     # Probe channels
openclaw health

Agent Management

List agents:
bash
openclaw agents list
openclaw agents list --bindings    # Show routing
Add agent:
bash
# Interactive wizard
openclaw agents add <name>

# Non-interactive
openclaw agents add dev \
  --workspace ~/.openclaw/workspace-dev \
  --model claude-sonnet-4.5 \
  --non-interactive
Delete agent:
bash
openclaw agents delete <id>
Set identity:
bash
# From IDENTITY.md
openclaw agents set-identity --agent main --from-identity

# Explicit values
openclaw agents set-identity --agent main \
  --name "MyAgent" \
  --emoji "🤖" \
  --avatar avatars/bot.png

Skills Management

List skills:
bash
openclaw skills list
openclaw skills list --eligible    # Only ready skills
openclaw skills list --json        # JSON output
Skill info:
bash
openclaw skills info <skill-name>
Check eligibility:
bash
openclaw skills check

Hooks Management

List hooks:
bash
openclaw hooks list
openclaw hooks list --eligible
openclaw hooks list --verbose      # Show missing requirements
Hook info:
bash
openclaw hooks info <hook-name>
Enable/disable:
bash
openclaw hooks enable session-memory
openclaw hooks disable command-logger
Install hooks:
bash
# From npm
openclaw hooks install @openclaw/my-hooks

# Local directory
openclaw hooks install ./my-hooks

# Link (development)
openclaw hooks install -l ./my-hooks
Update hooks:
bash
openclaw hooks update <id>
openclaw hooks update --all

Channel Management

List channels:
bash
openclaw channels list
Channel status:
bash
openclaw channels status
openclaw channels status --probe
Add channel:
bash
# Interactive
openclaw channels add

# Telegram bot
openclaw channels add --channel telegram \
  --account alerts \
  --name "Alerts Bot" \
  --token $TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN

# Discord
openclaw channels add --channel discord \
  --account work \
  --token $DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN
Remove channel:
bash
openclaw channels remove --channel telegram --account alerts
openclaw channels remove --channel discord --account work --delete
WhatsApp login:
bash
openclaw channels login --channel whatsapp
Channel logs:
bash
openclaw channels logs
openclaw channels logs --channel whatsapp --lines 100

Models & Authentication

Status:
bash
openclaw models status
openclaw models status --probe               # Live check
openclaw models status --probe-provider anthropic
List models:
bash
openclaw models list
openclaw models list --all
openclaw models list --provider anthropic
Set default:
bash
openclaw models set claude-sonnet-4.5
openclaw models set-image claude-sonnet-4.5
Auth setup:
bash
# Anthropic (recommended)
claude setup-token
openclaw models auth setup-token --provider anthropic

# Or paste token
openclaw models auth paste-token --provider anthropic
Fallbacks:
bash
openclaw models fallbacks list
openclaw models fallbacks add claude-opus-4.6
openclaw models fallbacks remove claude-haiku-4.5
openclaw models fallbacks clear
Scan for models:
bash
openclaw models scan
openclaw models scan --set-default

Messaging

Send message:
bash
openclaw message send \
  --target +15555550123 \
  --message "Hello from OpenClaw"

# Discord channel
openclaw message send \
  --channel discord \
  --target channel:123456 \
  --message "Deployment complete"
Send poll:
bash
openclaw message poll \
  --channel discord \
  --target channel:123 \
  --poll-question "Lunch?" \
  --poll-option "Pizza" \
  --poll-option "Sushi"
Other message operations:
bash
openclaw message read --target +15555550123
openclaw message react --target <id> --emoji "👍"
openclaw message edit --target <id> --message "Updated"
openclaw message delete --target <id>

Browser Control

Status & control:
bash
openclaw browser status
openclaw browser start
openclaw browser stop
openclaw browser tabs
Navigate:
bash
openclaw browser open https://example.com
openclaw browser navigate https://example.com --target-id <id>
Interact:
bash
openclaw browser click "#submit-button"
openclaw browser type "#email" "user@example.com"
openclaw browser press Enter
Capture:
bash
openclaw browser screenshot
openclaw browser screenshot --full-page
openclaw browser snapshot --format ai
Profiles:
bash
openclaw browser profiles
openclaw browser create-profile --name dev
openclaw browser delete-profile --name old

Nodes & Devices

List nodes:
bash
openclaw nodes list
openclaw nodes status --connected
Node operations:
bash
# Describe node
openclaw nodes describe --node <id>

# Run command on node
openclaw nodes run --node <id> --cwd /path -- ls -la

# Notify (macOS)
openclaw nodes notify --node <id> \
  --title "Build Complete" \
  --body "Success" \
  --sound default
Camera:
bash
openclaw nodes camera list --node <id>
openclaw nodes camera snap --node <id> --facing front
openclaw nodes camera clip --node <id> --duration 10s
Canvas:
bash
openclaw nodes canvas snapshot --node <id>
openclaw nodes canvas present --node <id> --target index.html
openclaw nodes canvas hide --node <id>
Screen recording:
bash
openclaw nodes screen record --node <id> --duration 30s

System Commands

System event:
bash
openclaw system event --text "Deployment complete" --mode now
Heartbeat:
bash
openclaw system heartbeat last
openclaw system heartbeat enable
openclaw system heartbeat disable
Presence:
bash
openclaw system presence

Cron Jobs

List jobs:
bash
openclaw cron list
openclaw cron list --all
openclaw cron status
Add job:
bash
# System event every hour
openclaw cron add \
  --name "hourly-check" \
  --every "1h" \
  --system-event "Hourly check"

# Message at specific time
openclaw cron add \
  --name "morning-reminder" \
  --at "09:00" \
  --message "Good morning!"
Manage jobs:
bash
openclaw cron enable <id>
openclaw cron disable <id>
openclaw cron rm <id>
openclaw cron run <id>
Job runs:
bash
openclaw cron runs --id <id> --limit 10

Configuration

Get/set config:
bash
# Get value
openclaw config get agents.defaults.model.primary

# Set value
openclaw config set agents.defaults.model.primary "claude-sonnet-4.5"

# Unset value
openclaw config unset some.config.path

Memory Operations

Memory status:
bash
openclaw memory status
Index memory:
bash
openclaw memory index
Search memory:
bash
openclaw memory search "GraphQL implementation patterns"

Logs

Tail logs:
bash
openclaw logs
openclaw logs --follow
openclaw logs --limit 200
openclaw logs --json

Sandbox

List sandboxes:
bash
openclaw sandbox list
Recreate sandbox:
bash
openclaw sandbox recreate

Security

Security audit:
bash
openclaw security audit
openclaw security audit --deep
openclaw security audit --fix

Plugins

List plugins:
bash
openclaw plugins list
openclaw plugins list --json
Plugin info:
bash
openclaw plugins info <plugin-id>
Install plugin:
bash
openclaw plugins install <path-or-spec>
Enable/disable:
bash
openclaw plugins enable <id>
openclaw plugins disable <id>
Plugin health:
bash
openclaw plugins doctor

Update & Maintenance

Update OpenClaw:
bash
openclaw update
Reset config:
bash
openclaw reset --scope config
openclaw reset --scope config+creds+sessions
openclaw reset --scope full
Uninstall:
bash
openclaw uninstall --service
openclaw uninstall --state
openclaw uninstall --workspace
openclaw uninstall --all

Global Flags

Available everywhere:
bash
--dev               # Use ~/.openclaw-dev for isolation
--profile <name>    # Use ~/.openclaw-<name>
--no-color         # Disable ANSI colors
--json             # Machine-readable output
-V, --version      # Show version

Common Workflows

First-Time Setup

bash
# 1. Onboard with daemon
openclaw onboard --install-daemon

# 2. Pair WhatsApp (or other channel)
openclaw channels login

# 3. Start gateway
openclaw gateway

# 4. Test with message
openclaw message send --target +1234567890 --message "Test"

Multi-Agent Setup

bash
# 1. Add agent
openclaw agents add work --workspace ~/.openclaw/workspace-work

# 2. Set identity
openclaw agents set-identity --agent work --from-identity

# 3. Add binding (in openclaw.json)
# bindings: [{ agentId: "work", match: { channel: "discord" } }]

# 4. List to verify
openclaw agents list --bindings

Hook Automation

bash
# 1. Enable session memory hook
openclaw hooks enable session-memory

# 2. Enable command logger
openclaw hooks enable command-logger

# 3. Verify
openclaw hooks check

# 4. Restart gateway
openclaw gateway restart

Channel Setup

bash
# 1. Add Telegram bot
openclaw channels add --channel telegram \
  --account alerts \
  --token $TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN

# 2. Verify
openclaw channels status

# 3. Send test message
openclaw message send --channel telegram \
  --target <chat-id> \
  --message "Bot online"

Model Configuration

bash
# 1. Setup auth
claude setup-token

# 2. Set default model
openclaw models set claude-sonnet-4.5

# 3. Add fallbacks
openclaw models fallbacks add claude-opus-4.6
openclaw models fallbacks add claude-haiku-4.5

# 4. Verify
openclaw models status

Debugging

Check gateway status:
bash
openclaw status --deep
openclaw doctor
openclaw health
View logs:
bash
openclaw logs --follow
openclaw channels logs --lines 200
Test channel:
bash
openclaw channels status --probe
Check skills/hooks:
bash
openclaw skills check
openclaw hooks check
openclaw plugins doctor

Tips

  1. Use
    --json
    for scripting
    - All commands support JSON output
  2. Profile isolation - Use
    --profile
    for testing without affecting main config
  3. Doctor fixes - Run
    openclaw doctor
    regularly to catch issues
  4. Logs location -
    ~/.openclaw/logs/
    for file logs
  5. Config location -
    ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json
  6. Workspace -
    ~/.openclaw/workspace
    (or custom path)

Resources