🦞OpenClaw Guide

Help Center

Quick fixes for the most common OpenClaw issues

Solutions based on real problems from our Discord community

Quick Commands

openclaw doctor

Diagnose most issues

/new

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openclaw logs

View error details

Common Issues

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Models

Bot Not Responding — Missing API Key

Your OpenClaw bot connects but never replies. Usually caused by a missing or misconfigured API key.

#1
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Telegram

Telegram Connection Failed — WebSocket Error 1006

Telegram messages fail with WebSocket 1006 errors. Usually an IPv4/IPv6 issue on your VPS.

#2
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Gateway

Gateway Won't Start — Troubleshooting Guide

The OpenClaw gateway crashes on startup or won't run. Port conflicts, disk space, or duplicate services.

#3
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Models

Rate Limited — All Models Failed Cooldown

Your bot stops responding with 'all models failed' or provider cooldown errors.

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Sessions

Context Overflow — Prompt Too Large for Model

Long conversations cause 'context overflow' errors. How to fix and prevent it.

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Sessions

Tool Use Error — Unexpected tool_use_id

LLM request rejected with 'unexpected tool_use_id found in tool_result blocks'. Quick fix inside.

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Installation

Update Stuck on Old Version — NPM Migration

Can't update past an old version? The package was renamed from clawdbot to openclaw.

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Browser

Browser Not Working — Extension Relay Setup

Browser automation fails with relay errors. Setup guide for local and remote gateways.

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Authentication

Claude OAuth Not Working — 401 Error

Claude OAuth token expired or invalid. How to re-authenticate.

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Models

Ollama Local LLM — No Output or Broken Tools

Local models via Ollama show empty responses or can't use tools. Configuration tips.

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Installation

OpenClaw Installation Guide — All Platforms (Linux, macOS, Unraid)

Complete installation guide covering gateway setup, Ollama integration, systemd services, and troubleshooting common setup errors like ECONNREFUSED and model loading issues.

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Installation

OpenClaw on Windows — Installation & Common Issues

Step-by-step Windows installation guide covering Node.js setup, WSL2 configuration, LM Studio integration, and troubleshooting Windows-specific issues.

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Installation

Running OpenClaw in Docker — Setup & Troubleshooting

Complete guide to running OpenClaw in Docker containers, including setup on Synology NAS, fixing permission errors, resolving pairing/1008 errors, and configuring volumes for persistent skills.

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Gateway

OpenClaw Gateway Crashes or Won't Start — Complete Fix Guide

Comprehensive troubleshooting for gateway startup failures, 1006/1008 WebSocket errors, token mismatches, health check failures, and platform-specific issues on Windows, macOS, and Linux.

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Models

Setting Up Ollama & Local Models with OpenClaw

Complete guide to configuring Ollama for local LLM inference with OpenClaw, including Docker setup, WSL2 configuration, and troubleshooting common issues like 0/200k tokens and empty responses.

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Models

Model Not Responding — No Output or Empty Replies

Troubleshooting guide for when OpenClaw shows "(no output)" or produces empty responses. Covers authentication issues, gateway problems, model configuration, and platform-specific fixes for VPS, WSL2, and Docker.

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Models

How to Switch Models & Configure Providers in OpenClaw

Complete guide to switching between AI models (Claude, Gemini, Ollama, DeepSeek, OpenRouter) and configuring providers in OpenClaw. Covers local models, Docker setups, and common configuration issues.

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Authentication

Setting Up API Keys for All Providers — Complete Guide

Complete guide to configuring API keys and authentication for all OpenClaw providers including Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, OpenRouter, and OAuth-based services like Gmail. Covers multi-auth, token refresh issues, and proper config file structure.

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Telegram

Telegram Bot Setup — Complete OpenClaw Guide

Complete guide to setting up, configuring, and troubleshooting your Telegram bot with OpenClaw. Covers pairing codes, authorization errors, token issues, plugin configuration, and streaming setup.

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Discord

Discord Bot Setup — OpenClaw Integration Guide

Complete guide to setting up Discord as a channel for OpenClaw. Covers bot creation, permissions, authorization errors, slash commands, duplicate messages, per-channel configuration, and credential storage.

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Memory

Memory & Semantic Search — Setup & Configuration

Complete guide to configuring OpenClaw's memory system, semantic search, embeddings, and fixing common issues like context overflow, memory files not writing, and voice message failures.

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Browser

Browser Automation — Setup, Extensions & Troubleshooting

Complete guide to setting up OpenClaw browser automation, including Chrome Extension Relay, headless browser mode, VPS configurations, remote gateway setups, and fixing common issues like tabs not found and relay not reachable errors.

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Tools

Tools, Skills & MCP — Extending OpenClaw

Complete guide to extending OpenClaw with custom skills, configuring search providers, troubleshooting tool errors, and understanding the skill loading system.

☁️
Hosting

Hosting OpenClaw on a VPS — Complete Guide

Step-by-step guide to running OpenClaw on a VPS including setup, optimization, SSH configuration, troubleshooting disconnects, and best practices for Hetzner, DigitalOcean, Contabo, and Google Cloud.

Automation

Cron Jobs & Heartbeats — Making OpenClaw Proactive

Fix cron jobs that never fire, messages that don't deliver, and heartbeats that interrupt your agent's work. Complete troubleshooting for proactive automation.

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Dashboard

Dashboard & Web UI — Setup & Troubleshooting

Get the OpenClaw web dashboard working, fix connection errors, resolve white-on-white text, and access the UI remotely from VMs or other machines.

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Security

Permissions, Sandbox & Security Settings

Configure sandbox isolation, tool permissions, exec security policies, and macOS permission grants for secure OpenClaw operation.

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Network

Proxy, SSL & Network Connection Issues

Troubleshoot network connectivity, webhook integrations, Copilot Proxy setup, API credential issues, and connection timeouts.

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Configuration

OpenClaw Configuration — Complete Reference

Master OpenClaw configuration: multi-agent setup, browser profiles, CDP ports, Tailscale modes, MCP integrations, and troubleshooting config validation errors.

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Installation

OpenClaw on Mac — Setup & Common Issues

Fix Mac-specific OpenClaw issues: sleep/wake problems, PTY file descriptor leaks (spawn EBADF), EMFILE watcher loops, permission configuration, and multi-tenant isolation on Mac mini.

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Models

Using DeepSeek, MiniMax, Kimi & Alternative Models with OpenClaw

Configure alternative model providers like DeepSeek, MiniMax, Kimi K2.5, and Groq with OpenClaw. Troubleshoot 'no output' issues and learn direct API vs OpenRouter setup.

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Authentication

Antigravity OAuth Errors — Fix 'Version No Longer Supported' and Authentication Issues

Fix the 'This version of Antigravity is no longer supported' error and other Google Antigravity OAuth issues. Includes user-agent patch fix and multi-account setup.

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Authentication

Managing Token Usage & Costs in OpenClaw

Burning through millions of tokens unexpectedly? Learn how to diagnose runaway token consumption, configure context limits, and avoid bill shock with Gemini and other models.

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Models

Rate Limits & Quota Management — Avoid Downtime

Getting HTTP 429 rate limit errors? Learn how to configure model fallbacks, rotate API keys, understand cooldown periods, and keep your agent running when quotas are exhausted.

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iMessage

iMessage & SMS Integration Guide

Complete guide to setting up iMessage integration with OpenClaw, including Full Disk Access permissions, fixing duplicate messages, and troubleshooting common issues.

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Email

Email & Gmail Integration — Setup Guide

How to integrate Gmail and email with OpenClaw using the Gmail Pub/Sub system, gogcli tool, and custom skills. Includes troubleshooting for drafts not appearing and script execution issues.

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Voice

Voice & Text-to-Speech Setup

Configure TTS providers like ElevenLabs, fix MEDIA: path output issues, and set up hands-free voice-only workflows for mobile or car use.

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Advanced

Multi-Agent Architecture — Fleet Setup & Best Practices

Configure multiple OpenClaw agents running 24/7, set up persistent memory, handle OAuth token issues, use multiple models, and fix exec session timeouts.

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Models

Reduce API Costs — Save Money on AI Usage

Slash your OpenClaw API bill by 50-80%. Learn model selection, caching, prompt optimization, and smart fallback strategies.

Still stuck?

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Looking for detailed documentation? Check out the full docs.