Gateway Won't Start — Troubleshooting Guide
The OpenClaw gateway crashes on startup or won't run. Port conflicts, disk space, or duplicate services.
⚠️ The Problem
Port 18789 is already in use
ENOSPC: no space left on device
gateway closed (1006 abnormal closure)
``
Or the service shows as "activating" but never becomes "active".🔍 Why This Happens
clawdbot service after an upgrade
2. Port conflict — Something else is using port 18789
3. Disk full — No space to write config or logs
4. Telegram connection failure — Gateway crashes on startup trying to connect
5. Invalid config — Syntax error in openclaw.json✅ The Fix
First, run the doctor command to diagnose:
openclaw doctor --fixCheck for duplicate services (common after upgrading from clawdbot):
systemctl --user list-units | grep -E 'clawdbot|openclaw|gateway'pgrep -af 'openclaw|clawdbot'If you find old services, stop and disable them:
systemctl --user stop clawdbot-gateway.servicesystemctl --user disable clawdbot-gateway.serviceCheck disk space:
df -hIf disk is full, clean up old logs:
rm -rf /tmp/openclaw/openclaw-*.logTry starting the gateway manually to see errors:
openclaw gateway start --foreground🔥 Your AI should run your business, not just answer questions.
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📋 Quick Commands
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
| openclaw doctor --fix | Diagnose and fix common issues |
| openclaw gateway status --deep | Detailed gateway status |
| openclaw gateway start --foreground | Start with visible logs |
| lsof -i :18789 | Check what's using the port |
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