OpenClaw Operations Runbook

Diagnose and fix real problems. Every command here is tested and works.

---

Quick Health Check

Run this first when anything seems wrong. Copy-paste the whole block:

echo "=== GATEWAY ===" && \
ps aux | grep -c "[o]penclaw" && \
echo "=== CONFIG JSON ===" && \
python3 -m json.tool ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json > /dev/null 2>&1 && echo "JSON: OK" || echo "JSON: BROKEN" && \
echo "=== CHANNELS ===" && \
cat ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json | jq -r '.channels | to_entries[] | "\(.key): policy=\(.value.dmPolicy // "n/a") enabled=\(.value.enabled // "implicit")"' && \
echo "=== PLUGINS ===" && \
cat ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json | jq -r '.plugins.entries | to_entries[] | "\(.key): \(.value.enabled)"' && \
echo "=== CREDS ===" && \
ls ~/.openclaw/credentials/whatsapp/default/ 2>/dev/null | wc -l | xargs -I{} echo "WhatsApp keys: {} files" && \
for d in ~/.openclaw/credentials/telegram/*/; do bot=$(basename "$d"); [ -f "$d/token.txt" ] && echo "Telegram $bot: OK" || echo "Telegram $bot: MISSING"; done && \
[ -f ~/.openclaw/credentials/bird/cookies.json ] && echo "Bird cookies: OK" || echo "Bird cookies: MISSING" && \
echo "=== CRON ===" && \
cat ~/.openclaw/cron/jobs.json | jq -r '.jobs[] | "\(.name): enabled=\(.enabled) status=\(.state.lastStatus // "never") \(.state.lastError // "")"' && \
echo "=== RECENT ERRORS ===" && \
tail -10 ~/.openclaw/logs/gateway.err.log 2>/dev/null && \
echo "=== MEMORY DB ===" && \
sqlite3 ~/.openclaw/memory/main.sqlite "SELECT COUNT(*) || ' chunks, ' || (SELECT COUNT(*) FROM files) || ' files indexed' FROM chunks;" 2>/dev/null

---

File Map

~/.openclaw/
├── openclaw.json                    # MAIN CONFIG — channels, auth, gateway, plugins, skills
├── openclaw.json.bak*               # Auto-backups (.bak, .bak.1, .bak.2 ...)
├── exec-approvals.json              # Exec approval socket config
│
├── agents/main/
│   ├── agent/auth-profiles.json     # Anthropic auth tokens
│   └── sessions/
│       ├── sessions.json            # SESSION INDEX — keys are like agent:main:whatsapp:+1234
│       └── *.jsonl                  # Session transcripts (one JSON per line)
│
├── workspace/                       # Agent workspace (git-tracked)
│   ├── SOUL.md                      # Personality, writing style, tone rules
│   ├── IDENTITY.md                  # Name, creature type, vibe
│   ├── USER.md                      # Owner context and preferences
│   ├── AGENTS.md                    # Session behavior, memory rules, safety
│   ├── BOOT.md                      # Boot instructions (autopilot notification protocol)
│   ├── HEARTBEAT.md                 # Periodic task checklist (empty = skip heartbeat)
│   ├── MEMORY.md                    # Curated long-term memory (main session only)
│   ├── TOOLS.md                     # Contacts, SSH hosts, device nicknames
│   ├── memory/                      # Daily logs: YYYY-MM-DD.md, topic-chat.md
│   └── skills/                      # Workspace-level skills
│
├── memory/main.sqlite               # Vector memory DB (Gemini embeddings, FTS5 search)
│
├── logs/
│   ├── gateway.log                  # Runtime: startup, channel init, config reload, shutdown
│   ├── gateway.err.log              # Errors: connection drops, API failures, timeouts
│   └── commands.log                 # Command execution log
│
├── cron/
│   ├── jobs.json                    # Job definitions (schedule, payload, delivery target)
│   └── runs/                        # Per-job run logs: {job-uuid}.jsonl
│
├── credentials/
│   ├── whatsapp/default/            # Baileys session: ~1400 app-state-sync-key-*.json files
│   ├── telegram/{botname}/token.txt # Bot tokens (one per bot account)
│   └── bird/cookies.json            # X/Twitter auth cookies
│
├── extensions/{name}/               # Custom plugins (TypeScript)
│   ├── openclaw.plugin.json         # {"id", "channels", "configSchema"}
│   ├── index.ts                     # Entry point
│   └── src/                         # channel.ts, actions.ts, runtime.ts, types.ts
│
├── identity/                        # device.json, device-auth.json
├── devices/                         # paired.json, pending.json
├── media/inbound/                   # Received images, audio files
├── media/browser/                   # Browser screenshots
├── browser/openclaw/user-data/      # Chromium profile (~180MB)
├── tools/signal-cli/                # Signal CLI binary
├── subagents/runs.json              # Sub-agent execution log
├── canvas/index.html                # Web canvas UI
└── telegram/
    ├── update-offset-coder.json     # {"lastUpdateId": N} — Telegram polling cursor
    └── update-offset-sales.json     # Reset these to 0 to replay missed messages

---

Troubleshooting: WhatsApp

"I sent a message but got no reply"

This is the #1 issue. The message arrives but the bot doesn't respond. Check in this order:

# 1. Is the bot actually running?
grep -i "whatsapp.*starting\|whatsapp.*listening" ~/.openclaw/logs/gateway.log | tail -5

# 2. Check for 408 timeout drops (WhatsApp web disconnects frequently)
grep -i "408\|499\|retry" ~/.openclaw/logs/gateway.err.log | tail -10
# If you see "Web connection closed (status 408). Retry 1/12" — this is normal,
# it auto-recovers. But if retries reach 12/12, the session dropped completely.

# 3. Check for cross-context messaging blocks
grep -i "cross-context.*denied" ~/.openclaw/logs/gateway.err.log | tail -10
# Common: "Cross-context messaging denied: action=send target provider "whatsapp" while bound to "signal""
# This means the agent was in a Signal session and tried to reply on WhatsApp.
# FIX: The message needs to come through in the WhatsApp session context, not Signal.

# 4. Check the session exists for that contact
cat ~/.openclaw/agents/main/sessions/sessions.json | jq -r 'to_entries[] | select(.key | test("whatsapp")) | "\(.key) | \(.value.origin.label // "?")"'

# 5. Check if the sender is allowed
cat ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json | jq '.channels.whatsapp | {dmPolicy, allowFrom, selfChatMode, groupPolicy}'
# If dmPolicy is "allowlist" and the sender isn't in allowFrom, message is silently dropped.

# 6. Check if it's a group message (groups are disabled by default)
cat ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json | jq '.channels.whatsapp.groupPolicy'
# "disabled" means ALL group messages are ignored.

# 7. Check for lane congestion (agent busy with another task)
grep "lane wait exceeded" ~/.openclaw/logs/gateway.err.log | tail -5
# If the agent is stuck on a long LLM call, new messages queue up.

# 8. Check for agent run timeout
grep "embedded run timeout" ~/.openclaw/logs/gateway.err.log | tail -5
# Hard limit is 600s (10 min). If the agent's response takes longer, it's killed.

"WhatsApp fully disconnected"

# Check credential files exist (should be ~1400 files)
ls ~/.openclaw/credentials/whatsapp/default/ | wc -l

# If 0 files: session was never created or got wiped
# Fix: re-pair with `openclaw configure`

# Check for QR/pairing events
grep -i "pair\|link\|qr\|scan\|logged out" ~/.openclaw/logs/gateway.log | tail -10

# Check for Baileys errors
grep -i "baileys\|DisconnectReason\|logout\|stream:error" ~/.openclaw/logs/gateway.err.log | tail -20

# Nuclear fix: delete credentials and re-pair
# rm -rf ~/.openclaw/credentials/whatsapp/default/
# openclaw configure

---

Troubleshooting: Telegram

"Bots have issues / forget things"

Two separate problems that look the same:

# 1. Check for config validation errors (THE COMMON ONE)
grep -i "telegram.*unrecognized\|telegram.*invalid\|telegram.*policy" ~/.openclaw/logs/gateway.err.log | tail -10
# Known issue: the keys "token" and "username" under accounts are not recognized.
# The correct field is "botToken", not "token".

# 2. Check the actual config
cat ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json | jq '.channels.telegram'
# Verify each bot has "botToken" (not "token") and "name" fields.

# 3. Check polling status — bots die after getUpdates timeout
grep -i "telegram.*exit\|telegram.*timeout\|getUpdates" ~/.openclaw/logs/gateway.err.log | tail -10
# "[telegram] [sales] channel exited: Request to 'getUpdates' timed out after 500 seconds"
# This means the bot lost connection to Telegram's API and stopped listening.
# Fix: restart gateway — `openclaw gateway restart`

# 4. Check the polling offset (if bot "forgets" or replays old messages)
cat ~/.openclaw/telegram/update-offset-coder.json
cat ~/.openclaw/telegram/update-offset-sales.json
# If lastUpdateId is stuck or 0, the bot will reprocess old messages.
# To skip to latest: the gateway sets this automatically on restart.

# 5. Check if both bots are starting
grep -i "telegram.*starting\|telegram.*coder\|telegram.*sales" ~/.openclaw/logs/gateway.log | tail -10

# 6. "Bot forgets" — this is usually a session issue, not Telegram
# Each Telegram user gets their own session in sessions.json.
# Check if the session exists:
cat ~/.openclaw/agents/main/sessions/sessions.json | jq -r 'to_entries[] | select(.key | test("telegram")) | "\(.key) | \(.value.origin.label // "?")"'

# 7. Check if compaction happened (context window pruned = "forgot")
SESS_ID="paste-session-id"
grep '"compaction"' ~/.openclaw/agents/main/sessions/$SESS_ID.jsonl | wc -l
# If compaction count > 0, old messages were pruned from context.
# The agent's compaction mode is:
cat ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json | jq '.agents.defaults.compaction'

Telegram config fix template

# Correct Telegram config structure:
cat ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json | jq '.channels.telegram = {
  "enabled": true,
  "accounts": {
    "coder": {
      "name": "Bot Display Name",
      "enabled": true,
      "botToken": "your-bot-token-here"
    },
    "sales": {
      "name": "Sales Bot Name",
      "enabled": true,
      "botToken": "your-bot-token-here"
    }
  },
  "dmPolicy": "pairing",
  "groupPolicy": "disabled"
}' > /tmp/oc.json && mv /tmp/oc.json ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json

---

Troubleshooting: Signal

"Signal RPC Failed to send message"

This blocks cron jobs and cross-channel notifications.

# 1. Check if signal-cli process is alive
ps aux | grep "[s]ignal-cli"

# 2. Check the RPC endpoint
grep -i "signal.*starting\|signal.*8080\|signal.*rpc" ~/.openclaw/logs/gateway.log | tail -10
# Should see: "[signal] [default] starting provider (http://127.0.0.1:8080)"

# 3. Check for connection instability
grep -i "HikariPool\|reconnecting\|SSE stream error\|terminated" ~/.openclaw/logs/gateway.err.log | tail -10
# "HikariPool-1 - Thread starvation or clock leap detected" = signal-cli internal DB issue
# "SSE stream error: TypeError: terminated" = lost connection to signal-cli daemon

# 4. Check for rate limiting
grep -i "signal.*rate" ~/.openclaw/logs/gateway.err.log | tail -5
# "Signal RPC -5: Failed to send message due to rate limiting"

# 5. Check for wrong target format
grep -i "unknown target" ~/.openclaw/logs/gateway.err.log | tail -5
# "Unknown target "adi" for Signal. Hint: <E.164|uuid:ID|...>"
# The agent must use phone numbers (+1...) or uuid: format, not names.

# 6. Fix profile name warning spam
grep -c "No profile name set" ~/.openclaw/logs/gateway.err.log
# If high count: run signal-cli updateProfile to set a name

# 7. Test signal-cli directly
ACCT=$(cat ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json | jq -r '.channels.signal.account')
echo "Account: $ACCT"
# signal-cli -a $ACCT send -m "test" +TARGET_NUMBER

# 8. Check if the signal-cli daemon needs restart
# The gateway manages signal-cli as a subprocess.
# Restart the whole gateway: openclaw gateway restart

---

Troubleshooting: Cron Jobs

# 1. Overview of all jobs
cat ~/.openclaw/cron/jobs.json | jq -r '.jobs[] | "\(.enabled | if . then "ON " else "OFF" end) \(.state.lastStatus // "never" | if . == "error" then "FAIL" elif . == "ok" then "OK  " else .  end) \(.name)"'

# 2. Failing jobs with error details
cat ~/.openclaw/cron/jobs.json | jq '.jobs[] | select(.state.lastStatus == "error") | {name, error: .state.lastError, lastRun: (.state.lastRunAtMs | . / 1000 | todate), id}'

# 3. Read the actual run log for a failing job
JOB_ID="paste-job-uuid-here"
tail -20 ~/.openclaw/cron/runs/$JOB_ID.jsonl | python3 -c "
import sys, json
for line in sys.stdin:
    try:
        obj = json.loads(line)
        if obj.get('type') == 'message':
            role = obj['message']['role']
            text = ''.join(c.get('text','') for c in obj['message'].get('content',[]) if isinstance(c,dict))
            if text.strip():
                print(f'[{role}] {text[:300]}')
    except: pass
"

# 4. Common cron failure causes:
#    - "Signal RPC -1" → Signal daemon down, see Signal section above
#    - "gateway timeout after 10000ms" → gateway was restarting when cron fired
#    - "Brave Search 429" → free tier rate limit hit (2000 req/month)
#    - "embedded run timeout" → job took longer than 600s

# 5. Next scheduled run times
cat ~/.openclaw/cron/jobs.json | jq -r '.jobs[] | select(.enabled) | "\(.name): \((.state.nextRunAtMs // 0) | . / 1000 | todate)"'

# 6. Disable a broken job temporarily
cat ~/.openclaw/cron/jobs.json | jq '(.jobs[] | select(.name == "JOB_NAME")).enabled = false' > /tmp/cron.json && mv /tmp/cron.json ~/.openclaw/cron/jobs.json

---

Troubleshooting: Memory / "It Forgot"

The memory system has 3 layers. When the agent "forgets," one of these broke:

Layer 1: Context window (within a session)

# Check compaction count for a session (compaction = old messages pruned)
grep -c '"compaction"' ~/.openclaw/agents/main/sessions/SESSION_ID.jsonl
# 7 compactions = the agent has "forgotten" its earliest messages 7 times.

# Check compaction mode
cat ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json | jq '.agents.defaults.compaction'
# "safeguard" = only compacts when hitting context limit

Layer 2: Workspace memory files

# What daily memory files exist
ls -la ~/.openclaw/workspace/memory/

# What's in MEMORY.md (long-term curated)
cat ~/.openclaw/workspace/MEMORY.md

# Search memory files for something specific
grep -ri "KEYWORD" ~/.openclaw/workspace/memory/

Layer 3: Vector memory database (SQLite + Gemini embeddings)

# What files are indexed
sqlite3 ~/.openclaw/memory/main.sqlite "SELECT path, size, datetime(mtime/1000, 'unixepoch') as modified FROM files;"

# How many chunks (text fragments) exist
sqlite3 ~/.openclaw/memory/main.sqlite "SELECT COUNT(*) FROM chunks;"

# Search chunks by text (FTS5 full-text search)
sqlite3 ~/.openclaw/memory/main.sqlite "SELECT substr(text, 1, 200) FROM chunks_fts WHERE chunks_fts MATCH 'KEYWORD' LIMIT 5;"

# Check embedding config
sqlite3 ~/.openclaw/memory/main.sqlite "SELECT value FROM meta WHERE key='memory_index_meta_v1';" | python3 -m json.tool

# Check for Gemini embedding rate limits (breaks indexing)
grep -i "gemini.*batch.*failed\|RESOURCE_EXHAUSTED\|429" ~/.openclaw/logs/gateway.err.log | tail -10
# "embeddings: gemini batch failed (2/2); disabling batch" = indexing degraded

# Rebuild memory index (re-index all workspace files)
# Delete the DB and restart gateway — it will rebuild:
# rm ~/.openclaw/memory/main.sqlite && openclaw gateway restart

---

Searching Sessions

Find a person's conversations

# Search session index by name (case-insensitive)
cat ~/.openclaw/agents/main/sessions/sessions.json | jq -r 'to_entries[] | select(.value.origin.label // "" | test("NAME"; "i")) | "\(.value.sessionId) | \(.value.lastChannel) | \(.value.origin.label)"'

Find sessions by channel

cat ~/.openclaw/agents/main/sessions/sessions.json | jq -r 'to_entries[] | select(.value.lastChannel == "whatsapp") | "\(.value.sessionId) | \(.value.origin.label // .key)"'
# Replace "whatsapp" with: signal, telegram, or check .key for cron sessions

Most recent sessions

cat ~/.openclaw/agents/main/sessions/sessions.json | jq -r '[to_entries[] | {id: .value.sessionId, updated: .value.updatedAt, label: (.value.origin.label // .key), ch: (.value.lastChannel // "cron")}] | sort_by(.updated) | reverse | .[:10][] | "\(.updated | . / 1000 | todate) | \(.ch) | \(.label)"'

Search message content across all sessions

# Quick: find which session files contain a keyword
grep -l "KEYWORD" ~/.openclaw/agents/main/sessions/*.jsonl

# Detailed: show matching messages with timestamps
grep "KEYWORD" ~/.openclaw/agents/main/sessions/*.jsonl | python3 -c "
import sys, json
for line in sys.stdin:
    path, data = line.split(':', 1)
    try:
        obj = json.loads(data)
        if obj.get('type') == 'message':
            role = obj['message']['role']
            text = ''.join(c.get('text','') for c in obj['message'].get('content',[]) if isinstance(c,dict))
            if text.strip():
                sid = path.split('/')[-1].replace('.jsonl','')[:8]
                ts = obj.get('timestamp','')[:19]
                print(f'{ts} [{sid}] [{role}] {text[:200]}')
    except: pass
" | head -30

Read a specific session transcript

# Last 30 messages from a session
tail -50 ~/.openclaw/agents/main/sessions/SESSION_ID.jsonl | python3 -c "
import sys, json
for line in sys.stdin:
    try:
        obj = json.loads(line)
        if obj.get('type') == 'message':
            role = obj['message']['role']
            text = ''.join(c.get('text','') for c in obj['message'].get('content',[]) if isinstance(c,dict))
            if text.strip() and role != 'toolResult':
                print(f'[{role}] {text[:300]}')
                print()
    except: pass
"

---

Config Editing

Safe edit pattern

Always: backup, edit with jq, restart.

cp ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json.bak.manual
jq 'YOUR_EDIT_HERE' ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json > /tmp/oc.json && mv /tmp/oc.json ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json
openclaw gateway restart

Common edits

# Switch WhatsApp to allowlist
jq '.channels.whatsapp.dmPolicy = "allowlist" | .channels.whatsapp.allowFrom = ["+1XXXXXXXXXX"]' ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json > /tmp/oc.json && mv /tmp/oc.json ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json

# Enable WhatsApp autopilot (bot responds as you to everyone)
jq '.channels.whatsapp += {dmPolicy: "open", selfChatMode: false, allowFrom: ["*"]}' ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json > /tmp/oc.json && mv /tmp/oc.json ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json

# Add number to Signal allowlist
jq '.channels.signal.allowFrom += ["+1XXXXXXXXXX"]' ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json > /tmp/oc.json && mv /tmp/oc.json ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json

# Change model
jq '.agents.defaults.models = {"anthropic/claude-sonnet-4": {"alias": "sonnet"}}' ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json > /tmp/oc.json && mv /tmp/oc.json ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json

# Set concurrency
jq '.agents.defaults.maxConcurrent = 10 | .agents.defaults.subagents.maxConcurrent = 10' ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json > /tmp/oc.json && mv /tmp/oc.json ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json

# Disable a plugin
jq '.plugins.entries.imessage.enabled = false' ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json > /tmp/oc.json && mv /tmp/oc.json ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json

Restore from backup

# Latest backup
cp ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json.bak ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json

# List all backups by date
ls -lt ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json.bak*

# Validate JSON before restart
python3 -m json.tool ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json > /dev/null && echo "OK" || echo "BROKEN"

# Nuclear reset
openclaw configure

---

Channel Security Modes

Mode	Behavior	Risk
open + allowFrom: ["*"]	Anyone can message, bot responds to all	HIGH — burns API credits, bot speaks as you
allowlist + allowFrom: ["+1..."]	Only listed numbers get through	LOW — explicit control
pairing	Unknown senders get a code, you approve	LOW — approval gate
disabled	Channel completely off	NONE

Check current security posture

cat ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json | jq '{
  whatsapp: {policy: .channels.whatsapp.dmPolicy, from: .channels.whatsapp.allowFrom, groups: .channels.whatsapp.groupPolicy, selfChat: .channels.whatsapp.selfChatMode},
  signal: {policy: .channels.signal.dmPolicy, from: .channels.signal.allowFrom, groups: .channels.signal.groupPolicy},
  telegram: {policy: .channels.telegram.dmPolicy, groups: .channels.telegram.groupPolicy, bots: [.channels.telegram.accounts | to_entries[] | "\(.key)=\(.value.enabled)"]},
  imessage: {enabled: .channels.imessage.enabled, policy: .channels.imessage.dmPolicy}
}'

---

Workspace Files

File	What	When to edit
SOUL.md	Personality: tone, style ("no em dashes, lowercase casual")	To change how the bot talks
IDENTITY.md	Name (Jarvis), creature type, emoji	To rebrand
USER.md	Owner info, preferences	When user context changes
AGENTS.md	Operating rules: memory protocol, safety, group chat behavior, heartbeat instructions	To change bot behavior
BOOT.md	Startup instructions (autopilot notification protocol: WA → Signal)	To change what happens on boot
HEARTBEAT.md	Periodic checklist (empty = no heartbeat API calls)	To add/remove periodic tasks
MEMORY.md	Curated long-term memory (loaded only in main/direct sessions)	Bot manages this itself
TOOLS.md	Contacts, SSH hosts, device nicknames	To add local tool notes
memory/*.md	Daily raw logs, topic-specific chat logs	Bot writes automatically

---

Session JSONL Format

Each .jsonl file has one JSON object per line. Types:

type	What
session	Session header: id, timestamp, cwd
message	Conversation turn: role (user/assistant/toolResult), content, model, usage
custom	Metadata: model-snapshot, openclaw.cache-ttl
compaction	Context window was pruned (old messages dropped)
model_change	Model was switched mid-session
thinking_level_change	Thinking level adjusted

Session index (sessions.json) keys:

• Pattern: agent:main:{channel}:{contact} or agent:main:cron:{job-uuid}
• Fields: sessionId (UUID = filename), lastChannel, origin.label (human name), origin.from (canonical address), updatedAt (epoch ms), chatType (direct/group)

---

Gateway Startup Sequence

Normal startup takes ~3 seconds:

[heartbeat] started
[gateway] listening on ws://127.0.0.1:18789
[browser/service] Browser control service ready
[hooks] loaded 3 internal hook handlers (boot-md, command-logger, session-memory)
[whatsapp] [default] starting provider
[signal] [default] starting provider (http://127.0.0.1:8080)
[telegram] [coder] starting provider
[telegram] [sales] starting provider
[whatsapp] Listening for personal WhatsApp inbound messages.
[signal] signal-cli: Started HTTP server on /127.0.0.1:8080

If any line is missing, that component failed to start. Check gateway.err.log.

---

Known Error Patterns

Error	Meaning	Fix
Web connection closed (status 408)	WhatsApp web timeout, auto-retries up to 12x	Usually self-heals. If reaches 12/12, restart gateway
Signal RPC -1: Failed to send message	signal-cli daemon lost connection	Restart gateway
Signal RPC -5: Failed to send message due to rate limiting	Signal rate limit	Wait and retry, reduce message frequency
No profile name set (signal-cli WARN)	Floods logs, harmless	signal-cli -a +ACCOUNT updateProfile --given-name "Name"
Cross-context messaging denied	Agent tried to send across channels	Not a bug — security guardrail. Message must originate from correct channel session
getUpdates timed out after 500 seconds	Telegram bot lost polling connection	Restart gateway
Unrecognized keys: "token", "username"	Wrong config keys for Telegram bots	Use botToken not token in openclaw.json
RESOURCE_EXHAUSTED (Gemini 429)	Embedding rate limit	Reduce workspace file churn, or upgrade Gemini quota
lane wait exceeded	Agent blocked on long LLM call	Wait, or restart if stuck > 2 min
embedded run timeout: timeoutMs=600000	Agent response exceeded 10 min	Break task into smaller pieces
gateway timeout after 10000ms	Gateway unreachable during restart window	Cron fired while gateway was down — transient

---

Extending OpenClaw

OpenClaw has 4 extension layers. Each solves a different problem:

Layer	What	Where	How to add
Skills	Knowledge + workflows the agent loads on demand	/opt/homebrew/lib/node_modules/openclaw/skills/ or ~/.openclaw/workspace/skills/	clawdhub install <slug> or npx add-skill <repo>
Extensions	Custom channel plugins (TypeScript)	~/.openclaw/extensions/{name}/	Create openclaw.plugin.json + TypeScript source
Channels	Messaging platforms (built-in)	openclaw.json → channels.* + plugins.entries.*	Configure in openclaw.json, add credentials
Cron jobs	Scheduled autonomous tasks	~/.openclaw/cron/jobs.json	Agent creates them via tool, or edit jobs.json directly

Skills: ClawdHub Ecosystem

Skills are the primary way to extend what the agent knows and can do. They're markdown files with optional scripts/assets that get loaded into context when relevant.

# Search for skills (vector search across the registry)
clawdhub search "postgres optimization"
clawdhub search "image generation"

# Browse latest skills
clawdhub explore

# Install a skill
clawdhub install supabase-postgres-best-practices
clawdhub install nano-banana-pro

# Install a specific version
clawdhub install my-skill --version 1.2.3

# List what's installed
clawdhub list

# Update all installed skills
clawdhub update --all

# Update a specific skill
clawdhub update my-skill
clawdhub update my-skill --force  # overwrite local changes

Currently installed skills (bundled with OpenClaw):

Category	Skills
Messaging	discord, slack, imsg, wacli, voice-call
Social/Web	bird (X/Twitter), blogwatcher, github, trello, notion
Google	gog, google-workspace-mcp, goplaces, local-places
Media	nano-banana-pro (Gemini image gen), openai-image-gen, video-frames, gifgrep, pixelation, sag (TTS), openai-whisper, sherpa-onnx-tts, songsee, camsnap
Coding agents	coding-agent (Codex/Claude Code/Pi), ccbg (background runner), tmux
Productivity	apple-notes, apple-reminders, bear-notes, things-mac, obsidian, himalaya (email)
Smart home	openhue (Philips Hue), eightctl (Eight Sleep), sonoscli, blucli (BluOS)
Dev tools	github, worktree, starter, desktop, supabase-postgres-best-practices, superdesign
Content	remotion-best-practices, remotion-fastest-tech-stack, humanizer, summarize, market, buildinpublic
Meta	skill-creator, clawdhub, find-skills, add-skill, model-usage, session-logs, recentplans, canvas

Creating Your Own Skill

A skill is just a folder with a SKILL.md:

my-skill/
├── SKILL.md              # Required: YAML frontmatter + markdown instructions
├── scripts/              # Optional: executable scripts
├── references/           # Optional: docs loaded on demand
└── assets/               # Optional: templates, images

SKILL.md format:

---
name: my-skill
description: What this does and WHEN to trigger it. The description is the primary
  trigger — the agent reads this to decide whether to load the full skill.
---

# My Skill

Instructions go here. Only loaded AFTER the skill triggers.
Keep under 500 lines. Split large content into references/ files.

Key principle: the context window is a shared resource. Only include what the agent doesn't already know. Prefer concise examples over verbose explanations.

# Publish to ClawdHub
clawdhub login
clawdhub publish ./my-skill --slug my-skill --name "My Skill" --version 1.0.0

# Or publish to GitHub for npx add-skill
# (see add-skill skill for details)

Multi-Agent Orchestration

OpenClaw can spawn other AI agents (Codex, Claude Code, Pi) as background workers. This is how you run parallel coding tasks, reviews, or any work that benefits from multiple agents.

The pattern: bash pty:true background:true workdir:/path command:"agent 'task'"

# Spawn Codex to build something (background, auto-approve)
bash pty:true workdir:~/project background:true command:"codex exec --full-auto 'Build a REST API for todos'"
# Returns sessionId for tracking

# Spawn Claude Code on a different task
bash pty:true workdir:~/other-project background:true command:"claude 'Refactor the auth module'"

# Monitor all running agents
process action:list

# Check output of a specific agent
process action:log sessionId:XXX

# Send input if agent asks a question
process action:submit sessionId:XXX data:"yes"

# Kill a stuck agent
process action:kill sessionId:XXX

Parallel PR reviews:

# Fetch all PR refs
git fetch origin '+refs/pull/*/head:refs/remotes/origin/pr/*'

# Launch one agent per PR
bash pty:true workdir:~/project background:true command:"codex exec 'Review PR #86. git diff origin/main...origin/pr/86'"
bash pty:true workdir:~/project background:true command:"codex exec 'Review PR #87. git diff origin/main...origin/pr/87'"

Parallel issue fixing with git worktrees:

git worktree add -b fix/issue-78 /tmp/issue-78 main
git worktree add -b fix/issue-99 /tmp/issue-99 main

bash pty:true workdir:/tmp/issue-78 background:true command:"codex --yolo 'Fix issue #78: description. Commit and push.'"
bash pty:true workdir:/tmp/issue-99 background:true command:"codex --yolo 'Fix issue #99: description. Commit and push.'"

Auto-notify when agent finishes:

bash pty:true workdir:~/project background:true command:"codex --yolo exec 'Your task.

When completely finished, run: openclaw gateway wake --text \"Done: summary\" --mode now'"

Adding a New Channel

Channels are messaging platforms the agent can communicate through. Built-in: WhatsApp, Signal, Telegram, iMessage, Discord, Slack.

Enable a built-in channel:

# 1. Enable the plugin
jq '.plugins.entries.discord.enabled = true' ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json > /tmp/oc.json && mv /tmp/oc.json ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json

# 2. Add channel config
jq '.channels.discord = {enabled: true, dmPolicy: "pairing", groupPolicy: "disabled"}' ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json > /tmp/oc.json && mv /tmp/oc.json ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json

# 3. Add credentials (channel-specific)
# 4. Restart gateway
openclaw gateway restart

Build a custom channel extension:

~/.openclaw/extensions/{name}/
├── openclaw.plugin.json    # {"id": "name", "channels": ["name"], "configSchema": {...}}
├── package.json            # Standard npm package
├── index.ts                # Entry point
└── src/
    ├── channel.ts          # Inbound message handling + outbound send
    ├── actions.ts          # Tool actions the agent can invoke
    ├── runtime.ts          # Lifecycle: start, stop, health check
    ├── config-schema.ts    # JSON schema for plugin config
    └── types.ts            # TypeScript types

# List installed extensions
ls ~/.openclaw/extensions/

# View extension manifests
cat ~/.openclaw/extensions/*/openclaw.plugin.json | jq .

# Check extension source files
find ~/.openclaw/extensions/ -name "*.ts" -not -path "*/node_modules/*"

Cross-Channel Communication

The agent can receive on one channel and send on another, but there are guardrails:

# Check cross-context settings
cat ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json | jq '.tools.message.crossContext'
# allowAcrossProviders: true = agent CAN send across channels
# marker.enabled: false = no "[via Signal]" prefix on cross-channel messages

# If you see "Cross-context messaging denied" errors:
# The agent tried to send from a session bound to channel A to channel B.
# This is a security feature. To allow it:
jq '.tools.message.crossContext.allowAcrossProviders = true' ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json > /tmp/oc.json && mv /tmp/oc.json ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json

BOOT.md notification protocol (already configured): The agent receives WhatsApp messages, responds on WhatsApp, then sends a notification summary to Signal. This is the primary cross-channel pattern — autopilot on one channel, control center on another.

Canvas: Web UI for Connected Devices

Push HTML/games/dashboards to connected Mac/iOS/Android nodes:

# Check canvas config
cat ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json | jq '.canvasHost // "not configured"'

# List connected nodes
openclaw nodes list

# Present HTML content on a node
# canvas action:present node:<node-id> target:http://localhost:18793/__moltbot__/canvas/my-page.html

# Canvas files live in:
ls ~/.openclaw/canvas/

Voice Calls

Initiate phone calls via Twilio/Telnyx/Plivo:

# Check if voice-call plugin is enabled
cat ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json | jq '.plugins.entries["voice-call"] // "not configured"'

# CLI usage
openclaw voicecall call --to "+15555550123" --message "Hello"
openclaw voicecall status --call-id <id>

Cron: Scheduled Autonomous Tasks

# View all jobs
cat ~/.openclaw/cron/jobs.json | jq '.jobs[] | {name, enabled, schedule: .schedule, channel: .payload.channel, to: .payload.to}'

# Job schedule types:
# "kind": "at", "atMs": <epoch>          — one-shot at specific time
# "kind": "every", "everyMs": <ms>       — recurring interval

# Job delivery targets:
# channel + to fields determine where results go (signal, whatsapp, telegram)
# sessionTarget: "isolated" = fresh context each run (no memory of previous runs)

# To add a job, the agent creates it via tool, or edit jobs.json:
# See existing jobs as templates in ~/.openclaw/cron/jobs.json

---

License

MIT