OpenClaw provider

Bridge provider openclaw — gateway token, openclaw.json, and HTTP dispatch

Provider id: openclaw · CtrlNode agent type: OpenClaw

OpenClaw is an open-source agent executor with its own session runtime. The Bridge forwards task intents to the OpenClaw HTTP gateway and streams session output back to CtrlNode.

When to use it

• You already run OpenClaw on the Bridge machine
• You want OpenClaw’s native multi-agent and tool orchestration
• Other steps in the same workflow may use different providers (Claude, Codex, etc.)

Prerequisites

1. Install and start OpenClaw (see OpenClaw docs)
2. Ensure the gateway is reachable (default http://localhost:18789)
3. Configure agents in openclaw.json

Environment variables

Variable	Required	Default	Description
OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKEN	Yes	—	Token from your OpenClaw instance
OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_URL	No	http://localhost:18789	Gateway base URL
BASE_PATH	No	Home directory	Used for path resolution

Example .env:

PAIRING_TOKEN=...
# All providers load automatically; routing uses sync_openclaw_agents from CtrlNode
OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKEN=your_gateway_token
OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_URL=http://localhost:18789

Agent configuration

Agents are defined in openclaw.json at the workspace root:

{
  "agents": [
    {
      "id": "my-agent",
      "name": "My Agent",
      "workspace": "/path/to/workspace"
    }
  ]
}

Register matching agents in CtrlNode Team with agent type OpenClaw. The Bridge discovers local agents from this file and merges registrations from CtrlNode sync.

Run the Bridge

PAIRING_TOKEN=... OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKEN=... ctrlnode

All built-in providers load automatically; routing uses sync_openclaw_agents from CtrlNode when agents are registered. Set API keys and paths in ~/.ctrlnode/.env — see Configuration.

Troubleshooting

Issue	Fix
Bridge warns openclaw.json missing	Create config; OpenClaw is skipped until config exists (other providers still work)
Gateway connection refused	Start OpenClaw before the Bridge
401 from gateway	Rotate OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKEN to match OpenClaw
Agent missing in UI	Register in Team; verify Bridge connected

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