openclaw/skills/openclaw-docs/references/cli-commands.md

OpenClaw CLI Commands Reference

Core Commands

openclaw agent

Run an agent turn via the Gateway or locally.

# Basic usage with message
openclaw agent --to +15555550123 --message "status update"

# Use specific agent
openclaw agent --agent ops --message "Summarize logs"

# Target existing session
openclaw agent --session-id 1234 --message "Continue task"

# Run locally (bypass gateway)
openclaw agent --local --agent test --message "Hello"

# Deliver response to channel
openclaw agent --to +15555550123 --message "Report" --deliver

# Custom thinking level
openclaw agent --session-id 1234 --message "Complex task" --thinking medium

# JSON output
openclaw agent --agent ops --message "Get data" --json

# Override delivery channel/target
openclaw agent --agent ops --message "Alert" --deliver --reply-channel slack --reply-to "#alerts"

Options:

• -m, --message <text> - Message body for the agent
• -t, --to <number> - Recipient number in E.164 format
• --session-id <id> - Explicit session ID
• --agent <id> - Agent ID (overrides routing)
• --thinking <level> - Thinking level: off | minimal | low | medium | high
• --verbose <on|off> - Persist verbose level for session
• --channel <channel> - Delivery channel
• --reply-to <target> - Delivery target override
• --reply-channel <channel> - Delivery channel override
• --local - Run embedded agent locally
• --deliver - Send reply back to channel
• --json - Output result as JSON
• --timeout <seconds> - Override agent timeout

openclaw gateway

Gateway management and control.

# Start gateway
openclaw gateway run

# Start with custom binding
openclaw gateway run --bind loopback

# Start with custom port
openclaw gateway run --port 18790

# Force start (kill existing)
openclaw gateway run --force

# Start in background
nohup openclaw gateway run > /tmp/openclaw-gateway.log 2>&1 &

Options:

• --bind <mode> - Binding mode: loopback | lan | public
• --port <number> - Port number (default: 18789)
• --force - Kill existing gateway before starting

openclaw channels

Channel status and management.

# List all channels
openclaw channels list

# Get channel status
openclaw channels status

# Probe channels (deep check)
openclaw channels status --deep

# Status for all channels (read-only)
openclaw channels status --all

# Check specific channel
openclaw channels status telegram

Options:

• --deep - Probe actual connectivity
• --all - Show all channels (read-only format)
• --probe - Test channel connectivity

openclaw skills

Skill management.

# List all skills
openclaw skills list

# Show skill details
openclaw skills info <skill-name>

# Check skill readiness
openclaw skills check

openclaw config

Configuration management.

# Interactive wizard
openclaw config

# Get config value
openclaw config get <path>

# Set config value
openclaw config set <path> <value>

# Unset config value
openclaw config unset <path>

# Configure specific section
openclaw config --section gateway

See references/config-guide.md for detailed configuration options.

openclaw login

Provider authentication.

# Login to web provider
openclaw login

# Login to specific provider
openclaw login --provider anthropic

openclaw doctor

Diagnostic and troubleshooting tool.

# Run diagnostics
openclaw doctor

# Check specific component
openclaw doctor --check gateway

Helper Commands

openclaw message send

Send messages via channels (advanced).

# Send message (use heredoc for special characters)
openclaw message send --channel telegram --to <chat-id> <<'EOF'
Message with special characters!
EOF

openclaw version

Show version information.

openclaw version

openclaw help

Get help for commands.

# General help
openclaw --help

# Command-specific help
openclaw agent --help
openclaw gateway --help
openclaw config --help

Common Workflows

Start Gateway Locally

# Configure local mode
openclaw config set gateway.mode local

# Start gateway
openclaw gateway run --bind loopback --port 18789

Send Agent Message

# Interactive session
openclaw agent --to +15555550123 --message "Hello"

# With delivery
openclaw agent --to +15555550123 --message "Report" --deliver --channel whatsapp

Check Channel Status

# Quick status
openclaw channels status

# Deep probe
openclaw channels status --deep

# Specific channel
openclaw channels status telegram --probe

Manage Skills

# List available skills
openclaw skills list

# Get skill info
openclaw skills info nvidia-agent

# Search for skills on ClawHub
npx clawhub search <query>

# Install skill from ClawHub
npx clawhub install <skill-name>

Environment Variables

Gateway

• OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_URL - Override gateway URL
• OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKEN - Gateway auth token

Credentials

• ANTHROPIC_API_KEY - Anthropic API key
• OPENAI_API_KEY - OpenAI API key
• NVIDIA_API_KEY - NVIDIA NIM API key
• GOOGLE_API_KEY - Google Gemini API key

Development

• OPENCLAW_DIR - Override default ~/.openclaw directory
• NODE_ENV - Set to development for dev mode
• DEBUG - Enable debug logging

Exit Codes

• 0 - Success
• 1 - General error
• 2 - Invalid arguments or configuration
• 130 - Interrupted (Ctrl+C)

Docs

Full documentation: https://docs.openclaw.ai/

Command-specific docs:

• Agent: https://docs.openclaw.ai/cli/agent
• Gateway: https://docs.openclaw.ai/cli/gateway
• Config: https://docs.openclaw.ai/cli/config
• Skills: https://docs.openclaw.ai/cli/skills