OpenClaw provider

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

Install and start OpenClaw (see OpenClaw docs)
Ensure the gateway is reachable (default http://localhost:18789)
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

← All providers

​When to use it

​Prerequisites

​Environment variables

​Agent configuration

​Run the Bridge

​Troubleshooting