OpenClaw
Web: https://openclaw.ai/
Setup
It has a flavour of settings for libvips.
source ~/rds/software/py3.11/bin/activate
module load ceuadmin/libvips/8.18.0
module load ceuadmin/node/22.16.0
npm install -g node-gyp --prefix "$CEUADMIN/OpenClaw/2026.3.8"
npm install -g openclaw --prefix "$CEUADMIN/OpenClaw/2026.3.8"
so that the openclaw binary and packages are installed according to –prefix.
Alternatively,
NPM_CONFIG_PREFIX=$CEUADMIN/OpenClaw/2026.3.8 curl -fsSL https://openclaw.ai/install.sh | bash
# npm install -g openclaw --build-from-source --prefix "$CEUADMIN/OpenClaw/2026.3.8"
OpenClaw is effectively installed as a node modules sitting with node/22.16.0 as a matter of convenience.
Usage
module load ceuadmin/OpenClaw
openclaw --help
which gives,
OpenClaw 2026.3.8 (3caab92)
🦞 OpenClaw 2026.3.8 (3caab92) — I'm the middleware between your ambition and your attention span.
Usage: openclaw [options] [command]
Options:
--dev Dev profile: isolate state under ~/.openclaw-dev, default gateway port 19001, and shift derived ports (browser/canvas)
-h, --help Display help for command
--log-level <level> Global log level override for file + console (silent|fatal|error|warn|info|debug|trace)
--no-color Disable ANSI colors
--profile <name> Use a named profile (isolates OPENCLAW_STATE_DIR/OPENCLAW_CONFIG_PATH under ~/.openclaw-<name>)
-V, --version output the version number
Commands:
Hint: commands suffixed with * have subcommands. Run <command> --help for details.
acp * Agent Control Protocol tools
agent Run one agent turn via the Gateway
agents * Manage isolated agents (workspaces, auth, routing)
approvals * Manage exec approvals (gateway or node host)
backup * Create and verify local backup archives for OpenClaw state
browser * Manage OpenClaw's dedicated browser (Chrome/Chromium)
channels * Manage connected chat channels (Telegram, Discord, etc.)
clawbot * Legacy clawbot command aliases
completion Generate shell completion script
config * Non-interactive config helpers (get/set/unset/file/validate). Default: starts setup wizard.
configure Interactive setup wizard for credentials, channels, gateway, and agent defaults
cron * Manage cron jobs via the Gateway scheduler
daemon * Gateway service (legacy alias)
dashboard Open the Control UI with your current token
devices * Device pairing + token management
directory * Lookup contact and group IDs (self, peers, groups) for supported chat channels
dns * DNS helpers for wide-area discovery (Tailscale + CoreDNS)
docs Search the live OpenClaw docs
doctor Health checks + quick fixes for the gateway and channels
gateway * Run, inspect, and query the WebSocket Gateway
health Fetch health from the running gateway
help Display help for command
hooks * Manage internal agent hooks
logs Tail gateway file logs via RPC
memory * Search and reindex memory files
message * Send, read, and manage messages
models * Discover, scan, and configure models
node * Run and manage the headless node host service
nodes * Manage gateway-owned node pairing and node commands
onboard Interactive onboarding wizard for gateway, workspace, and skills
pairing * Secure DM pairing (approve inbound requests)
plugins * Manage OpenClaw plugins and extensions
qr Generate iOS pairing QR/setup code
reset Reset local config/state (keeps the CLI installed)
sandbox * Manage sandbox containers for agent isolation
secrets * Secrets runtime reload controls
security * Security tools and local config audits
sessions * List stored conversation sessions
setup Initialize local config and agent workspace
skills * List and inspect available skills
status Show channel health and recent session recipients
system * System events, heartbeat, and presence
tui Open a terminal UI connected to the Gateway
uninstall Uninstall the gateway service + local data (CLI remains)
update * Update OpenClaw and inspect update channel status
webhooks * Webhook helpers and integrations
Examples:
openclaw models --help
Show detailed help for the models command.
openclaw channels login --verbose
Link personal WhatsApp Web and show QR + connection logs.
openclaw message send --target +15555550123 --message "Hi" --json
Send via your web session and print JSON result.
openclaw gateway --port 18789
Run the WebSocket Gateway locally.
openclaw --dev gateway
Run a dev Gateway (isolated state/config) on ws://127.0.0.1:19001.
openclaw gateway --force
Kill anything bound to the default gateway port, then start it.
openclaw gateway ...
Gateway control via WebSocket.
openclaw agent --to +15555550123 --message "Run summary" --deliver
Talk directly to the agent using the Gateway; optionally send the WhatsApp reply.
openclaw message send --channel telegram --target @mychat --message "Hi"
Send via your Telegram bot.
Docs: docs.openclaw.ai/cli
ollama
The official news on OpenClaw with ollama involves ollama launch openclaw where OpenClaw tries to install a systemd service, which
is not allowed on HPC login nodes, so we start manually.
module load ceuadmin/ollama
ollama serve > /dev/null 2>&1 &
ollama list
module load ceuadmin/OpenClaw
openclaw onboard
openclaw gateway &
where openclaw onboard sets up the environment and our instance of openclaw gateway gives,
🦞 OpenClaw 2026.3.8 (3caab92) — Your personal assistant, minus the passive-aggressive calendar reminders.
15:53:10 [canvas] host mounted at http://127.0.0.1:18789/__openclaw__/canvas/ (root /home/jhz22/.openclaw/canvas)
15:53:10 [heartbeat] started
15:53:10 [health-monitor] started (interval: 300s, startup-grace: 60s, channel-connect-grace: 120s)
15:53:10 [gateway] agent model: ollama/minimax-m2.5:cloud
15:53:10 [gateway] listening on ws://127.0.0.1:18789 (PID 322663)
15:53:10 [gateway] log file: /tmp/openclaw/openclaw-2026-03-11.log
15:53:10 [browser/server] Browser control listening on http://127.0.0.1:18791/ (auth=token)
Surely, these are useful for letting web browsers point to the appropriate ports.
Now we try ollama launch openclaw again,
This will modify your OpenClaw configuration:
/home/jhz22/.openclaw/openclaw.json
Backups will be saved to /rds/user/jhz22/hpc-work/work/ollama-backups/
Added minimax-m2.5:cloud to OpenClaw
Launching OpenClaw with minimax-m2.5:cloud...
Security
OpenClaw can read files and run actions when tools are enabled.
A bad prompt can trick it into doing unsafe things.
Learn more: https://docs.openclaw.ai/gateway/security
I understand the risks. Continue?
Yes No
✓ Installed web search plugin
Preparing your assistant — this may take a moment...
17:54:21 [reload] config change detected; evaluating reload (tools.web, plugins)
17:54:21 [reload] config change requires gateway restart (plugins)
17:54:21 [gateway] signal SIGUSR1 received
17:54:21 [gateway] received SIGUSR1; restarting
17:54:56 [gateway] shutdown timed out; exiting without full cleanup
Warning: gateway did not come back after restart
Starting gateway...
✓ OpenClaw is running
Open the Web UI:
http://localhost:18789/#token=ollama
Quick start:
/help see all commands
openclaw configure --section channels connect WhatsApp, Telegram, etc.
openclaw skills browse and install skills
The OpenClaw gateway is running in the background.
Stop it with: openclaw gateway stop
🦞 OpenClaw 2026.3.8 (3caab92) — Half butler, half debugger, full crustacean.
openclaw tui - ws://127.0.0.1:18789 - agent main - session main
session agent:main:main
Wake up, my friend!
Morning! ☀️ I'm here. Nothing on the agenda per HEARTBEAT.md — what can I do for you?
how are you?
Doing well, thanks for asking! Freshly woken up and ready to go. What's up?
connected | idle
agent main | session main (openclaw-tui) | ollama/minimax-m2.5:cloud | think low | tokens 9.3k/205k (5%)
Note that additionally, we have
# connect WhatsApp, Telegram, etc.
openclaw configure --section channels
# browse and install skills
openclaw skills
The web UI http://localhost:18789/#token=ollama (or http://localhost:18789/chat?session=main) actually provides a gateway dashboard shown below, which is more desirable.
