Skip to main content
openclaw is the main CLI entry point. Each core command has a dedicated reference page or is documented with the command it aliases; this index lists the commands, global flags, and output styling rules that apply across the CLI. Setup commands by intent:
  • openclaw setup and openclaw onboard verify inference first, then start OpenClaw for Gateway, workspace, channels, skills, and health setup.
  • openclaw setup --baseline creates the baseline config and workspace without walking the guided onboarding flow.
  • openclaw configure changes targeted parts of an existing setup: model auth, gateway, channels, plugins, or skills.
  • openclaw channels add configures channel accounts after the baseline exists; run without flags for guided setup, or with channel-specific flags for scripts.

​
Command pages

AreaCommands
Setup and onboardingopenclaw · setup · onboard · configure · config · completion · doctor · dashboard
Reset, backup, and migrationbackup · migrate · reset · uninstall · update
Messaging and agentsmessage · agent · agents · attach · acp · mcp
Health and sessionsstatus · health · sessions · audit
Gateway and logsgateway · logs · system
Models and inferencemodels · promos · infer · capability (alias for infer) · memory · commitments · wiki
Network and nodesdirectory · nodes · devices · node · worker
Runtime and sandboxapprovals · exec-policy (see approvals) · sandbox · tui · chat/terminal (aliases for tui --local) · browser
Automationcron · tasks · hooks · webhooks · transcripts
Discovery and docsdns · docs
Pairing and channelspairing · qr · channels
Security and pluginssecurity · secrets · skills · plugins · proxy
Legacy aliasesdaemon (gateway service) · clawbot (namespace)
Plugins (optional)path · policy · voicecall · workboard (if installed)

​
Global flags

FlagPurpose
--devIsolate state under ~/.openclaw-dev, default gateway port 19001, and shift derived ports
--profile <name>Isolate state under ~/.openclaw-<name> (OPENCLAW_STATE_DIR/OPENCLAW_CONFIG_PATH)
--container <name>Run the CLI inside a running Podman/Docker container named <name> (default: env OPENCLAW_CONTAINER)
--log-level <level>Override the global log level for file + console output
--no-colorDisable ANSI colors (NO_COLOR=1 is also respected)
--updateShorthand for openclaw update; works for both source checkouts and package installs
-V, --version, -vPrint version and exit

​
Output modes

  • ANSI colors and progress indicators render only in TTY sessions.
  • OSC-8 hyperlinks render as clickable links where supported; otherwise the CLI falls back to plain URLs.
  • --json (and --plain where supported) disables styling for clean output.
  • Long-running commands show a progress indicator (OSC 9;4 when supported).

​
Color palette

OpenClaw uses a lobster palette for CLI output:
TokenHexUsed for
accent#FF5A2DHeadings, labels, primary highlights
accentBright#FF7A3DCommand names, emphasis
accentDim#D14A22Secondary highlight text
info#FF8A5BInformational values
success#2FBF71Success states
warn#FFB020Warnings, option flags, fallbacks
error#E23D2DErrors, failures
muted#8B7F77De-emphasis, metadata
Palette source of truth: packages/terminal-core/src/palette.ts.

​
Command tree

This map covers core commands and their primary subcommands. Plugin-added subcommands (for example under skills, plugins, and wiki) evolve independently; run <command> --help for the authoritative, current list.
Plugins can add additional top-level commands, such as openclaw workboard or openclaw voicecall.

​
Chat slash commands

Chat messages support /... commands. See slash commands. Highlights:
  • /status - quick diagnostics.
  • /trace - session-scoped plugin trace/debug lines.
  • /config - persisted config changes.
  • /debug - runtime-only config overrides (memory, not disk; requires commands.debug: true).

​
Usage tracking

openclaw status --usage and the Control UI surface provider usage/quota when OAuth/API credentials are available. Data comes directly from provider usage endpoints and is normalized to X% left. Providers with current usage windows: Anthropic, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot, MiniMax, OpenAI Codex, Xiaomi, and z.ai. See Usage tracking for details.