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Security-sensitive feature. This mode delegates authentication entirely to your reverse proxy. Misconfiguration can expose your Gateway to unauthorized access. Read this page carefully before enabling.

When to use

  • You run OpenClaw behind an identity-aware proxy (Pomerium, Caddy + OAuth, nginx + oauth2-proxy, Traefik + forward auth).
  • Your proxy handles all authentication and passes user identity via headers.
  • You’re in a Kubernetes or container environment where the proxy is the only path to the Gateway.
  • You’re hitting WebSocket 1008 unauthorized errors because browsers can’t pass tokens in WS payloads.

When NOT to use

  • Your proxy doesn’t authenticate users (just a TLS terminator or load balancer).
  • There’s any path to the Gateway that bypasses the proxy (firewall holes, internal network access).
  • You’re unsure whether your proxy correctly strips/overwrites forwarded headers.
  • You only need personal single-user access (consider Tailscale Serve + loopback instead).

How it works

1

Proxy authenticates the user

Your reverse proxy authenticates users (OAuth, OIDC, SAML, etc.).
2

Proxy adds an identity header

Proxy adds a header with the authenticated user identity (e.g., x-forwarded-user: nick@example.com).
3

Gateway verifies trusted source

OpenClaw checks that the request came from a trusted proxy IP (gateway.trustedProxies). Loopback sources require explicit allowLoopback consent; other Gateway-local interface addresses are rejected.
4

Gateway extracts identity

OpenClaw reads the required headers, then the user identity from the configured header.
5

Authorize

If everything checks out, and the user passes allowUsers (when set), the request is authorized.

Configuration

The deviceAutoApprove examples below target beta/current-main builds. Stable v2026.7.1 does not support this option.
Runtime rules, in order of evaluation
  1. Proxy-shaped traffic is attributed before Gateway auth. The request’s source IP must match gateway.trustedProxies (CIDR-aware), and its client-address headers must resolve to a non-loopback client. Otherwise Gateway-authenticated routes reject it with proxy_attribution_required before identity headers are accepted. Plugin-authenticated webhook routes may still handle the request, but they ignore the untrusted forwarded address and use the socket source for their own limits.
  2. The proxy must overwrite X-Forwarded-For with a safe chain. If gateway.allowRealIpFallback = true, an overwritten X-Real-IP is also accepted when X-Forwarded-For is absent. Do not enable that fallback unless the proxy removes client-supplied X-Real-IP.
  3. Loopback-source requests (127.0.0.1, ::1) are rejected unless gateway.auth.trustedProxy.allowLoopback = true and the loopback address is also in trustedProxies (trusted_proxy_loopback_source). This check runs before header checks, so a loopback source fails this way even if required headers are also missing.
  4. Non-loopback sources that match one of the Gateway host’s own local network interface addresses are rejected as a spoofing guard (trusted_proxy_local_interface_source). If interface discovery itself fails, the request is rejected too (trusted_proxy_local_interface_check_failed).
  5. requiredHeaders and userHeader must be present and non-blank.
  6. allowUsers, if non-empty, must include the extracted user.
Forwarded-header evidence overrides loopback locality for local-direct fallback. If a request arrives on loopback but carries a Forwarded, any X-Forwarded-*, or X-Real-IP header, that evidence disqualifies it from local-direct password fallback and device-identity gating, even though it still fails trusted-proxy auth as loopback.allowLoopback trusts local processes on the Gateway host to the same degree as the reverse proxy. Enable it only when the Gateway is still firewalled from direct remote access and the local proxy strips or overwrites client-supplied identity headers.Internal Gateway clients that do not travel through the reverse proxy should use gateway.auth.password / OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_PASSWORD, not trusted-proxy identity headers. Non-loopback Control UI deployments still need explicit gateway.controlUi.allowedOrigins.

Configuration reference

string[]
required
Array of proxy IP addresses (or CIDRs) to trust. Requests from other IPs are rejected.
string
required
Must be "trusted-proxy".
record<string, string[]>
Connection-only operator scopes granted to verified trusted-proxy or Tailscale identities. Email keys match case-insensitively; unknown scope names fail config validation.
string
required
Header name containing the authenticated user identity.
string[]
Additional headers that must be present for the request to be trusted.
string[]
Allowlist of user identities. Empty means allow all authenticated users.
boolean
default:"false"
Opt-in support for same-host loopback reverse proxies.
boolean
default:"false"
Automatically approve new browser operator devices and same-key scope upgrades after trusted-proxy authentication.
string[]
Maximum scopes granted to an auto-approved browser device. Explicitly listing operator.admin lets every proxy-authenticated user request an automatic full-admin device grant, makes scope-less requests receive full admin automatically, and triggers the CRITICAL gateway.trusted_proxy_device_auto_approve_admin security audit finding plus a Gateway startup warning.
Any local process that can connect to the Gateway can impersonate a loopback reverse proxy by sending identity headers. Only enable allowLoopback when the reverse proxy is the sole local listener for incoming user traffic, direct Gateway access is locked down, and you trust local processes. The proxy must authenticate users and strip or overwrite client-supplied identity headers; required headers alone do not distinguish the proxy from another local process.

Configure with the wizard

Run openclaw configure --section gateway and select Trusted Proxy. Entering an address or CIDR that matches a loopback source under the Gateway’s runtime rules shows the security warning above and asks whether to allow loopback authentication. This includes ranges containing loopback, even when their base address is not loopback. The default is No for a new configuration. Yes saves gateway.auth.trustedProxy.allowLoopback: true; No leaves it unset and warns that loopback proxy requests will fail with trusted_proxy_loopback_source, with a link back to this page. When reconfiguring an existing trusted-proxy setup, the prompt defaults to the existing allowLoopback opt-in. Choosing No revokes it. If no entered address or range matches a loopback source, the wizard leaves the existing value unchanged. Same-mode reconfiguration also preserves deviceAutoApprove verbatim; device enrollment policy is not changed by this prompt. Switching from another auth mode does not restore dormant trusted-proxy opt-ins.

Per-identity scope grants

Use gateway.auth.identityScopes to give selected verified users additional operator scopes without widening their persistent device grant:
The map key is the verified trusted-proxy identity or Tailscale WhoIs login. Email matching is case-insensitive; non-email identities match exactly. On each connection, OpenClaw adds the matching identity scopes to the device-authorized scopes, then applies an explicit x-openclaw-scopes connection cap. These grants are session-only. They do not create or update device pairing records and do not trigger device scope-upgrade requests. Token, password, and no-auth connections do not carry a verified identity and never receive a grant.

Automatic device approval

Trusted-proxy auth can optionally use the proxy identity as the approval boundary for new browser devices and same-key scope upgrades:
The default is enabled: false. When enabled, all of these rules apply:
  1. The WebSocket must have authenticated through the trusted-proxy method with a non-empty user identity that passed allowUsers when an allowlist is configured. Token, password, Tailscale, and unauthenticated connections never use this policy.
  2. New browser operator devices (including Control UI and WebChat) and scope upgrades from an existing device with the same paired public key resolve automatically. If the existing grant already covers the automatically approvable scopes, the session narrows to that grant without a pairing request or audit entry; otherwise, deviceAutoApprove.scopes can automatically approve the widened intersection. Role upgrades and changes to pinned platform or device-family metadata are not eligible for this auto-approval policy. A connection claiming an existing device ID with a different public key is rejected before a pairing request is created.
  3. The device is approved with role operator. With an explicit deviceAutoApprove.scopes list, requested scopes are intersected with that list; a request that omits scopes receives the list. When the list is unset, it defaults to operator.read, operator.write, operator.approvals, and operator.questions. During auto-approval with this default list, OpenClaw also adds operator.questions even if an older browser client does not request it. An explicit scope list is never widened. The resulting grant is then additionally capped by the connection’s x-openclaw-scopes proxy header when present, so a proxy that narrows a user’s scopes also limits the persistent device grant, not just the session — a present-but-empty header yields no scopes. This cap applies even when the client omits its own scope list.
  4. operator.admin is allowed only through explicit listing in deviceAutoApprove.scopes. When listed, every proxy-authenticated user can request and automatically receive full admin on a new browser device; requests without scopes receive full admin automatically. openclaw security audit reports the CRITICAL gateway.trusted_proxy_device_auto_approve_admin finding, and the Gateway logs a warning once at startup. Prefer a targeted identityScopes admin grant when selected verified users need session admin without a persistent admin device grant.
Enabling this option delegates new browser device enrollment entirely to the reverse-proxy identity. A compromised proxy account can enroll a persistent device with every configured scope. Listing operator.admin makes that device a full administrator without manual approval. Keep the Gateway reachable only through the proxy, require strong proxy authentication, overwrite identity headers, and use a narrow allowUsers list.

Control UI pairing behavior

Browsers attach a device identity on every origin, including plain HTTP, so first connects follow the standard pairing flow: automatic approval when deviceAutoApprove is enabled, otherwise a one-time approval on the Gateway host. When gateway.auth.mode = "trusted-proxy" is active and the request passes trusted-proxy checks, only Control UI sessions from browsers that cannot supply a device identity at all are admitted device-less. Scope implications:
  • Device-less Control UI WebSocket sessions cannot self-declare permissions. OpenClaw clears their requested scope list to [], then applies any matching server-side identityScopes grant after proxy identity verification.
  • If methods fail with missing scope after a successful WebSocket connect, reload so the browser pairs its device identity, or approve the pending device request. See Control UI insecure HTTP.
Reverse-proxy scope capping: if your proxy sends x-openclaw-scopes on the Control UI WebSocket upgrade request, OpenClaw caps device enrollment or upgrade requests and the final union of device-authorized and identity-granted session scopes. This header does not grant scopes; it only narrows authority. When deviceAutoApprove.enabled is true, the cap also limits the persistent device grant written by automatic device approval. Implications:
  • Pairing is no longer the primary gate for device-less Control UI access. A matching identityScopes entry can authorize that session without creating a pairing record. When deviceAutoApprove.enabled is true, the proxy identity also becomes the approval gate for new browser device enrollment.
  • Your reverse proxy auth policy and allowUsers become the effective access control.
  • Keep gateway ingress locked to trusted proxy IPs only (gateway.trustedProxies + firewall).
Custom WebSocket clients are not Control UI sessions. The retired Control UI upgrade input does not grant temporary access to arbitrary client.mode: "backend" or CLI-shaped clients. Custom automation should use device identity/pairing, the reserved direct-local client.id: "gateway-client" backend helper path, or the admin HTTP RPC plugin when an HTTP request/response surface is a better fit.

Operator scopes header

Trusted-proxy auth is an identity-bearing HTTP mode, so callers may optionally declare operator scopes with x-openclaw-scopes on HTTP API requests. Note: WebSocket scopes are determined by the Gateway protocol handshake and device identity binding. On Control UI WebSocket upgrade requests, x-openclaw-scopes is only a cap on the negotiated session scopes, not a grant. See Control UI pairing behavior. Examples:
  • x-openclaw-scopes: operator.read
  • x-openclaw-scopes: operator.read,operator.write
  • x-openclaw-scopes: operator.admin,operator.write
Behavior:
  • When the header is present, OpenClaw honors the declared scope set.
  • When the header is present but empty, the request declares no operator scopes.
  • When the header is absent, normal identity-bearing HTTP APIs fall back to the standard operator default scope set (operator.admin, operator.read, operator.write, operator.approvals, operator.pairing, operator.talk.secrets).
  • Gateway-auth plugin HTTP routes are narrower by default: when x-openclaw-scopes is absent, their runtime scope falls back to operator.write only.
  • Browser-origin HTTP requests still have to pass gateway.controlUi.allowedOrigins (or deliberate Host-header fallback mode) even after trusted-proxy auth succeeds.
Practical rule: send x-openclaw-scopes explicitly when you want a trusted-proxy request to be narrower than the defaults, or when a gateway-auth plugin route needs something stronger than write scope.

TLS termination and HSTS

Use one TLS termination point and apply HSTS there.

Rollout guidance

  • Start with a short max age first (for example max-age=300) while validating traffic.
  • Increase to long-lived values (for example max-age=31536000) only after confidence is high.
  • Add includeSubDomains only if every subdomain is HTTPS-ready.
  • Use preload only if you intentionally meet preload requirements for your full domain set.
  • Loopback-only local development does not benefit from HSTS.

Proxy setup examples

Cloudflare Access is covered end to end, including the tunnel and node routes, in Cloudflare Tunnel and Access.
Pomerium passes identity in x-pomerium-claim-email (or other claim headers) and a JWT in x-pomerium-jwt-assertion.
Pomerium config snippet:
Caddy with the caddy-security plugin can authenticate users and pass identity headers.
Caddyfile snippet:
oauth2-proxy authenticates users and passes identity in x-auth-request-email.
nginx config snippet:

Mixed token configuration

Gateway startup rejects trusted-proxy auth if a shared token is also configured (gateway.auth.token or OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKEN). The two are mutually exclusive because a shared token would let same-host callers authenticate on a completely different path than the proxy-verified identity this mode is meant to enforce. If startup fails with an error like gateway auth mode is trusted-proxy, but a shared token is also configured:
  • Remove the shared token when using trusted-proxy mode, or
  • Switch gateway.auth.mode to "token" if you intend token-based auth.
Loopback trusted-proxy identity headers still fail closed: same-host callers are not silently authenticated as proxy users. Internal OpenClaw callers that bypass the proxy may authenticate with gateway.auth.password / OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_PASSWORD instead. Token fallback remains intentionally unsupported in trusted-proxy mode.

Restrict a separate Gateway to one owner

Use a separate Gateway cell when one owner needs a different trust boundary. A separate workspace, model picker filter, or Gateway process under the same OS user does not isolate its credentials and state from other agents running as that user. Fleet-managed cells currently use token authentication. This trusted-proxy procedure requires an independently provisioned cell; do not overwrite Fleet’s managed auth configuration. The identity-aware proxy must reject every other user before forwarding any HTTP request or WebSocket upgrade. Bind that policy to a verified immutable identity, such as an issuer-qualified OIDC subject, and overwrite userHeader with that identity. Set allowUsers to the same single value as a second check. Gateway allowUsers compares the trimmed header value exactly; it does not verify a JWT, resolve an account ID, or make an email address immutable. requiredHeaders only checks that headers are present and non-blank. Keep the Gateway reachable only from that proxy. Do not rely on allowUsers alone to revoke access: valid paired-device or bootstrap credentials have their own WebSocket authentication paths. Existing connections also require explicit revocation or disconnection. Enforce the owner restriction at the proxy for all routes, including plugin routes, and do not create an unprotected node route. For a proxy-only cell, omit both Gateway token and password configuration and their environment variables. Keep allowLoopback: false when the proxy has a separate network identity. The provider credential inside the cell authenticates the workload to its provider; it does not authenticate the human using the Gateway. The host administrator remains trusted.

Security checklist

Before enabling trusted-proxy auth, verify:
  • Proxy is the only path: The Gateway port is firewalled from everything except your proxy.
  • trustedProxies is minimal: Only your actual proxy IPs, not entire subnets.
  • Loopback proxy source is deliberate: trusted-proxy auth fails closed for loopback-source requests unless gateway.auth.trustedProxy.allowLoopback is explicitly enabled for a same-host proxy.
  • Proxy strips headers: Your proxy overwrites (not appends) x-forwarded-* headers from clients.
  • Client IP is attributable: The proxy always rebuilds X-Forwarded-For with the original non-loopback client address.
  • TLS termination: Your proxy handles TLS; users connect via HTTPS.
  • allowedOrigins is explicit: Non-loopback Control UI uses explicit gateway.controlUi.allowedOrigins.
  • allowUsers is set (recommended): Restrict to known users rather than allowing anyone authenticated.
  • No mixed token config: Do not set both gateway.auth.token and gateway.auth.mode: "trusted-proxy".
  • Local password fallback is private: If you configure gateway.auth.password for internal direct callers, keep the Gateway port firewalled so non-proxy remote clients cannot reach it directly.
  • Device auto-approval is deliberate: If deviceAutoApprove.enabled is true, treat reverse-proxy account security as the device-enrollment boundary and keep the granted scope list non-admin and minimal.

Security audit

openclaw security audit flags trusted-proxy auth with a critical severity finding. This is intentional; it’s a reminder that you’re delegating security to your proxy setup. The audit checks for:
  • Base gateway.trusted_proxy_auth warning/critical reminder.
  • Missing trustedProxies configuration.
  • Missing userHeader configuration.
  • Empty allowUsers (allows any authenticated user).
  • Enabled allowLoopback for same-host proxy sources.
  • Enabled browser device auto-approval (delegates new device pairing to the proxy identity).
Separate, non-trusted-proxy-specific findings also apply whenever Control UI is exposed: wildcard or missing gateway.controlUi.allowedOrigins, and Host-header origin fallback.

Troubleshooting

Control UI says Proxy authentication required

The Gateway is reachable, but it rejected proxy authentication or forwarded identity. For AUTH_IDENTITY_HEADER_REQUIRED, a required proxy header was missing or blank; this is not a network outage. Open the configured authenticated proxy or SSO dashboard URL and sign in there instead of visiting the Gateway’s loopback URL directly. If the error persists, ask the Gateway administrator to verify identity and required-header forwarding on WebSocket upgrade requests, and confirm that the signed-in account is permitted. A Gateway token cannot replace proxy authentication. Do not send identity headers from the browser, broaden trustedProxies, or remove allowUsers to work around the rejection.
The request didn’t come from an IP in gateway.trustedProxies. Check:
  • Is the proxy IP correct? (Docker container IPs can change.)
  • Is there a load balancer in front of your proxy?
  • Use docker inspect or kubectl get pods -o wide to find actual IPs.
OpenClaw rejected a loopback-source trusted-proxy request.Check:
  • Is the proxy connecting from 127.0.0.1 / ::1?
  • Are you trying to use trusted-proxy auth with a same-host loopback reverse proxy?
Fix:
  • Use an explicitly configured local password for internal same-host clients that do not go through the proxy; token fallback is not supported in trusted-proxy mode, or
  • Route through a non-loopback trusted proxy address and keep that IP in gateway.trustedProxies, or
  • For a deliberate same-host reverse proxy, set gateway.auth.trustedProxy.allowLoopback = true, keep the loopback address in gateway.trustedProxies, and make sure the proxy strips or overwrites identity headers.
The request’s source IP matched one of the Gateway host’s own non-loopback network interface addresses (not the proxy), a guard against spoofed same-host traffic on tailnets or Docker bridge networks. ..._check_failed means interface discovery itself errored, so OpenClaw fails closed.Check:
  • Is a process on the Gateway host itself sending identity headers directly, bypassing the proxy?
  • Does the proxy run in the same network namespace as the Gateway, with an IP that also shows up as a local interface?
Fix: route proxy traffic through an address that is not also bound locally by the Gateway host, or use allowLoopback only for a genuine same-host proxy setup.
The user header was empty or missing. Check:
  • Is your proxy configured to pass identity headers?
  • Is the header name correct? (case-insensitive, but spelling matters)
  • Is the user actually authenticated at the proxy?
A required header wasn’t present. Check:
  • Your proxy configuration for those specific headers.
  • Whether headers are being stripped somewhere in the chain.
The user is authenticated but not in allowUsers. Sign in with a permitted account or ask the Gateway administrator to review the intended access policy. Do not remove the allowlist as a connectivity workaround.
gateway.auth.mode is "trusted-proxy" but gateway.trustedProxies is empty, or gateway.auth.trustedProxy itself is missing. Every request is rejected until both are set.
Trusted-proxy auth succeeded, but the browser Origin header did not pass Control UI origin checks.Check:
  • gateway.controlUi.allowedOrigins includes the exact browser origin.
  • You are not relying on wildcard origins unless you intentionally want allow-all behavior.
  • If you intentionally use Host-header fallback mode, gateway.controlUi.dangerouslyAllowHostHeaderOriginFallback=true is set deliberately.
The WebSocket connects, but chat.history, sessions.list, or models.list fails with missing scope: operator.read.Common causes:
  • Device-less Control UI session: OpenClaw clears self-declared scopes by design, and no matching gateway.auth.identityScopes grant was configured.
  • Custom backend client: the retired Control UI upgrade input never grants access to arbitrary backend or CLI-shaped WebSocket clients.
  • Overly narrow x-openclaw-scopes: if your proxy injects this header on the Control UI WebSocket upgrade request, the session scopes are capped to that set. An empty header value yields no scopes.
Fix:
  • For Control UI, reload the dashboard so the browser generates device identity and completes pairing (works over HTTP too).
  • For custom automation, use device identity/pairing, the reserved direct-local gateway-client backend helper path, or admin HTTP RPC.
  • Do not add the retired gateway.controlUi.dangerouslyDisableDeviceAuth key to current config; it is ignored and openclaw doctor --fix removes it.
Make sure your proxy:
  • Supports WebSocket upgrades (Upgrade: websocket, Connection: upgrade).
  • Passes the identity headers on WebSocket upgrade requests (not just HTTP).
  • Doesn’t have a separate auth path for WebSocket connections.

Migration from token auth

1

Configure the proxy

Configure your proxy to authenticate users and pass headers.
2

Test the proxy independently

Test the proxy setup independently (curl with headers).
3

Update OpenClaw config

Update OpenClaw config with trusted-proxy auth.
4

Restart the Gateway

Restart the Gateway.
5

Test WebSocket

Test WebSocket connections from the Control UI.
6

Audit

Run openclaw security audit and review findings.