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Provider: OpenClaw (openclaw)

The openclaw provider is the original CTRL NODE backend — it dispatches tasks to agents running inside the OpenClaw gateway over HTTP. OpenClaw manages its own agent runtime and session history; the Bridge relays task intents, streams session output back to CTRL NODE, and detects completion tags in agent replies.

Provider name: openclaw

What is OpenClaw?

OpenClaw is an open-source AI agent executor that manages sessions, handles tool calls, and orchestrates sub-agents. It runs on your machine or server and exposes a local HTTP gateway. The Bridge connects to that gateway.

Prerequisites

OpenClaw must be running before starting the Bridge with this provider.

Install and start OpenClaw following the official instructions:

→ https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw

Once running, the gateway is available at http://localhost:18789 by default.

Authentication

OpenClaw uses a gateway token that you set when starting the OpenClaw process.

OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKEN=your_gateway_token

Environment variables

Variable Required Default Description
OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKEN yes — Token configured in your OpenClaw instance
OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_URL no http://localhost:18789 URL of the running OpenClaw gateway
AGENTS_FOLDER no ~ Root directory used for agent workspace paths

Agent configuration

OpenClaw agents are defined in openclaw.json in the agent workspace root. The Bridge reads this file to discover agents and their workspace paths.

A minimal openclaw.json:

{
  "agents": [
    {
      "id": "my-agent",
      "name": "My Agent",
      "workspace": "/home/user/workspaces/my-agent"
    }
  ]
}

Refer to the OpenClaw documentation for full configuration options.

Run the Bridge with OpenClaw

Linux / macOS

PAIRING_TOKEN=your_pairing_token \
PROVIDERS=openclaw \
OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKEN=your_gateway_token \
./ctrlnode-bridge-linux-x64

Windows (PowerShell)

$env:PAIRING_TOKEN          = "your_pairing_token"
$env:PROVIDERS              = "openclaw"
$env:OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKEN = "your_gateway_token"
.\ctrlnode-bridge.exe

.env file

PAIRING_TOKEN=your_pairing_token
PROVIDERS=openclaw
OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKEN=your_gateway_token
OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_URL=http://localhost:18789

Run alongside other providers

The openclaw provider can be combined with any other provider. Tasks assigned to OpenClaw agents go to the gateway; tasks assigned to Claude/Cursor/etc. agents go to their respective SDKs.

PROVIDERS=openclaw,claude-sdk
OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKEN=your_gateway_token
ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-...

How it works

  1. The Bridge reads openclaw.json to build the agent list and registers each agent with CTRL NODE.
  2. When a task is dispatched, the Bridge calls the OpenClaw gateway's sessions/spawn endpoint with the task prompt and agent ID.
  3. The main session log is polled at regular intervals; incoming messages are streamed to CTRL NODE.
  4. Completion is detected when the agent writes a <TASK_COMPLETED:…>, <TASK_BLOCKED:…>, or <TASK_FAILED:…> tag in its output, or when the gateway signals session end.

Docker setup

If you run OpenClaw in Docker alongside the Bridge, add it to the same Docker network and set OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_URL to the container's internal hostname, e.g. http://openclaw:18789.