openclaw/docs/gateway/remote.md

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Remote access using SSH tunnels (Gateway WS) and tailnets	Running or troubleshooting remote gateway setups	Remote Access

Remote access (SSH, tunnels, and tailnets)

This repo supports “remote over SSH” by keeping a single Gateway (the master) running on a dedicated host (desktop/server) and connecting clients to it.

• For operators (you / the macOS app): SSH tunneling is the universal fallback.
• For nodes (iOS/Android and future devices): connect to the Gateway WebSocket (LAN/tailnet or SSH tunnel as needed).

The core idea

• The Gateway WebSocket binds to loopback on your configured port (defaults to 18789).
• For remote use, you forward that loopback port over SSH (or use a tailnet/VPN and tunnel less).

Common VPN/tailnet setups (where the agent lives)

Think of the Gateway host as “where the agent lives.” It owns sessions, auth profiles, channels, and state. Your laptop/desktop (and nodes) connect to that host.

1) Always-on Gateway in your tailnet (VPS or home server)

Run the Gateway on a persistent host and reach it via Tailscale or SSH.

• Best UX: keep gateway.bind: "loopback" and use Tailscale Serve for the Control UI.
• Fallback: keep loopback + SSH tunnel from any machine that needs access.
• Examples: exe.dev (easy VM) or Hetzner (production VPS).

This is ideal when your laptop sleeps often but you want the agent always-on.

2) Home desktop runs the Gateway, laptop is remote control

The laptop does not run the agent. It connects remotely:

• Use the macOS app’s Remote over SSH mode (Settings → General → “OpenClaw runs”).
• The app opens and manages the tunnel, so WebChat + health checks “just work.”

Runbook: macOS remote access.

3) Laptop runs the Gateway, remote access from other machines

Keep the Gateway local but expose it safely:

• SSH tunnel to the laptop from other machines, or
• Tailscale Serve the Control UI and keep the Gateway loopback-only.

Guide: Tailscale and Web overview.

Command flow (what runs where)

One gateway service owns state + channels. Nodes are peripherals.

Flow example (Telegram → node):

• Telegram message arrives at the Gateway.
• Gateway runs the agent and decides whether to call a node tool.
• Gateway calls the node over the Gateway WebSocket (node.* RPC).
• Node returns the result; Gateway replies back out to Telegram.

Notes:

• Nodes do not run the gateway service. Only one gateway should run per host unless you intentionally run isolated profiles (see Multiple gateways).
• macOS app “node mode” is just a node client over the Gateway WebSocket.

SSH tunnel (CLI + tools)

Create a local tunnel to the remote Gateway WS:

ssh -N -L 18789:127.0.0.1:18789 user@host

With the tunnel up:

• openclaw health and openclaw status --deep now reach the remote gateway via ws://127.0.0.1:18789.
• openclaw gateway {status,health,send,agent,call} can also target the forwarded URL via --url when needed.

Note: replace 18789 with your configured gateway.port (or --port/OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_PORT). Note: when you pass --url, the CLI does not fall back to config or environment credentials. Include --token or --password explicitly. Missing explicit credentials is an error.

CLI remote defaults

You can persist a remote target so CLI commands use it by default:

{
  gateway: {
    mode: "remote",
    remote: {
      url: "ws://127.0.0.1:18789",
      token: "your-token",
    },
  },
}

When the gateway is loopback-only, keep the URL at ws://127.0.0.1:18789 and open the SSH tunnel first.

Chat UI over SSH

WebChat no longer uses a separate HTTP port. The SwiftUI chat UI connects directly to the Gateway WebSocket.

• Forward 18789 over SSH (see above), then connect clients to ws://127.0.0.1:18789.
• On macOS, prefer the app’s “Remote over SSH” mode, which manages the tunnel automatically.

macOS app “Remote over SSH”

The macOS menu bar app can drive the same setup end-to-end (remote status checks, WebChat, and Voice Wake forwarding).

Runbook: macOS remote access.

Security rules (remote/VPN)

Short version: keep the Gateway loopback-only unless you’re sure you need a bind.

• Loopback + SSH/Tailscale Serve is the safest default (no public exposure).
• Non-loopback binds (lan/tailnet/custom, or auto when loopback is unavailable) must use auth tokens/passwords.
• gateway.remote.token is only for remote CLI calls — it does not enable local auth.
• gateway.remote.tlsFingerprint pins the remote TLS cert when using wss://.
• Tailscale Serve can authenticate via identity headers when gateway.auth.allowTailscale: true. Set it to false if you want tokens/passwords instead.
• Treat browser control like operator access: tailnet-only + deliberate node pairing.

Deep dive: Security.