openclaw/docs/gateway/configuration-examples.md

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Schema-accurate configuration examples for common OpenClaw setups	Learning how to configure OpenClaw Looking for configuration examples Setting up OpenClaw for the first time	Configuration Examples

Configuration Examples

Examples below are aligned with the current config schema. For the exhaustive reference and per-field notes, see Configuration.

Quick start

Absolute minimum

{
  agent: { workspace: "~/.openclaw/workspace" },
  channels: { whatsapp: { allowFrom: ["+15555550123"] } },
}

Save to ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json and you can DM the bot from that number.

Recommended starter

{
  identity: {
    name: "Clawd",
    theme: "helpful assistant",
    emoji: "🦞",
  },
  agent: {
    workspace: "~/.openclaw/workspace",
    model: { primary: "anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-5" },
  },
  channels: {
    whatsapp: {
      allowFrom: ["+15555550123"],
      groups: { "*": { requireMention: true } },
    },
  },
}

Expanded example (major options)

JSON5 lets you use comments and trailing commas. Regular JSON works too.

{
  // Environment + shell
  env: {
    OPENROUTER_API_KEY: "sk-or-...",
    vars: {
      GROQ_API_KEY: "gsk-...",
    },
    shellEnv: {
      enabled: true,
      timeoutMs: 15000,
    },
  },

  // Auth profile metadata (secrets live in auth-profiles.json)
  auth: {
    profiles: {
      "anthropic:me@example.com": { provider: "anthropic", mode: "oauth", email: "me@example.com" },
      "anthropic:work": { provider: "anthropic", mode: "api_key" },
      "openai:default": { provider: "openai", mode: "api_key" },
      "openai-codex:default": { provider: "openai-codex", mode: "oauth" },
    },
    order: {
      anthropic: ["anthropic:me@example.com", "anthropic:work"],
      openai: ["openai:default"],
      "openai-codex": ["openai-codex:default"],
    },
  },

  // Identity
  identity: {
    name: "Samantha",
    theme: "helpful sloth",
    emoji: "🦥",
  },

  // Logging
  logging: {
    level: "info",
    file: "/tmp/openclaw/openclaw.log",
    consoleLevel: "info",
    consoleStyle: "pretty",
    redactSensitive: "tools",
  },

  // Message formatting
  messages: {
    messagePrefix: "[openclaw]",
    responsePrefix: ">",
    ackReaction: "👀",
    ackReactionScope: "group-mentions",
  },

  // Routing + queue
  routing: {
    groupChat: {
      mentionPatterns: ["@openclaw", "openclaw"],
      historyLimit: 50,
    },
    queue: {
      mode: "collect",
      debounceMs: 1000,
      cap: 20,
      drop: "summarize",
      byChannel: {
        whatsapp: "collect",
        telegram: "collect",
        discord: "collect",
        slack: "collect",
        signal: "collect",
        imessage: "collect",
        webchat: "collect",
      },
    },
  },

  // Tooling
  tools: {
    media: {
      audio: {
        enabled: true,
        maxBytes: 20971520,
        models: [
          { provider: "openai", model: "gpt-4o-mini-transcribe" },
          // Optional CLI fallback (Whisper binary):
          // { type: "cli", command: "whisper", args: ["--model", "base", "{{MediaPath}}"] }
        ],
        timeoutSeconds: 120,
      },
      video: {
        enabled: true,
        maxBytes: 52428800,
        models: [{ provider: "google", model: "gemini-3-flash-preview" }],
      },
    },
  },

  // Session behavior
  session: {
    scope: "per-sender",
    reset: {
      mode: "daily",
      atHour: 4,
      idleMinutes: 60,
    },
    resetByChannel: {
      discord: { mode: "idle", idleMinutes: 10080 },
    },
    resetTriggers: ["/new", "/reset"],
    store: "~/.openclaw/agents/default/sessions/sessions.json",
    maintenance: {
      mode: "warn",
      pruneAfter: "30d",
      maxEntries: 500,
      rotateBytes: "10mb",
    },
    typingIntervalSeconds: 5,
    sendPolicy: {
      default: "allow",
      rules: [{ action: "deny", match: { channel: "discord", chatType: "group" } }],
    },
  },

  // Channels
  channels: {
    whatsapp: {
      dmPolicy: "pairing",
      allowFrom: ["+15555550123"],
      groupPolicy: "allowlist",
      groupAllowFrom: ["+15555550123"],
      groups: { "*": { requireMention: true } },
    },

    telegram: {
      enabled: true,
      botToken: "YOUR_TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN",
      allowFrom: ["123456789"],
      groupPolicy: "allowlist",
      groupAllowFrom: ["123456789"],
      groups: { "*": { requireMention: true } },
    },

    discord: {
      enabled: true,
      token: "YOUR_DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN",
      dm: { enabled: true, allowFrom: ["steipete"] },
      guilds: {
        "123456789012345678": {
          slug: "friends-of-openclaw",
          requireMention: false,
          channels: {
            general: { allow: true },
            help: { allow: true, requireMention: true },
          },
        },
      },
    },

    slack: {
      enabled: true,
      botToken: "xoxb-REPLACE_ME",
      appToken: "xapp-REPLACE_ME",
      channels: {
        "#general": { allow: true, requireMention: true },
      },
      dm: { enabled: true, allowFrom: ["U123"] },
      slashCommand: {
        enabled: true,
        name: "openclaw",
        sessionPrefix: "slack:slash",
        ephemeral: true,
      },
    },
  },

  // Agent runtime
  agents: {
    defaults: {
      workspace: "~/.openclaw/workspace",
      userTimezone: "America/Chicago",
      model: {
        primary: "anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-5",
        fallbacks: ["anthropic/claude-opus-4-6", "openai/gpt-5.2"],
      },
      imageModel: {
        primary: "openrouter/anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-5",
      },
      models: {
        "anthropic/claude-opus-4-6": { alias: "opus" },
        "anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-5": { alias: "sonnet" },
        "openai/gpt-5.2": { alias: "gpt" },
      },
      thinkingDefault: "low",
      verboseDefault: "off",
      elevatedDefault: "on",
      blockStreamingDefault: "off",
      blockStreamingBreak: "text_end",
      blockStreamingChunk: {
        minChars: 800,
        maxChars: 1200,
        breakPreference: "paragraph",
      },
      blockStreamingCoalesce: {
        idleMs: 1000,
      },
      humanDelay: {
        mode: "natural",
      },
      timeoutSeconds: 600,
      mediaMaxMb: 5,
      typingIntervalSeconds: 5,
      maxConcurrent: 3,
      heartbeat: {
        every: "30m",
        model: "anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-5",
        target: "last",
        to: "+15555550123",
        prompt: "HEARTBEAT",
        ackMaxChars: 300,
      },
      memorySearch: {
        provider: "gemini",
        model: "gemini-embedding-001",
        remote: {
          apiKey: "${GEMINI_API_KEY}",
        },
        extraPaths: ["../team-docs", "/srv/shared-notes"],
      },
      sandbox: {
        mode: "non-main",
        perSession: true,
        workspaceRoot: "~/.openclaw/sandboxes",
        docker: {
          image: "openclaw-sandbox:bookworm-slim",
          workdir: "/workspace",
          readOnlyRoot: true,
          tmpfs: ["/tmp", "/var/tmp", "/run"],
          network: "none",
          user: "1000:1000",
        },
        browser: {
          enabled: false,
        },
      },
    },
  },

  tools: {
    allow: ["exec", "process", "read", "write", "edit", "apply_patch"],
    deny: ["browser", "canvas"],
    exec: {
      backgroundMs: 10000,
      timeoutSec: 1800,
      cleanupMs: 1800000,
    },
    elevated: {
      enabled: true,
      allowFrom: {
        whatsapp: ["+15555550123"],
        telegram: ["123456789"],
        discord: ["steipete"],
        slack: ["U123"],
        signal: ["+15555550123"],
        imessage: ["user@example.com"],
        webchat: ["session:demo"],
      },
    },
  },

  // Custom model providers
  models: {
    mode: "merge",
    providers: {
      "custom-proxy": {
        baseUrl: "http://localhost:4000/v1",
        apiKey: "LITELLM_KEY",
        api: "openai-responses",
        authHeader: true,
        headers: { "X-Proxy-Region": "us-west" },
        models: [
          {
            id: "llama-3.1-8b",
            name: "Llama 3.1 8B",
            api: "openai-responses",
            reasoning: false,
            input: ["text"],
            cost: { input: 0, output: 0, cacheRead: 0, cacheWrite: 0 },
            contextWindow: 128000,
            maxTokens: 32000,
          },
        ],
      },
    },
  },

  // Cron jobs
  cron: {
    enabled: true,
    store: "~/.openclaw/cron/cron.json",
    maxConcurrentRuns: 2,
    sessionRetention: "24h",
  },

  // Webhooks
  hooks: {
    enabled: true,
    path: "/hooks",
    token: "shared-secret",
    presets: ["gmail"],
    transformsDir: "~/.openclaw/hooks",
    mappings: [
      {
        id: "gmail-hook",
        match: { path: "gmail" },
        action: "agent",
        wakeMode: "now",
        name: "Gmail",
        sessionKey: "hook:gmail:{{messages[0].id}}",
        messageTemplate: "From: {{messages[0].from}}\nSubject: {{messages[0].subject}}",
        textTemplate: "{{messages[0].snippet}}",
        deliver: true,
        channel: "last",
        to: "+15555550123",
        thinking: "low",
        timeoutSeconds: 300,
        transform: { module: "./transforms/gmail.js", export: "transformGmail" },
      },
    ],
    gmail: {
      account: "openclaw@gmail.com",
      label: "INBOX",
      topic: "projects/<project-id>/topics/gog-gmail-watch",
      subscription: "gog-gmail-watch-push",
      pushToken: "shared-push-token",
      hookUrl: "http://127.0.0.1:18789/hooks/gmail",
      includeBody: true,
      maxBytes: 20000,
      renewEveryMinutes: 720,
      serve: { bind: "127.0.0.1", port: 8788, path: "/" },
      tailscale: { mode: "funnel", path: "/gmail-pubsub" },
    },
  },

  // Gateway + networking
  gateway: {
    mode: "local",
    port: 18789,
    bind: "loopback",
    controlUi: { enabled: true, basePath: "/openclaw" },
    auth: {
      mode: "token",
      token: "gateway-token",
      allowTailscale: true,
    },
    tailscale: { mode: "serve", resetOnExit: false },
    remote: { url: "ws://gateway.tailnet:18789", token: "remote-token" },
    reload: { mode: "hybrid", debounceMs: 300 },
  },

  skills: {
    allowBundled: ["gemini", "peekaboo"],
    load: {
      extraDirs: ["~/Projects/agent-scripts/skills"],
    },
    install: {
      preferBrew: true,
      nodeManager: "npm",
    },
    entries: {
      "nano-banana-pro": {
        enabled: true,
        apiKey: "GEMINI_KEY_HERE",
        env: { GEMINI_API_KEY: "GEMINI_KEY_HERE" },
      },
      peekaboo: { enabled: true },
    },
  },
}

Common patterns

Multi-platform setup

{
  agent: { workspace: "~/.openclaw/workspace" },
  channels: {
    whatsapp: { allowFrom: ["+15555550123"] },
    telegram: {
      enabled: true,
      botToken: "YOUR_TOKEN",
      allowFrom: ["123456789"],
    },
    discord: {
      enabled: true,
      token: "YOUR_TOKEN",
      dm: { allowFrom: ["yourname"] },
    },
  },
}

Secure DM mode (shared inbox / multi-user DMs)

If more than one person can DM your bot (multiple entries in allowFrom, pairing approvals for multiple people, or dmPolicy: "open"), enable secure DM mode so DMs from different senders don’t share one context by default:

{
  // Secure DM mode (recommended for multi-user or sensitive DM agents)
  session: { dmScope: "per-channel-peer" },

  channels: {
    // Example: WhatsApp multi-user inbox
    whatsapp: {
      dmPolicy: "allowlist",
      allowFrom: ["+15555550123", "+15555550124"],
    },

    // Example: Discord multi-user inbox
    discord: {
      enabled: true,
      token: "YOUR_DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN",
      dm: { enabled: true, allowFrom: ["alice", "bob"] },
    },
  },
}

OAuth with API key failover

{
  auth: {
    profiles: {
      "anthropic:subscription": {
        provider: "anthropic",
        mode: "oauth",
        email: "me@example.com",
      },
      "anthropic:api": {
        provider: "anthropic",
        mode: "api_key",
      },
    },
    order: {
      anthropic: ["anthropic:subscription", "anthropic:api"],
    },
  },
  agent: {
    workspace: "~/.openclaw/workspace",
    model: {
      primary: "anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-5",
      fallbacks: ["anthropic/claude-opus-4-6"],
    },
  },
}

Anthropic subscription + API key, MiniMax fallback

{
  auth: {
    profiles: {
      "anthropic:subscription": {
        provider: "anthropic",
        mode: "oauth",
        email: "user@example.com",
      },
      "anthropic:api": {
        provider: "anthropic",
        mode: "api_key",
      },
    },
    order: {
      anthropic: ["anthropic:subscription", "anthropic:api"],
    },
  },
  models: {
    providers: {
      minimax: {
        baseUrl: "https://api.minimax.io/anthropic",
        api: "anthropic-messages",
        apiKey: "${MINIMAX_API_KEY}",
      },
    },
  },
  agent: {
    workspace: "~/.openclaw/workspace",
    model: {
      primary: "anthropic/claude-opus-4-6",
      fallbacks: ["minimax/MiniMax-M2.1"],
    },
  },
}

Work bot (restricted access)

{
  identity: {
    name: "WorkBot",
    theme: "professional assistant",
  },
  agent: {
    workspace: "~/work-openclaw",
    elevated: { enabled: false },
  },
  channels: {
    slack: {
      enabled: true,
      botToken: "xoxb-...",
      channels: {
        "#engineering": { allow: true, requireMention: true },
        "#general": { allow: true, requireMention: true },
      },
    },
  },
}

Local models only

{
  agent: {
    workspace: "~/.openclaw/workspace",
    model: { primary: "lmstudio/minimax-m2.1-gs32" },
  },
  models: {
    mode: "merge",
    providers: {
      lmstudio: {
        baseUrl: "http://127.0.0.1:1234/v1",
        apiKey: "lmstudio",
        api: "openai-responses",
        models: [
          {
            id: "minimax-m2.1-gs32",
            name: "MiniMax M2.1 GS32",
            reasoning: false,
            input: ["text"],
            cost: { input: 0, output: 0, cacheRead: 0, cacheWrite: 0 },
            contextWindow: 196608,
            maxTokens: 8192,
          },
        ],
      },
    },
  },
}

Tips

• If you set dmPolicy: "open", the matching allowFrom list must include "*".
• Provider IDs differ (phone numbers, user IDs, channel IDs). Use the provider docs to confirm the format.
• Optional sections to add later: web, browser, ui, discovery, canvasHost, talk, signal, imessage.
• See Providers and Troubleshooting for deeper setup notes.