7.1 KiB
| summary | read_when | title | |
|---|---|---|---|
| CLI reference for `openclaw config` (get/set/unset/file/validate) |
|
config |
openclaw config
Config helpers for non-interactive edits in openclaw.json: get/set/unset/validate
values by path and print the active config file. Run without a subcommand to
open the configure wizard (same as openclaw configure).
Examples
openclaw config file
openclaw config get browser.executablePath
openclaw config set browser.executablePath "/usr/bin/google-chrome"
openclaw config set agents.defaults.heartbeat.every "2h"
openclaw config set agents.list[0].tools.exec.node "node-id-or-name"
openclaw config set channels.discord.token --ref-provider default --ref-source env --ref-id DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN
openclaw config set secrets.providers.vaultfile --provider-source file --provider-path /etc/openclaw/secrets.json --provider-mode json
openclaw config unset tools.web.search.apiKey
openclaw config set channels.discord.token --ref-provider default --ref-source env --ref-id DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN --dry-run
openclaw config validate
openclaw config validate --json
Paths
Paths use dot or bracket notation:
openclaw config get agents.defaults.workspace
openclaw config get agents.list[0].id
Use the agent list index to target a specific agent:
openclaw config get agents.list
openclaw config set agents.list[1].tools.exec.node "node-id-or-name"
Values
Values are parsed as JSON5 when possible; otherwise they are treated as strings.
Use --strict-json to require JSON5 parsing. --json remains supported as a legacy alias.
openclaw config set agents.defaults.heartbeat.every "0m"
openclaw config set gateway.port 19001 --strict-json
openclaw config set channels.whatsapp.groups '["*"]' --strict-json
config set modes
openclaw config set supports four assignment styles:
- Value mode:
openclaw config set <path> <value> - SecretRef builder mode:
openclaw config set channels.discord.token \
--ref-provider default \
--ref-source env \
--ref-id DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN
- Provider builder mode (
secrets.providers.<alias>path only):
openclaw config set secrets.providers.vault \
--provider-source exec \
--provider-command /usr/local/bin/openclaw-vault \
--provider-arg read \
--provider-arg openai/api-key \
--provider-timeout-ms 5000
- Batch mode (
--batch-jsonor--batch-file):
openclaw config set --batch-json '[
{
"path": "secrets.providers.default",
"provider": { "source": "env" }
},
{
"path": "channels.discord.token",
"ref": { "source": "env", "provider": "default", "id": "DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN" }
}
]'
openclaw config set --batch-file ./config-set.batch.json --dry-run
Batch parsing always uses the batch payload (--batch-json/--batch-file) as the source of truth.
--strict-json / --json do not change batch parsing behavior.
JSON path/value mode remains supported for both SecretRefs and providers:
openclaw config set channels.discord.token \
'{"source":"env","provider":"default","id":"DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN"}' \
--strict-json
openclaw config set secrets.providers.vaultfile \
'{"source":"file","path":"/etc/openclaw/secrets.json","mode":"json"}' \
--strict-json
Provider Builder Flags
Provider builder targets must use secrets.providers.<alias> as the path.
Common flags:
--provider-source <env|file|exec>--provider-timeout-ms <ms>(file,exec)
Env provider (--provider-source env):
--provider-allowlist <ENV_VAR>(repeatable)
File provider (--provider-source file):
--provider-path <path>(required)--provider-mode <singleValue|json>--provider-max-bytes <bytes>
Exec provider (--provider-source exec):
--provider-command <path>(required)--provider-arg <arg>(repeatable)--provider-no-output-timeout-ms <ms>--provider-max-output-bytes <bytes>--provider-json-only--provider-env <KEY=VALUE>(repeatable)--provider-pass-env <ENV_VAR>(repeatable)--provider-trusted-dir <path>(repeatable)--provider-allow-insecure-path--provider-allow-symlink-command
Hardened exec provider example:
openclaw config set secrets.providers.vault \
--provider-source exec \
--provider-command /usr/local/bin/openclaw-vault \
--provider-arg read \
--provider-arg openai/api-key \
--provider-json-only \
--provider-pass-env VAULT_TOKEN \
--provider-trusted-dir /usr/local/bin \
--provider-timeout-ms 5000
Dry run
Use --dry-run to validate changes without writing openclaw.json.
openclaw config set channels.discord.token \
--ref-provider default \
--ref-source env \
--ref-id DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN \
--dry-run
openclaw config set channels.discord.token \
--ref-provider default \
--ref-source env \
--ref-id DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN \
--dry-run \
--json
Dry-run behavior:
- Builder mode: requires full SecretRef resolvability for changed refs/providers.
- JSON mode (
--strict-json,--json, or batch mode): requires full resolvability and schema validation.
--dry-run --json prints a machine-readable report:
ok: whether dry-run passedoperations: number of assignments evaluatedchecks: whether schema/resolvability checks ranrefsChecked: number of refs resolved during dry-runerrors: structured schema/resolvability failures whenok=false
JSON Output Shape
{
ok: boolean,
operations: number,
configPath: string,
inputModes: ["value" | "json" | "builder", ...],
checks: {
schema: boolean,
resolvability: boolean,
},
refsChecked: number,
errors?: [
{
kind: "schema" | "resolvability",
message: string,
ref?: string, // present for resolvability errors
},
],
}
Success example:
{
"ok": true,
"operations": 1,
"configPath": "~/.openclaw/openclaw.json",
"inputModes": ["builder"],
"checks": {
"schema": false,
"resolvability": true
},
"refsChecked": 1
}
Failure example:
{
"ok": false,
"operations": 1,
"configPath": "~/.openclaw/openclaw.json",
"inputModes": ["builder"],
"checks": {
"schema": false,
"resolvability": true
},
"refsChecked": 1,
"errors": [
{
"kind": "resolvability",
"message": "Error: Environment variable \"MISSING_TEST_SECRET\" is not set.",
"ref": "env:default:MISSING_TEST_SECRET"
}
]
}
If dry-run fails:
config schema validation failed: your post-change config shape is invalid; fix path/value or provider/ref object shape.SecretRef assignment(s) could not be resolved: referenced provider/ref currently cannot resolve (missing env var, invalid file pointer, exec provider failure, or provider/source mismatch).- For batch mode, fix failing entries and rerun
--dry-runbefore writing.
Subcommands
config file: Print the active config file path (resolved fromOPENCLAW_CONFIG_PATHor default location).
Restart the gateway after edits.
Validate
Validate the current config against the active schema without starting the gateway.
openclaw config validate
openclaw config validate --json