OpenClaw Common Errors & How to Fix Them (2026 Guide)

Running into issues with OpenClaw? You're not alone. Here are the most common errors and how to fix them.

Deep-dive guides — for complex errors, we have dedicated articles with full diagnosis steps:

• Gateway Start Blocked Fix — the most common setup error
• Device Token Mismatch Fix — token regeneration and pairing issues
• Gateway Connection Errors — "did not become ready", disconnections, send failures
• Config Validation Errors — unknown keys, invalid config
• Access Not Configured — dashboard and web access issues
• OpenClaw Doctor Guide — complete openclaw doctor reference
• Config Reference — every openclaw.json setting explained
• Factory Reset Guide — when you need a clean start
• Reverse Proxy Setup — Caddy, Nginx, trusted proxies

Gateway Errors

"Gateway connect failed"

Cause: Wrong host, port, or URL configuration. See our full gateway connection guide for detailed diagnosis.

Fix:

openclaw config set gateway.host "localhost"
openclaw config set gateway.port 3001
openclaw restart

If running behind a reverse proxy (like Caddy or Nginx), make sure gateway.trustedProxies includes your proxy IP. See our reverse proxy setup guide.

openclaw config set gateway.trustedProxies '["127.0.0.1"]'

"Gateway start blocked"

Cause: Gateway mode is not set correctly. See our detailed gateway.mode fix guide for all variations.

Fix:

openclaw config set gateway.mode "local"
openclaw restart

Gateway keeps restarting

Cause: Usually a port conflict or corrupted state.

Fix:

openclaw gateway stop
# Wait 5 seconds
openclaw gateway start

If that doesn't work, run the diagnostic tool:

openclaw doctor --fix

Device Pairing Issues

"Device identity required" / "Device token mismatch"

Cause: Every new browser or client connection needs to be approved, or a previously approved device's token no longer matches. See our device token mismatch guide for full diagnosis.

Fix:

# List pending devices
openclaw devices list

# Approve a specific device
openclaw devices approve DEVICE_ID

For token mismatch errors, run:

openclaw doctor --fix
openclaw restart

Pairing code not appearing

Cause: The Telegram channel might not be fully connected.

Fix:

1. Verify your bot token is correct:

openclaw config get telegram.token

2. Restart the gateway:

openclaw gateway restart

3. Send a message to your bot — the pairing code should appear in your terminal.

Telegram Issues

Bot doesn't respond

Cause: Multiple possible reasons.

Checklist:

1. Is OpenClaw running? Check with openclaw status
2. Is the gateway ready? Look for [gateway] listening on in logs
3. Is the bot token correct? Verify with BotFather
4. Is another instance polling? Only one process can poll a bot's updates

Quick fix:

openclaw restart

"Telegram getUpdates returned empty"

Cause: If OpenClaw is already polling for updates, the Telegram API won't return them to other callers.

Fix: This is normal behavior. Only one process should poll a bot. If you previously ran a different bot on the same token, stop that process first.

Messages are delayed

Cause: Usually high API load or rate limiting from your AI provider.

Fix:

• Check your API provider's dashboard for rate limit errors
• Consider switching to a faster model (e.g., Sonnet instead of Opus)
• Check openclaw logs for timeout errors

Docker Issues

Container starts but OpenClaw doesn't work

Cause: The gateway takes ~40 seconds to fully start.

Fix: Wait for the log line [gateway] listening on — that's the real ready signal. The earlier message [entrypoint] Starting OpenClaw gateway does NOT mean it's ready.

"Permission denied" errors in Docker

Cause: File ownership mismatch inside the container.

Fix:

docker exec -it YOUR_CONTAINER_ID chown -R node:node /app
docker restart YOUR_CONTAINER_ID

Gateway token changes on restart

Cause: OpenClaw regenerates the gateway token on every restart unless you set it explicitly.

Fix:

# Set a permanent token
docker exec YOUR_CONTAINER_ID openclaw config set gateway.token "YOUR_FIXED_TOKEN"

# Or set it via environment variable
OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKEN=your-token docker-compose up -d

Configuration Errors

"Configuration validation error"

Cause: Invalid JSON in openclaw.json.

Fix:

# Validate your config
openclaw config validate

# Or reset to defaults
openclaw config reset

"Unknown configuration key"

Cause: Typo in config key or using an outdated key name. See our config validation guide for the full key migration table.

Fix: Check the config reference for valid keys. Common mistakes:

• telegramToken should be telegram.token
• model should be ai.model

General Debugging

The Nuclear Option: openclaw doctor

When nothing else works:

openclaw doctor --fix

This runs health checks and auto-fixes common issues (permissions, config, missing directories).

Check Logs

Always check logs first:

# Stream live logs
openclaw logs --follow

# Last 100 lines
openclaw logs --tail 100

Node.js Version

OpenClaw requires Node.js 22+. Check your version:

node --version

Skip the Troubleshooting Entirely

Most of these errors come from self-hosting complexity — Docker configuration, reverse proxy setup, port conflicts, token management.

ClawTank handles all of this for you. One click, no terminal, no debugging. Your OpenClaw instance is pre-configured and ready in under 1 minute.