Platforms overview
macOS app
The macOS app is the OpenClaw menu bar companion: native tray UI, macOS
permission prompts, notifications, WebChat, voice input, Canvas, and
Mac-hosted node tools such as system.run.
Only need the CLI and Gateway? Start with Getting started.
Download
Get macOS app builds from OpenClaw GitHub releases. When a release ships macOS app assets, look for:
OpenClaw-<version>.dmg(preferred)OpenClaw-<version>.zip
Some releases only ship CLI, evidence, or Windows assets. If the newest release has no macOS app asset, use the newest one that does, or build from source with macOS dev setup.
First run
- Install and launch OpenClaw.app.
- Pick This Mac for a local Gateway, or connect to a remote Gateway.
- Local mode: wait while the app installs its user-space runtime and Gateway.
- Complete provider setup and the macOS permission checklist.
- Send the onboarding test message.
If the app finds an existing Gateway configuration and connects successfully, it treats that Gateway as already set up, skips provider onboarding, and opens the dashboard. If the configured Gateway cannot connect, onboarding remains available for recovery.
For the CLI/Gateway setup path, use Getting started. For permission recovery, use macOS permissions.
Open dashboard links
In the macOS app's embedded dashboard, clicking an external web link opens it in a resizable browser sidebar. Each link opens in its own tab; clicking the same link again reuses its existing tab. Drag tabs to reorder them, close them with the tab close button or a middle-click, and right-click a tab for Open in Default Browser, Copy Link, Reload, Close Tab, and Close Other Tabs. The window's titlebar back/forward controls and trackpad swipes navigate dashboard history; the sidebar's own back/forward controls navigate the active tab's history. The sidebar also has reload, open-in-default-browser, and close controls, and it remembers its width.
Right-click an external link to choose Open in Sidebar, Open in Default Browser, or Copy Link. Modified clicks and user-activated new-window links from the dashboard continue to open in the default browser; new-window links inside the sidebar open as new sidebar tabs. Regular browser-hosted Control UI pages keep the browser's normal link and context-menu behavior.
Choose a Gateway mode
| Mode | Use it when | Detail page |
|---|---|---|
| Local | This Mac should run the Gateway and keep it alive with launchd. | Gateway on macOS |
| Remote | Another host runs the Gateway; this Mac controls it over SSH, LAN, or Tailnet. | Remote control |
Local mode needs an installed openclaw CLI. On a fresh Mac, the app installs
the matching CLI and runtime automatically before starting the Gateway wizard.
See Gateway on macOS for manual recovery.
What the app owns
- Menu bar status, notifications, health, and WebChat.
- macOS permission prompts for screen, microphone, speech, automation, and accessibility.
- Local node tools: Canvas, camera/screen capture, notifications, and
system.run. - Exec approval prompts for Mac-hosted commands.
- Remote-mode SSH tunnels or direct Gateway connections.
The app does not replace the Gateway or general CLI docs. Gateway configuration, providers, plugins, channels, tools, and security live in their own docs.
macOS detail pages
| Task | Read |
|---|---|
| Install or debug the CLI/Gateway service | Gateway on macOS |
| Keep state out of cloud-synced folders | Gateway on macOS |
| Debug app discovery and connectivity | Gateway on macOS |
| Understand launchd behavior | Gateway lifecycle |
| Fix permissions or signing/TCC issues | macOS permissions |
| Connect to a remote Gateway | Remote control |
| Read menu bar status and health checks | Menu bar, Health checks |
| Use the embedded chat UI | WebChat |
| Use voice wake or push-to-talk | Voice wake |
| Use Canvas and Canvas deep links | Canvas |
| Host PeekabooBridge for UI automation | Peekaboo bridge |
| Configure command approvals | Exec approvals, advanced details |
| Inspect Mac node commands and app IPC | macOS IPC |
| Capture logs | macOS logging |
| Build from source | macOS dev setup |
