Control UI

The Control UI is a small Vite + Lit single-page app served by the Gateway:

• default: http://<host>:18789/
• optional prefix: set gateway.controlUi.basePath (e.g. /openclaw)

It speaks directly to the Gateway WebSocket on the same port.

Quick open (local)

If the Gateway is running on the same computer, open http://127.0.0.1:18789/ (or http://localhost:18789/).

If the page fails to load, start the Gateway first: openclaw gateway.

Auth is supplied during the WebSocket handshake via:

• connect.params.auth.token
• connect.params.auth.password
• Tailscale Serve identity headers when gateway.auth.allowTailscale: true
• trusted-proxy identity headers when gateway.auth.mode: "trusted-proxy"

The dashboard settings panel keeps a token for the current browser tab session and selected gateway URL; passwords are not persisted. Onboarding usually generates a gateway token for shared-secret auth on first connect, but password auth works too when gateway.auth.mode is "password".

Device pairing (first connection)

Connecting from a new browser or device usually requires a one-time pairing approval, shown as disconnected (1008): pairing required.

openclaw devices list

openclaw devices approve <requestId>

If the browser retries pairing with changed auth details (role/scopes/public key), the previous pending request is superseded and a new requestId is created; re-run openclaw devices list before approving.

Switching an already-paired browser from read access to write/admin access is treated as an approval upgrade, not a silent reconnect: OpenClaw keeps the old approval active, blocks the broader reconnect, and asks you to approve the new scope set explicitly.

Once approved, the device is remembered and won't require re-approval unless you revoke it with openclaw devices revoke --device <id> --role <role>. See Devices CLI for token rotation, revocation, and the Paperclip / openclaw_gateway first-run approval flow.

Pair a mobile device

An already paired administrator can create the iOS/Android connection QR without opening a terminal:

Creating a setup code requires operator.admin; the button is disabled for sessions without it. A setup code contains a short-lived bootstrap credential, so treat the QR and copied code like a password while they are valid. For remote pairing, the Gateway must resolve to wss:// (for example, through Tailscale Serve/Funnel); plain ws:// is limited to loopback and private LAN addresses. See Pairing for the full security and fallback details.

Personal identity (browser-local)

The Control UI supports a per-browser personal identity (display name and avatar) attached to outgoing messages, for attribution in shared sessions. It lives in browser storage, scoped to the current browser profile, and is not synced to other devices or persisted server-side beyond the normal transcript authorship metadata on messages you send. Clearing site data or switching browsers resets it to empty.

The assistant avatar override follows the same browser-local pattern: uploaded overrides overlay the gateway-resolved identity locally and never round-trip through config.patch. The shared ui.assistant.avatar config field is still available for non-UI clients that write the field directly.

Runtime config endpoint

The Control UI fetches its runtime settings from /control-ui-config.json, resolved relative to the gateway's Control UI base path (for example /__openclaw__/control-ui-config.json under base path /__openclaw__/). That endpoint is gated by the same gateway auth as the rest of the HTTP surface: unauthenticated browsers cannot fetch it, and a successful fetch requires a valid gateway token/password, Tailscale Serve identity, or a trusted-proxy identity.

Gateway host status

Open Settings in Simple view to see the Gateway Host card with the Gateway machine, LAN address, operating system, runtime, uptime, CPU load, memory, and state-volume disk space. The card refreshes every 10 seconds while visible through the system.info Gateway RPC, which requires the operator.read scope. Older Gateways and connections without that scope omit the card.

Language support

The Control UI localizes itself on first load based on your browser locale. To override it later, open Overview -> Gateway Access -> Language (the picker lives in the Gateway Access card, not under Appearance).

• Supported locales: en, ar, de, es, fa, fr, hi, id, it, ja-JP, ko, nl, pl, pt-BR, ru, th, tr, uk, vi, zh-CN, zh-TW
• Non-English translations are lazy-loaded in the browser.
• The selected locale is saved in browser storage and reused on future visits.
• Missing translation keys fall back to English.

Docs translations are generated for the same non-English locale set, but the docs site's built-in Mintlify language picker only lists locale codes Mintlify accepts. Thai (th) and Persian (fa) docs are still generated in the publish repo; they may not appear in that picker until Mintlify supports those codes.

Appearance themes

The Appearance panel has the built-in Claw, Knot, and Dash themes (Claw is default), plus one browser-local tweakcn import slot. To import a theme, open the tweakcn editor, choose or create a theme, click Share, and paste the copied link into Appearance. The importer also accepts https://tweakcn.com/r/themes/<id> registry URLs, editor URLs like https://tweakcn.com/editor/theme?theme=amethyst-haze, relative /themes/<id> paths, raw theme IDs, and default theme names such as amethyst-haze.

Imported themes are stored only in the current browser profile; they are not written to gateway config and do not sync across devices. Replacing the imported theme updates the one local slot; clearing it switches back to Claw if the imported theme was active.

Appearance also has a browser-local Text size setting, stored with the rest of Control UI preferences. It applies to chat text, composer text, tool cards, and chat sidebars, and keeps text inputs at least 16px so mobile Safari does not auto-zoom on focus.

Manage plugins

Open Plugins in the sidebar, or use /settings/plugins relative to the configured Control UI base path, to browse and manage plugins without leaving the Control UI. For example, a base path of /openclaw uses /openclaw/settings/plugins. The page is always available, even when every optional plugin is disabled.

The Installed tab shows the full local inventory grouped by category, with overview counts. Each row opens a detail view; its overflow (…) menu enables or disables the plugin and offers Remove for externally installed plugins. It also lists configured MCP servers and supports adding, disabling, and removing them inline. The Discover tab is the store: featured plugins included with OpenClaw, official external plugins, and one-click MCP connectors for popular services. Typing in the search box queries ClawHub inline and appends a From ClawHub section with download counts and source-verification badges.

Included plugins are already present on the Gateway and show Enable or Disable instead of Install. For example, Workboard is included with OpenClaw but disabled by default, so its action is Enable. Bundled plugins cannot be removed, only disabled.

Reading the catalog and searching ClawHub require operator.read. Installing, enabling, disabling, or removing a plugin and changing MCP servers require operator.admin; those actions stay disabled for read-only operators.

ClawHub installs run through the Gateway and keep the same trust, integrity, and plugin-install policy checks as other Gateway-mediated installs. Installing or removing plugin code requires a Gateway restart. Enabling or disabling an installed plugin can apply without a restart when the plugin and current Gateway runtime support it; otherwise the UI reports that a restart is required. OAuth-backed MCP connectors need a one-time openclaw mcp login <name> from the CLI after they are added.

The page intentionally focuses on inventory, discovery, install, enablement, and removal. Use openclaw plugins for arbitrary npm, git, or local-path sources, updates, and advanced plugin configuration.

Sidebar navigation

The sidebar pins navigation above a scrollable session list. In multi-agent setups every agent appears as a collapsible top-level section; expanding an agent browses its sessions without navigating away from the open chat, and collapsed agents show an unread indicator. Within an agent the list splits into Pinned, one built-in section per connected channel (Telegram, Slack, WhatsApp, ...), a built-in Work section for sessions bound to a managed worktree or exec node (rows show a repo ⎇ branch line plus the node host), custom groups (the session category), and Chats for the rest. Channel and Work sections classify rows automatically; assigning a session to a custom group always wins. Opening a session moves the selection highlight without reordering the rows. Sessions with new activity since they were last read show an unread dot, and opening one marks it read. Each session row has a context menu (kebab button or right-click) with Pin/Unpin, Mark as unread/read, Rename, Fork, Move to group (including New group and Remove from group), Archive, and Delete; touch layouts keep the direct pin and menu controls visible. Drag a session onto a custom group or Chats to move it. Custom group headers can be collapsed, expanded, or dragged to reorder them; group names and their order live in the gateway (sessions.groups.*), so they follow you across browsers, while the collapsed state stays in the browser profile. Group headers also have a menu (kebab button or right-click) with Rename group, New group, and Delete group; renaming or deleting a group updates every member session server-side, including archived ones, and deleting a group keeps its sessions and moves them back to Chats. The single + in the session-list header opens the New session dialog (see below). The sort control also has a Group by toggle: Grouped (default) or None for one flat list (Pinned stays separate); the choice is stored in the current browser profile. Overview is the only destination pinned by default; expand More to reach every other destination. Select Edit pinned items under More, or right-click the navigation area, to pin or unpin destinations and restore the defaults. The pinned set and More expansion state are stored in the current browser profile and survive reloads.

New session dialog

The + in the sidebar session-list header opens a draft dialog: nothing is created until you send the first message. A target row above the message box picks where the session works: the agent (multi-agent setups), where exec runs (Gateway · local or a paired node that exposes system.run; requires operator.admin), the folder (defaults to the agent workspace; other absolute host paths require operator.admin and a worktree), and an optional Worktree toggle with a base-branch picker (backed by worktrees.branches, so no fetch happens) and an optional worktree name (the branch becomes openclaw/<name>). Submitting calls sessions.create with the first message, so the run starts in the same round-trip and the sidebar jumps to the new session.

Inside Settings, the dedicated sidebar starts with a Search settings field for quickly finding settings sections.

A Search field at the top of the sidebar opens the command palette (⌘K). The compact footer keeps connection status, Settings, Docs, mobile pairing, and the light/dark/system color-mode toggle together; Shift-Command-Comma opens Settings without overriding the browser's Command-Comma shortcut. The sidebar header also holds the collapse toggle (⌘B); collapsing hides the sidebar entirely for a full-width workspace, and a floating expand control (or ⌘B) brings it back. The sidebar is the only navigation chrome on desktop, with no top bar. Narrow viewports swap the sidebar for a slide-over drawer behind a compact header row holding the drawer toggle, brand, and command-palette search; in the macOS app that header row folds the titlebar clearance into a single compact strip beside the window controls. Navigation uses regular browser history, so the browser's back/forward buttons traverse it; the macOS app adds native back/forward buttons next to the window controls, plus trackpad swipe gestures.

What it can do (today)

MCP page

The dedicated MCP page is an operator view for OpenClaw-managed MCP servers under mcp.servers. It does not start MCP transports by itself; use it to inspect and edit saved config, then use openclaw mcp doctor --probe when you need live server proof.

Typical workflow:

1. Open MCP from the sidebar.
2. Check the summary cards for total, enabled, OAuth, and filtered server counts.
3. Review each server row for transport, enablement, auth, filters, timeouts, and command hints.
4. Toggle enablement when a server should remain configured but stay out of runtime discovery.
5. Edit the scoped mcp config section for server definitions, headers, TLS/mTLS paths, OAuth metadata, tool filters, and Codex projection metadata.
6. Use Save for a config write, or Save & Publish when the running Gateway should apply the changed config.
7. Run openclaw mcp status --verbose, openclaw mcp doctor --probe, or openclaw mcp reload from a terminal for static diagnostics, live proof, or cached-runtime disposal.

The page redacts credential-bearing URL-like values before rendering and quotes server names in command snippets so copied commands still work with spaces or shell metacharacters. Full CLI and config reference: MCP.

Activity tab

The Activity tab is an ephemeral browser-local observer for live tool activity, derived from the same Gateway session.tool / tool event stream that powers Chat tool cards. It does not add another Gateway event family, endpoint, durable activity store, metrics feed, or external observer stream.

Activity entries keep only sanitized summaries and redacted, truncated output previews. Tool argument values are not stored in Activity state; the UI shows that arguments are hidden and records only the argument field count. The in-memory list follows the current browser tab, survives navigation within the Control UI, and resets on page reload, session switch, or Clear.

Operator terminal

The dockable operator terminal is disabled by default. To enable it, set gateway.terminal.enabled: true and restart the Gateway. The terminal requires an operator.admin connection and opens a host PTY in the active agent workspace. New tabs follow the currently selected chat agent.

Use Ctrl + backtick to toggle the dock. The layout supports bottom and right docking, resizes with the browser viewport, and keeps multiple shell tabs. See Gateway configuration for gateway.terminal.enabled and the optional gateway.terminal.shell override.

Sessions survive disconnects: a page reload, laptop sleep, or network blip detaches the session on the Gateway instead of killing it, and the same browser tab reattaches on reconnect with recent output replayed. Detached sessions are killed after gateway.terminal.detachedSessionTimeoutSeconds (default 300 seconds; 0 restores kill-on-disconnect). terminal.list shows attachable sessions, terminal.attach adopts one (tmux-style take-over), and terminal.text reads a session's recent output as plain text without attaching - an agent/tooling affordance.

The terminal is also available as a full-screen, terminal-only document at /?view=terminal. The iOS and Android apps embed this page in their Terminal screens, reusing the stored gateway credentials; availability follows the same gateway.terminal.enabled and operator.admin gate, and the page shows a notice when the connected Gateway does not offer the terminal.

Chat behavior

Connection loss and reconnect

Once a session is established, a dropped Gateway connection does not log you out. The dashboard stays visible with a floating amber "Gateway connection lost — Reconnecting…" pill under the top bar while the client retries automatically with backoff (800 ms up to 15 s). Live updates and realtime/session actions pause until the connection returns; Retry now in the pill forces an immediate attempt. Chat remains editable: ordinary text and attachment sends are kept in the current tab's gateway/session-scoped browser storage, shown as waiting for reconnect, and sent automatically when the Gateway returns. Live controls and slash commands remain unavailable while offline.

When this browser already holds credentials (a configured token/password or an approved device token), first opens and reloads show a small animated OpenClaw mark while the connection is established instead of flashing the login gate. The login gate only appears when no credentials are stored yet or when the Gateway actively rejects them (bad token/password, revoked pairing) — states that need your input rather than waiting.

PWA install and web push

The Control UI ships a manifest.webmanifest and a service worker, so modern browsers can install it as a standalone PWA. Web Push lets the Gateway wake the installed PWA with notifications even when the tab or browser window is not open.

If the page shows Protocol mismatch right after an OpenClaw update, first reopen the dashboard with openclaw dashboard and hard-refresh. If it still fails, clear site data for the dashboard origin or test in a private browser window; an old tab or browser service-worker cache can keep running a pre-update Control UI bundle against the newer Gateway.

Override the VAPID keypair through env vars on the Gateway process when you want to pin keys (multi-host deployments, secrets rotation, or tests):

• OPENCLAW_VAPID_PUBLIC_KEY
• OPENCLAW_VAPID_PRIVATE_KEY
• OPENCLAW_VAPID_SUBJECT (defaults to https://openclaw.ai)

The Control UI uses these scope-gated Gateway methods to register and test browser subscriptions:

• push.web.vapidPublicKey fetches the active VAPID public key.
• push.web.subscribe registers an endpoint plus keys.p256dh/keys.auth.
• push.web.unsubscribe removes a registered endpoint.
• push.web.test sends a test notification to the caller's subscription.

Hosted embeds

Assistant messages can render hosted web content inline with the [embed ...] shortcode. The iframe sandbox policy is controlled by gateway.controlUi.embedSandbox:

The bundled Canvas plugin also provides show_widget to render self-contained SVG or HTML directly from a tool call. The browser advertises the inline-widgets Gateway capability, and the resulting Canvas document remains available when chat history reloads. Channel-originated runs do not receive this tool.

{  gateway: {    controlUi: {      embedSandbox: "scripts",    },  },}

Absolute external http(s) embed URLs stay blocked by default. To let [embed url="https://..."] load third-party pages, set gateway.controlUi.allowExternalEmbedUrls: true.

Chat message width

Grouped chat messages use a readable default max-width. Wide-monitor deployments can override it without patching bundled CSS by setting gateway.controlUi.chatMessageMaxWidth:

{  gateway: {    controlUi: {      chatMessageMaxWidth: "min(1280px, 82%)",    },  },}

The value is validated before it reaches the browser. Supported forms include plain lengths and percentages such as 960px or 82%, plus constrained min(...), max(...), clamp(...), calc(...), and fit-content(...) width expressions.

Tailnet access (recommended)

openclaw gateway --tailscale serve

openclaw gateway --bind tailnet --token "$(openssl rand -hex 32)"

Insecure HTTP

If you open the dashboard over plain HTTP (http://<lan-ip> or http://<tailscale-ip>), the browser runs in a non-secure context and blocks WebCrypto. By default, OpenClaw blocks Control UI connections without device identity.

Documented exceptions:

• localhost-only insecure HTTP compatibility with gateway.controlUi.allowInsecureAuth=true
• successful operator Control UI auth through gateway.auth.mode: "trusted-proxy"
• break-glass gateway.controlUi.dangerouslyDisableDeviceAuth=true

Recommended fix: use HTTPS (Tailscale Serve) or open the UI locally at https://<magicdns>/ (Serve) or http://127.0.0.1:18789/ (on the gateway host).

{  gateway: {    controlUi: { allowInsecureAuth: true },    bind: "tailnet",    auth: { mode: "token", token: "replace-me" },  },}

{  gateway: {    controlUi: { dangerouslyDisableDeviceAuth: true },    bind: "tailnet",    auth: { mode: "token", token: "replace-me" },  },}

See Tailscale for HTTPS setup guidance.

Content security policy

The Control UI ships a tight img-src policy: only same-origin assets, data: URLs, and locally generated blob: URLs are allowed. Remote http(s) and protocol-relative image URLs are rejected by the browser and never issue network fetches.

In practice:

• Avatars and images served under relative paths (for example /avatars/<id>) still render, including authenticated avatar routes the UI fetches and converts into local blob: URLs.
• Inline data:image/... URLs still render.
• Local blob: URLs created by the Control UI still render.
• GitHub link preview avatars are fetched by the Gateway from GitHub's fixed avatar host and returned as bounded data: URLs; the operator browser never contacts the remote avatar host.
• Remote avatar URLs emitted by channel metadata are stripped at the Control UI's avatar helpers and replaced with the built-in logo/badge, so a compromised or malicious channel cannot force arbitrary remote image fetches from an operator browser.

This is always on and not configurable.

Avatar route auth

When gateway auth is configured, the Control UI avatar endpoint requires the same gateway token as the rest of the API:

• GET /avatar/<agentId> returns the avatar image only to authenticated callers. GET /avatar/<agentId>?meta=1 returns the avatar metadata under the same rule.
• Unauthenticated requests to either route are rejected (matching the sibling assistant-media route), so the avatar route cannot leak agent identity on hosts that are otherwise protected.
• The Control UI forwards the gateway token as a bearer header when fetching avatars, and uses authenticated blob URLs so the image still renders in dashboards.

If you disable gateway auth (not recommended on shared hosts), the avatar route also becomes unauthenticated, in line with the rest of the gateway.

Assistant media route auth

When gateway auth is configured, assistant local-media previews use a two-step route:

• GET /__openclaw__/assistant-media?meta=1&source=<path> requires the normal Control UI operator auth; the browser sends the gateway token as a bearer header when checking availability.
• Successful metadata responses include a short-lived mediaTicket scoped to that exact source path.
• Browser-rendered image, audio, video, and document URLs use mediaTicket=<ticket> instead of the active gateway token or password. The ticket expires quickly and cannot authorize a different source.

This keeps media rendering compatible with browser-native media elements without putting reusable gateway credentials in visible media URLs.

Building the UI

The Gateway serves static files from dist/control-ui:

pnpm ui:build

Optional absolute base (fixed asset URLs):

OPENCLAW_CONTROL_UI_BASE_PATH=/openclaw/ pnpm ui:build

Local development (separate dev server):

pnpm ui:dev

Then point the UI at your Gateway WS URL (e.g. ws://127.0.0.1:18789).

Blank Control UI page

If the browser loads a blank dashboard and DevTools shows no useful error, an extension or early content script may have prevented the JavaScript module app from evaluating. The static page includes a plain HTML recovery panel that appears when <openclaw-app> is not registered after startup.

Use the panel's Try again action after changing the browser environment, or reload manually after these checks:

• Disable extensions that inject into all pages, especially extensions with <all_urls> content scripts.
• Try a private window, a clean browser profile, or another browser.
• Keep the Gateway running and verify the same dashboard URL after the browser change.

Debugging/testing: dev server + remote Gateway

The Control UI is static files; the WebSocket target is configurable and can differ from the HTTP origin. This is handy when you want the Vite dev server locally but the Gateway runs elsewhere.

pnpm ui:dev

http://localhost:5173/?gatewayUrl=ws%3A%2F%2F<gateway-host>%3A18789

http://localhost:5173/?gatewayUrl=wss%3A%2F%2F<gateway-host>%3A18789#token=<gateway-token>

{  gateway: {    controlUi: {      allowedOrigins: ["http://localhost:5173"],    },  },}

Remote access setup details: Remote access.

Related

• Dashboard — gateway dashboard
• Health Checks — gateway health monitoring
• TUI — terminal user interface
• WebChat — browser-based chat interface