A Node.js client for OpenClaw β connect your app to AI agents in a few lines of code.
OpenClaw is an open-source AI agent platform. You run a Gateway (a local server) that manages AI agents β think of them as persistent AI assistants that can use tools, remember context, and connect to services like Slack, Telegram, or your own app.
This package lets you talk to those agents from Node.js.
Before using this client, you need a running OpenClaw Gateway:
# Install OpenClaw
npm install -g openclaw
# Start the gateway
openclaw gateway startThe gateway runs on ws://localhost:18789 by default. If you've set an auth token (via OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKEN), you'll need it for the client too.
npm install openclaw-nodeNode.js 22+ works out of the box (built-in WebSocket). For Node.js 20β21, also install
ws:npm install openclaw-node ws
import { OpenClawClient } from "openclaw-node";
const client = new OpenClawClient({
url: "ws://localhost:18789",
// Only needed if your gateway has a token set:
// token: process.env.OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKEN,
});
await client.connect();
// Send a message and stream the response
const stream = client.chat("What's the weather like in Vienna?");
for await (const chunk of stream) {
if (chunk.type === "text") {
process.stdout.write(chunk.text);
// Prints token by token: "The current weather in Vienna is..."
}
}
// Final chunk has type "done"
await client.disconnect();const response = await client.chatSync("Summarize my last 3 meetings");
console.log(response);
// "Here's a summary of your recent meetings: ..."Gateway β The local server that runs your agents. This client connects to it via WebSocket. Default address: ws://localhost:18789.
Agent β A configured AI assistant with its own personality, tools, and memory. The gateway can run multiple agents. Each has an agentId.
Session β A conversation thread with an agent. Sessions persist across connections, so you can pick up where you left off. Each session has a sessionKey.
Token β An optional auth string that protects your gateway from unauthorized access. Set it via OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKEN on the gateway, then pass the same value to this client.
const client = new OpenClawClient({
url: "ws://localhost:18789", // Gateway address (required)
token: "my-secret-token", // Auth token (optional, must match gateway)
autoReconnect: true, // Reconnect on disconnect (default: true)
maxReconnectAttempts: 10, // Give up after N retries (default: 10)
});await client.connect(); // Connect and authenticate
await client.disconnect(); // Gracefully close
client.isConnected; // true/falseThe client handles all protocol details (challenge-response handshake, authentication, keepalive) automatically.
const stream = client.chat("Your message here", {
sessionKey: "optional-session-id", // Continue a specific conversation
agentId: "optional-agent-id", // Talk to a specific agent
});
for await (const chunk of stream) {
switch (chunk.type) {
case "text":
process.stdout.write(chunk.text); // Partial response text
break;
case "tool_use":
console.log(`\nπ§ Using tool: ${chunk.text}`);
break;
case "tool_result":
console.log(`β
Tool result: ${chunk.text}`);
break;
case "done":
console.log("\n--- Response complete ---");
break;
}
}const reply = await client.chatSync("What's on my calendar today?");
// Returns the full response as a stringSessions are conversation threads. They persist on the gateway, so you can resume them later.
// List all sessions
const sessions = await client.sessions.list({ limit: 10 });
// Get message history for a session
const history = await client.sessions.history("session-key-here", {
limit: 20,
});
// Send a message into an existing session
await client.sessions.send("session-key-here", "Follow up on yesterday's task");// Connection lifecycle
client.on("connected", (info) => console.log("Connected to gateway"));
client.on("disconnected", ({ reason }) => console.log("Disconnected:", reason));
client.on("error", (err) => console.error("Error:", err));
// Gateway events (exec approvals, presence changes, etc.)
client.on("event", (event) => {
console.log("Gateway event:", event.event, event.payload);
});For advanced use cases, you can send raw protocol requests:
const response = await client.request("status", {});
console.log(response.payload);import express from "express";
import { OpenClawClient } from "openclaw-node";
const app = express();
const client = new OpenClawClient({ url: "ws://localhost:18789" });
await client.connect();
app.post("/api/ask", express.json(), async (req, res) => {
const answer = await client.chatSync(req.body.question);
res.json({ answer });
});
app.listen(3000);import readline from "readline";
import { OpenClawClient } from "openclaw-node";
const client = new OpenClawClient({ url: "ws://localhost:18789" });
await client.connect();
const rl = readline.createInterface({ input: process.stdin, output: process.stdout });
rl.on("line", async (input) => {
for await (const chunk of client.chat(input)) {
if (chunk.type === "text") process.stdout.write(chunk.text);
}
console.log();
});| openclaw-node | Gateway Protocol | OpenClaw Gateway | What's new |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.2.x | v3 | 0.x (current) | Tool event streaming |
| 0.1.x | v3 | 0.x | Initial release |
If the OpenClaw Gateway bumps its protocol version, you'll need a matching openclaw-node release. Check this table to find the right version.
- Streaming β AsyncIterator-based, get responses token by token
- Tool events β See which tools agents use and what they return (
tool_use/tool_resultchunks) - Auto-reconnect β Exponential backoff, configurable retries
- TypeScript-first β Full type definitions for all protocol messages
- Zero config β Handles the full WebSocket protocol (handshake, auth, keepalive) for you
- Lightweight β Zero required dependencies on Node.js 22+
This client was extracted from Pinchy, an open-source web UI for OpenClaw with multi-user support, agent permissions, and a dashboard. It works great standalone β use it to build your own OpenClaw integrations.
Contributions welcome! See CONTRIBUTING.md.
- OpenClaw β The AI agent platform
- Pinchy β Open-source web UI for OpenClaw
- OpenClaw Docs β Gateway setup and configuration