Summary

openclaw node install on a node-only machine fails because it attempts to systemctl enable openclaw-gateway.service instead of creating/enabling a node-specific service unit.

Steps to reproduce

1. Install openclaw v2026.2.9 on a Linux machine intended as a node only (no gateway)
2. Run:

   OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKEN=<token> openclaw node install --host <gateway-ip> --port 18789 --display-name "my-node"

Expected behavior

A systemd service for the node host is created and enabled (e.g., openclaw-node.service).

Actual behavior

Node install failed: Error: systemctl enable failed: Failed to enable unit: Unit file openclaw-gateway.service does not exist.

The command tries to enable openclaw-gateway.service, which doesn't exist on a node-only machine.

Workaround

Manually create a systemd unit:

# /etc/systemd/system/openclaw-node.service
[Unit]
Description=OpenClaw Node Host
After=network-online.target
Wants=network-online.target

[Service]
Type=simple
Environment=OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKEN=<token>
ExecStart=/usr/bin/openclaw node run --host <gateway-ip> --port 18789 --display-name "my-node"
Restart=always
RestartSec=5

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Then:

systemctl daemon-reload && systemctl enable --now openclaw-node.service

This works correctly — the node connects and stays connected.

Environment

• OpenClaw version: 2026.2.9 (33c75cb)
• OS: Ubuntu 24.04 (Linux 6.8.0)
• Init system: systemd
• Node-only machine (no gateway installed)

Related

This may share root cause with #4833 — both suggest the node-mode code paths have received less testing than gateway-mode.