Getting Started

Start with these essential commands:

clawdbot status
clawdbot service start
clawdbot skills list

Common Flags

These flags work with most OpenClaw commands:

Flag	Description
`--help, -h`	Show help information for any command
`--verbose, -v`	Enable verbose output for debugging
`--quiet, -q`	Suppress non-error output
`--json`	Output in JSON format (useful for scripting)
`--config <path>`	Use custom configuration file
`--no-color`	Disable colored output

Core Commands

Essential commands for everyday OpenClaw usage.

clawdbot status

Check OpenClaw service status and health.

clawdbot status

# Output:
# Status: running
# Version: 1.0.0
# Uptime: 2 days, 4 hours
# Active Skills: 8

Note: Use this command first when troubleshooting issues

clawdbot start

Start the OpenClaw service.

# Start service
clawdbot service start

# Start with custom port
clawdbot service start --port 8080

# Start in debug mode
clawdbot service start --debug

Note: Requires admin privileges for ports below 1024

clawdbot stop

Stop the OpenClaw service gracefully.

# Stop service
clawdbot service stop

# Force stop (emergency only)
clawdbot service stop --force

Note: Graceful shutdown allows tasks to complete

clawdbot restart

Restart the OpenClaw service.

# Restart service
clawdbot service restart

# Restart with configuration reload
clawdbot service restart --reload-config

Note: Use after configuration changes

Configuration Commands

Manage OpenClaw settings and preferences.

clawdbot config

View and manage configuration settings.

# List all configuration
clawdbot config list

# Get specific setting
clawdbot config get network.interface

# Set configuration value
clawdbot config set server.port 3000

# Unset configuration (revert to default)
clawdbot config unset server.port

# Edit configuration file
clawdbot config edit

Note: Changes require restart to take effect

clawdbot init

Initialize OpenClaw with interactive setup wizard.

clawdbot init

# The wizard will prompt for:
# • Admin account creation
# • Network configuration
# • API keys setup
# • Service preferences

Note: Run this after first installation

clawdbot configure

Launch interactive configuration editor.

clawdbot configure

# Opens guided setup for:
# • User accounts
# • Notification settings
# • Security options
# • Skill selection

Note: Simpler than editing config manually

Skill Management

Install, manage, and configure OpenClaw skills.

clawdbot skills

List and manage installed skills.

# List all skills
clawdbot skills list

# List with details
clawdbot skills list --verbose

# List enabled skills only
clawdbot skills list --enabled

# Search for skills
clawdbot skills search smart-home

Note: Shows skill status, version, and enabled state

clawdbot skills install

Install a new skill from the registry.

# Install from registry
clawdbot skills install voice-assistant

# Install specific version
clawdbot skills install voice-assistant --version 2.1.0

# Install from local path
clawdbot skills install ./path/to/skill

# Install from GitHub
clawdbot skills install github:user/skill-repo

Note: Requires internet connection for registry installs

clawdbot skills uninstall

Remove an installed skill.

# Uninstall skill
clawdbot skills uninstall voice-assistant

# Force uninstall (ignore dependencies)
clawdbot skills uninstall voice-assistant --force

# Uninstall and remove configuration
clawdbot skills uninstall voice-assistant --purge

Note: Check dependencies before removing skills

clawdbot skills enable/disable

Enable or disable a skill without uninstalling.

# Enable skill
clawdbot skills enable voice-assistant

# Disable skill
clawdbot skills disable voice-assistant

# Bulk enable multiple skills
clawdbot skills enable voice-assistant calendar smart-home

Note: Disabled skills remain installed but won't run

clawdbot skills update

Update skills to latest version.

# Update all skills
clawdbot skills update --all

# Update specific skill
clawdbot skills update voice-assistant

# Check for updates without installing
clawdbot skills update --dry-run

Note: Check skill compatibility before updating

Service Management

Monitor and control OpenClaw service operations.

clawdbot logs

View and filter OpenClaw logs.

# View recent logs
clawdbot logs --tail 50

# Follow logs in real-time
clawdbot logs --follow

# Filter by skill
clawdbot logs --skill voice-assistant

# Filter by level
clawdbot logs --level error

# Export logs
clawdbot logs --output ./clawdbot.log

Note: Use --follow for live debugging

clawdbot stats

Display system statistics and performance metrics.

clawdbot stats

# Output:
# CPU: 15%
# Memory: 4.2GB / 16GB (26%)
# Disk: 120GB / 512GB (23%)
# Uptime: 2 days, 4 hours
# Active Skills: 8
# API Calls Today: 1,234

Note: Useful for performance monitoring

clawdbot test

Run diagnostic tests on OpenClaw.

# Run all diagnostics
clawdbot test

# Test specific component
clawdbot test --component network

# Test with verbose output
clawdbot test --verbose

# Run specific test suite
clawdbot test --suite integration

Note: Run diagnostics after configuration changes

clawdbot backup

Create and manage backups.

# Create backup
clawdbot backup create

# Create with custom name
clawdbot backup create --name "pre-update-backup"

# List backups
clawdbot backup list

# Restore from backup
clawdbot backup restore backup-2025-01-15.tar.gz

# Schedule automatic backups
clawdbot backup schedule --daily 3:00

Note: Store backups externally for disaster recovery

User Management

Manage user accounts and permissions.

clawdbot user

Manage OpenClaw user accounts.

# List users
clawdbot user list

# Create new user
clawdbot user create \
  --username john \
  --email [email protected] \
  --role standard

# Delete user
clawdbot user delete john

# Change password
clawdbot user password john --interactive

Note: Admin access required for user management

clawdbot permissions

Manage user permissions and access control.

# Grant permissions
clawdbot permissions grant john \
  --skills voice,calendar \
  --commands "schedule.*,calendar.*"

# Revoke permissions
clawdbot permissions revoke john --skills voice

# View permissions
clawdbot permissions list john

Note: Use principle of least privilege

Automation Examples

Automated Backups

Set up automated daily backups using cron:

# Add to crontab (crontab -e)
0 3 * * * /usr/local/bin/clawdbot backup create --name "daily-$(date +\%Y\%m\%d)"

Service Health Check

Create a simple health check script:

#!/bin/bash
# health-check.sh

if ! clawdbot status | grep -q "running"; then
  echo "OpenClaw is not running!"
  clawdbot service start
fi

Batch Skill Updates

Update all skills and check for issues:

#!/bin/bash
# update-skills.sh

clawdbot skills update --all
clawdbot test --suite skills

if [ $? -ne 0 ]; then
  echo "Skill tests failed!"
  clawdbot logs --tail 20
fi

Log Monitoring

Monitor logs for specific errors:

# Monitor for errors in real-time
clawdbot logs --follow | grep -i "error\|warning"

# Count errors in last hour
clawdbot logs --since 1h | grep -i error | wc -l

Shell Integration

Enable Tab Completion to your shell.

Bash

# Add to ~/.bashrc or ~/.bash_profile
source <(clawdbot completion bash)

Zsh

# Add to ~/.zshrc
source <(clawdbot completion zsh)

Fish

# Add to ~/.config/fish/completions/clawdbot.fish
clawdbot completion fish > ~/.config/fish/completions/clawdbot.fish

Pro Tips for Power Users

Use --json flag for scripting and automation
Combine commands with shell pipes for powerful workflows
Set up aliases for frequently used commands in your shell profile
Use clawdbot logs --follow when debugging issues
Schedule routine maintenance tasks using cron or launchd
Keep your CLI updated: brew upgrade clawdbot

CLI Mastery Complete!

You now have comprehensive knowledge of the OpenClaw CLI. For additional help, run clawdbot --help or visit the troubleshooting guide.

Continue Learning

Explore more documentation and start building with OpenClaw.

API Documentation - Build with the API
Advanced Settings - Advanced configuration
Browse Skills - Skills library
Get Help - Troubleshooting

CLI Reference