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CLI commands

Devices

openclaw devices

Manage device pairing requests and device-scoped tokens.

Common options

  • --url <url>: Gateway WebSocket URL (defaults to gateway.remote.url when configured)
  • --token <token>: Gateway token (if required)
  • --password <password>: Gateway password (password auth)
  • --timeout <ms>: RPC timeout
  • --json: JSON output (recommended for scripting)

Commands

openclaw devices list

List pending pairing requests and paired devices.

bash
openclaw devices listopenclaw devices list --json

For a pending request on an already-paired device, the output shows requested access next to the device's current approved access, so scope/role upgrades are visible instead of looking like a lost pairing.

Paired device display names use this precedence: operator label (operatorLabel from devices rename), then client displayName, then clientId, then deviceId. Node approval notices printed by devices commands use the operator label when one is set.

openclaw devices approve [requestId] [--latest]

Approve a pending pairing request by exact requestId. Omitting requestId, or passing --latest, only previews the newest pending request and exits (code 1); rerun with the exact request ID to approve.

The printed approval command keeps your active profile or container, explicit Gateway URL, nondefault timeout, and JSON output mode. Token and password option values are omitted; supply the same credentials again when the preview asks you to reuse those options.

bash
openclaw devices approveopenclaw devices approve <requestId>openclaw devices approve --latest

Approval behavior:

  • If the device is already paired and requests broader scopes or role, OpenClaw keeps the existing approval and creates a new pending upgrade request. Compare Requested vs Approved in openclaw devices list, or preview with --latest, before approving.
  • Approving a node role or other non-operator role requires operator.admin. operator.pairing is enough for operator-device approvals, but only when the requested operator scopes stay within the caller's own scopes. See Operator scopes.
  • If gateway.nodes.pairing.autoApproveCidrs is configured, first-time role: node requests from matching client IPs can be auto-approved before they appear in this list. Disabled by default; never applies to operator/browser clients or upgrade requests.
  • gateway.nodes.pairing.sshVerify (on by default) auto-approves first-time role: node requests when the gateway verifies the device key over SSH to the node host. Requests may therefore resolve to approved shortly after appearing. Set sshVerify: false to disable SSH verification; this is independent of autoApproveCidrs, so unset that too for manual-only pairing.

openclaw devices reject <requestId>

Reject a pending device pairing request.

bash
openclaw devices reject <requestId>

openclaw devices join-code

Mint a single-use node onboarding URL with administrator access to the Gateway. Paste the printed npx openclaw connect <url> command on the machine to enroll.

bash
openclaw devices join-codeopenclaw devices join-code --json

Join-code creation and redemption are core Gateway operations; no pairing plugin needs to be enabled. The URL must be reachable from the joining machine. Remote join URLs require a TLS Gateway endpoint. Explicitly configured loopback endpoints can use HTTP, provided the joining machine can reach that loopback endpoint, for example through a local tunnel.

With only the default loopback bind and no advertised endpoint, URL discovery refuses to mint a link. Configure a reachable secure endpoint first; see Gateway deployments that cannot host nodes. Plaintext LAN pairing can use a setup code directly instead of an HTTP join URL. See Connect a machine.

openclaw devices remove <deviceId>

Remove one paired device entry.

bash
openclaw devices remove <deviceId>openclaw devices remove <deviceId> --json

A caller authenticated with a paired device token can remove only its own device entry. Removing another device requires operator.admin.

openclaw devices rename --device <id> --name <label>

Assign an operator label to a paired device. Labels are owner-side state: they survive pairing repairs and role re-approvals, and they do not change the stable deviceId.

bash
openclaw devices rename --device <deviceId> --name "Kitchen Mac"openclaw devices rename --device <deviceId> --name "Kitchen Mac" --json
  • --name is required, trimmed, non-empty, and capped at 64 characters.
  • Display surfaces (CLI list, Control UI inventory) prefer the operator label over the client-reported display name.
  • A non-admin paired-device caller can rename only its own device. Renaming another device requires operator.admin.

openclaw devices clear --yes [--pending]

Clear paired devices in bulk. Gated by --yes.

bash
openclaw devices clear --yesopenclaw devices clear --yes --pendingopenclaw devices clear --yes --pending --json

--pending also rejects all pending pairing requests.

openclaw devices rotate --device <id> --role <role> [--scope <scope...>]

Rotate a device token for a role, optionally updating its scopes.

bash
openclaw devices rotate --device <deviceId> --role operator --scope operator.read --scope operator.write
  • The target role must already exist in that device's approved pairing contract; rotation cannot mint a new unapproved role.
  • Omitting --scope retains the target token's current scopes. Passing explicit --scope values replaces that scope set, within the device's approved baseline, for future cached-token reconnects.
  • Pass --no-scopes to request an empty scope set. It cannot be combined with --scope.
  • A non-admin paired-device caller can rotate only its own device token, and the target scope set must stay within the caller's own operator scopes; rotation cannot mint or preserve a broader token than the caller already has.

Returns rotation metadata as JSON. If the caller rotates its own token while authenticated with that device token, the response includes the replacement token so the client can persist it before reconnecting. Shared-secret callers and callers rotating another device never receive the bearer token.

When Doctor reports a legacy node token carrying operator scopes, use its explicit recovery command:

bash
openclaw devices rotate --device <deviceId> --role node --no-scopes

This recovery requires operator.admin and preserves the device's operator pairing and approved scopes. The Gateway removes only a local cached node token that matches the retired legacy token, in the same commit as rotation. For a node host using a separate state directory, provide valid shared Gateway authentication and restart the node to refresh its cache. A retired device token alone cannot authenticate the reconnect.

openclaw devices revoke --device <id> --role <role>

Revoke a device token for a role.

bash
openclaw devices revoke --device <deviceId> --role node

A non-admin paired-device caller can revoke only its own device token. Revoking another device's token requires operator.admin. The target scope set must also fit within the caller's own operator scopes; pairing-only callers cannot revoke admin/write operator tokens.

Notes

  • These commands require operator.pairing (or operator.admin) scope. Non-operator device roles always require operator.admin; see Operator scopes.
  • Token rotation and revocation stay inside the device's approved pairing role set and scope baseline. A stray cached token entry does not grant a token-management target.
  • Removing a device or revoking its node token also clears node runtime state. A worker cleanup error does not keep affected connections authorized or open.
  • For operator tokens, the CLI first reads the pairing list, then requests pairing plus the target token's scopes (or explicit rotate scopes). If the target is not visible, it requests admin access for cross-device management. A narrowed token does not inherit a broader device approval baseline; the caller must already be authorized for the requested scopes.
  • For paired-device token sessions, cross-device management (remove, rename, rotate, revoke) is self-only unless the caller has operator.admin.
  • Token rotation returns a new token (sensitive) — treat it like a secret.
  • If pairing scope is unavailable on local loopback and no explicit --url is passed, list/approve can fall back to local pairing state.

Token drift recovery checklist

Use this when Control UI or other clients keep failing with AUTH_TOKEN_MISMATCH, AUTH_DEVICE_TOKEN_MISMATCH, or AUTH_SCOPE_MISMATCH.

  1. Confirm current gateway token source:

    bash
    openclaw gateway auth-token --show

    Run the command in an interactive terminal on the Gateway host and treat its output as a secret.

  2. List paired devices and identify the affected device id:

    bash
    openclaw devices list

  3. Rotate the operator token for the affected device:

    bash
    openclaw devices rotate --device <deviceId> --role operator

  4. If rotation is not enough, remove the stale pairing and approve again:

    bash
    openclaw devices remove <deviceId>openclaw devices listopenclaw devices approve <requestId>

  5. Retry the client connection with the current shared token/password.

Notes:

  • Normal reconnect auth precedence: explicit shared token/password first, then explicit deviceToken, then stored device token, then bootstrap token.
  • Trusted AUTH_TOKEN_MISMATCH recovery can temporarily send both the shared token and the stored device token together for one bounded retry.
  • AUTH_SCOPE_MISMATCH means the device token was recognized but does not carry the requested scope set; fix the pairing/scope approval contract before changing shared gateway auth.

Related:

Paperclip / openclaw_gateway first-run approval

Paperclip agents connecting through the openclaw_gateway adapter go through the same first-run device pairing approval as any other new client. If Paperclip reports openclaw_gateway_pairing_required, approve the pending device and retry.

bash
openclaw devices approve --latest

The preview prints the exact openclaw devices approve <requestId> command; verify the details, then rerun that command with the request ID to approve it. For a remote gateway or explicit credentials, pass the same options while previewing and approving:

bash
openclaw devices approve --latest --url <gateway-ws-url> --token <gateway-token>

To avoid re-approving after every restart, configure a persistent adapterConfig.devicePrivateKeyPem in Paperclip instead of letting it generate a new ephemeral device identity each run:

json
{  "adapterConfig": {    "devicePrivateKeyPem": "<ed25519-private-key-pkcs8-pem>"  }}

If approval keeps failing, run openclaw devices list first to confirm a pending request exists.

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