OpenClaw CLI

Use the openclaw-cli CLI for direct OpenClaw calls.

Install

If openclaw-cli is not installed yet, run:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/TimoBechtel/openclaw-cli/main/install.sh | bash

Required environment

export OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKEN="your-token"

Optional:

• OPENCLAW_BASE_URL (default http://127.0.0.1:18789)
• OPENCLAW_AGENT_ID (default main)
• OPENCLAW_SESSION_KEY_PREFIX

Usage

Start a new conversation (omit --session-key):

openclaw-cli ask "Summarize the latest deployment risks."

Continue the same conversation (reuse the returned session key):

openclaw-cli ask "Continue from previous context." --session-key "<session-key>"

Use machine-readable output when needed:

openclaw-cli ask "Return JSON with top 3 risks." --json

Session handling

• Pass the same --session-key on every call to continue a conversation.
• First call: omit --session-key (a new one is returned).
• Later calls: pass the returned key.
• To start fresh, omit --session-key again.

Context guidance

• OpenClaw has no memory between sessions.
• When starting fresh or omitting --session-key, include the full context OpenClaw needs:
  • the user's question
  • relevant code
  • file paths
  • any other important details