OpenClaw setup help: common issues and how to fix them

Most OpenClaw setup problems fall into a handful of buckets. Here are the ones people hit most, and how to get past them.

The gateway will not start

This is almost always a configuration problem. Validate your config before restarting anything. A single invalid key can put the gateway into a restart loop, so never restart on an invalid config.

• •Run the config validation command and read the first error, not the last.
• •Roll back to your last known-good config if you are unsure.
• •Check that required fields (ownership, identity, model defaults) are present and valid.

The model is not responding

• •Confirm your provider key is set and has credit or quota.
• •Confirm the model id is spelled exactly as the provider expects.
• •Check for a regional or network block between your machine and the provider.

A chat channel will not connect

Channels each have their own pairing or token flow. Set the credential as a reference, not inline, then prove the channel with a test message before relying on it.

It works, then stops after a reboot

The agent needs to be set to start on login or boot, and the machine needs to stay awake. On a Mac, that means disabling sleep and adding a keep-awake so the agent is always there.