AI Gateway Crash Fix

Your AI gateway crashed. Again. Here's the permanent fix.

AI gateway crashes are frustrating—but they're also predictable and preventable. openclaw-cli automatically detects when your gateway crashes and restarts it within seconds, so you never have to manually troubleshoot again.

1

Install openclaw-cli

First, install the OpenClaw CLI tool globally on your machine.

npm install -g openclaw-cli

Or via Homebrew on macOS:

brew tap Sobranier/openclaw brew install openclaw-cli
2

Check gateway status

Verify your current gateway status with a single command.

openclaw status

This shows whether your gateway is running, which port it's on, and connected alert channels.

3

Enable watchdog mode

Start the watchdog to automatically monitor your gateway for crashes.

openclaw watch

The watchdog runs in the foreground and will auto-restart your gateway if it crashes. Press Ctrl+C to stop it.

4

Run as background daemon

For production use, run the watchdog as a background service that starts on boot.

openclaw start

This installs a launchd service (macOS) or systemd service (Linux) that keeps monitoring even after you log out.

Common Errors & Solutions

Error: "Gateway not responding on port 18789"
Your gateway process has crashed. Run openclaw status to check, then openclaw watch to start monitoring. The watchdog will auto-restart it.
Error: "Permission denied: /Library/LaunchDaemons"
You need sudo privileges to install the background service. Run sudo openclaw start or use npm instead: npm install -g openclaw-cli.
Error: "Node.js version too old"
openclaw-cli requires Node.js 22 or later. Check your version with node --version and update if needed.
Error: "Port 18789 already in use"
Another process is using the gateway port. Find it with lsof -i :18789 and kill the process, or configure openclaw to use a different port.

Never worry about gateway crashes again

Install openclaw-cli and let it handle the heavy lifting.

Download OpenClaw CLI →

Frequently Asked Questions

How quickly does openclaw-cli detect a crash?
The watchdog polls your gateway every 2 seconds and can restart it within 5-10 seconds of a crash. Most users never notice the interruption.
Will this work on Linux and Windows?
Yes! openclaw-cli supports macOS, Linux, and Windows. On macOS it uses launchd, on Linux it uses systemd, and on Windows it runs as a scheduled task.
Can I get alerts when my gateway crashes?
Absolutely. Configure alerts via Telegram, Feishu, Slack, or any webhook. Run openclaw config set alerts.telegram YOUR_BOT_TOKEN to get started.