openClaw_agent_dm/docs/openclaw-official/pages/concepts/architecture.md

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Source: Web Fetch
---
> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.openclaw.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Gateway Architecture

# Gateway architecture

Last updated: 2026-01-22

## Overview

* A single long‑lived **Gateway** owns all messaging surfaces (WhatsApp via
  Baileys, Telegram via grammY, Slack, Discord, Signal, iMessage, WebChat).
* Control-plane clients (macOS app, CLI, web UI, automations) connect to the
  Gateway over **WebSocket** on the configured bind host (default
  `127.0.0.1:18789`).
* **Nodes** (macOS/iOS/Android/headless) also connect over **WebSocket**, but
  declare `role: node` with explicit caps/commands.
* One Gateway per host; it is the only place that opens a WhatsApp session.
* The **canvas host** is served by the Gateway HTTP server under:
  * `/__openclaw__/canvas/` (agent-editable HTML/CSS/JS)
  * `/__openclaw__/a2ui/` (A2UI host)
    It uses the same port as the Gateway (default `18789`).

## Components and flows

### Gateway (daemon)

* Maintains provider connections.
* Exposes a typed WS API (requests, responses, server‑push events).
* Validates inbound frames against JSON Schema.
* Emits events like `agent`, `chat`, `presence`, `health`, `heartbeat`, `cron`.

### Clients (mac app / CLI / web admin)

* One WS connection per client.
* Send requests (`health`, `status`, `send`, `agent`, `system-presence`).
* Subscribe to events (`tick`, `agent`, `presence`, `shutdown`).

### Nodes (macOS / iOS / Android / headless)

* Connect to the **same WS server** with `role: node`.
* Provide a device identity in `connect`; pairing is **device‑based** (role `node`) and
  approval lives in the device pairing store.
* Expose commands like `canvas.*`, `camera.*`, `screen.record`, `location.get`.

Protocol details:

* [Gateway protocol](/gateway/protocol)

### WebChat

* Static UI that uses the Gateway WS API for chat history and sends.
* In remote setups, connects through the same SSH/Tailscale tunnel as other
  clients.

## Connection lifecycle (single client)

```mermaid  theme={"theme":{"light":"min-light","dark":"min-dark"}}
sequenceDiagram
    participant Client
    participant Gateway

    Client->>Gateway: req:connect
    Gateway-->>Client: res (ok)
    Note right of Gateway: or res error + close
    Note left of Client: payload=hello-ok<br>snapshot: presence + health

    Gateway-->>Client: event:presence
    Gateway-->>Client: event:tick

    Client->>Gateway: req:agent
    Gateway-->>Client: res:agent<br>ack {runId, status:"accepted"}
    Gateway-->>Client: event:agent<br>(streaming)
    Gateway-->>Client: res:agent<br>final {runId, status, summary}
```

## Wire protocol (summary)

* Transport: WebSocket, text frames with JSON payloads.
* First frame **must** be `connect`.
* After handshake:
  * Requests: `{type:"req", id, method, params}` → `{type:"res", id, ok, payload|error}`
  * Events: `{type:"event", event, payload, seq?, stateVersion?}`
* If `OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKEN` (or `--token`) is set, `connect.params.auth.token`
  must match or the socket closes.
* Idempotency keys are required for side‑effecting methods (`send`, `agent`) to
  safely retry; the server keeps a short‑lived dedupe cache.
* Nodes must include `role: "node"` plus caps/commands/permissions in `connect`.

## Pairing + local trust

* All WS clients (operators + nodes) include a **device identity** on `connect`.
* New device IDs require pairing approval; the Gateway issues a **device token**
  for subsequent connects.
* **Local** connects (loopback or the gateway host's own tailnet address) can be
  auto‑approved to keep same‑host UX smooth.
* All connects must sign the `connect.challenge` nonce.
* Signature payload `v3` also binds `platform` + `deviceFamily`; the gateway
  pins paired metadata on reconnect and requires repair pairing for metadata
  changes.
* **Non‑local** connects still require explicit approval.
* Gateway auth (`gateway.auth.*`) still applies to **all** connections, local or
  remote.

Details: [Gateway protocol](/gateway/protocol), [Pairing](/channels/pairing),
[Security](/gateway/security).

## Protocol typing and codegen

* TypeBox schemas define the protocol.
* JSON Schema is generated from those schemas.
* Swift models are generated from the JSON Schema.

## Remote access

* Preferred: Tailscale or VPN.

* Alternative: SSH tunnel

  ```bash  theme={"theme":{"light":"min-light","dark":"min-dark"}}
  ssh -N -L 18789:127.0.0.1:18789 user@host
  ```

* The same handshake + auth token apply over the tunnel.

* TLS + optional pinning can be enabled for WS in remote setups.

## Operations snapshot

* Start: `openclaw gateway` (foreground, logs to stdout).
* Health: `health` over WS (also included in `hello-ok`).
* Supervision: launchd/systemd for auto‑restart.

## Invariants

* Exactly one Gateway controls a single Baileys session per host.
* Handshake is mandatory; any non‑JSON or non‑connect first frame is a hard close.
* Events are not replayed; clients must refresh on gaps.


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