OpenClaw

Multi-platform AI coding agent with Terminal TUI, Web Dashboard, and Telegram Bot support.

Official Website	https://openclaw.ai

Overview

OpenClaw is a feature-rich AI coding agent that supports terminal TUI interaction, Web Dashboard management, and Telegram Bot remote access. It's ideal for developers who need to run AI coding assistants in server environments.

Key Features

• Terminal TUI — Command-line interactive interface, ideal for SSH environments
• Web Dashboard — Browser-based visual management panel
• Telegram Bot — Remote conversations via Telegram
• Multi-Model Support — Claude, GPT, Gemini, and more
• Gateway — Built-in gateway service with reverse proxy support
• Skill Extensions — Install extensions via the Dashboard

Supported Environments

This guide is for Linux cloud servers and macOS systems.

403 "Your request was blocked"?

When using 3xCoder, you must add headers to your provider configuration, otherwise requests will be blocked with a 403 error:

"headers": {
  "User-Agent": "claude-cli/2.0.76 (external, cli)",
  "Authorization": "Bearer sk-xxxx"
}

• Authorization must match your apiKey value, in Bearer sk-... format
• User-Agent must be kept in the example format — do not omit or change it
• After editing, run openclaw gateway restart to apply changes

Installation

Step 1: Run the Install Script

On your server SSH or macOS terminal, run:

curl -fsSL https://openclaw.ai/install.sh | bash

Wait for installation to complete.

Step 2: Initialize Configuration

During installation, you will be prompted with the following options:

Prompt	Selection	Notes
Startup mode	QuickStart	Quick start mode
Provider setup	Skip for now	We'll configure manually later
Adapter	anthropic	Select Anthropic adapter
Model	opus-4.5	Or choose the model you need
Social adapter	Your choice	e.g., Telegram (optional)
Skill install	Skip	Can install later via Dashboard
Hook selection	Select All	Use Space to select all, then Enter
Open mode	Skip	Skip for now
Shell completion	yes	Install command-line auto-completion

Provider & Model Configuration

Step 1: Edit Configuration File

Open the OpenClaw configuration file:

vim ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json

Use the configuration example below as a reference.

Step 2: Set Your API Key

In the models.providers section, replace apiKey and headers.Authorization with your API key from the 3xCoder Dashboard.

Step 3: Restart the Gateway

openclaw gateway restart

Step 4: Verify

Run the TUI to test your model connection:

openclaw tui

If it works, type /quit to exit.

Web Dashboard

Get the Dashboard URL

Run the dashboard command in the console to get the URL, then open it in your browser.

Server Users

If running OpenClaw on a remote server, you need to:

1. Set up a reverse proxy — Use Nginx or similar to proxy the OpenClaw service with SSL
2. Update the config — Add to ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json under gateway:

"controlUi": {
  "allowInsecureAuth": true
}

3. Restart — openclaw gateway restart

Access the Dashboard URL with your token to enter the admin panel.

Telegram Bot (Optional)

If you selected the Telegram adapter during installation:

1. Message your bot — Find the bot you created via @BotFather in Telegram and start a conversation
2. Get the Pairing Code — The first message will return a pairing code
3. Authorize — Run:

openclaw pairing approve telegram YOUR_PAIRING_CODE

After pairing, you can chat with OpenClaw via Telegram.

Full Configuration Example

Below is a complete openclaw.json reference for 3xCoder (~/.openclaw/openclaw.json):

TIP

Replace sk-xxxx and xxxxx with your actual API key and bot token.

{
  "messages": {
    "ackReactionScope": "group-mentions"
  },
  "agents": {
    "defaults": {
      "model": {
        "primary": "3xcoder-claude/claude-opus-4-5-20251101"
      },
      "maxConcurrent": 4,
      "subagents": {
        "maxConcurrent": 8
      },
      "compaction": {
        "mode": "safeguard"
      },
      "workspace": "/root/.openclaw/workspace"
    }
  },
  "models": {
    "providers": {
      "3xcoder-claude": {
        "baseUrl": "https://api.3xcoder.com/v1",
        "apiKey": "sk-xxxx",
        "api": "openai-completions",
        "headers": {
          "User-Agent": "claude-cli/2.0.76 (external, cli)",
          "Authorization": "Bearer sk-xxxx"
        },
        "models": [
          {
            "id": "claude-opus-4-5-20251101",
            "name": "claude-opus-4-5-20251101",
            "contextWindow": 200000,
            "maxTokens": 32000,
            "cost": {
              "input": 0,
              "output": 0,
              "cacheRead": 0,
              "cacheWrite": 0
            }
          }
        ]
      },
      "3xcoder-codex": {
        "baseUrl": "https://api.3xcoder.com/v1",
        "apiKey": "sk-xxxx",
        "api": "openai-completions",
        "headers": {
          "User-Agent": "codex_cli_rs/0.77.0 (Windows 10.0.26100; x86_64) WindowsTerminal",
          "Authorization": "Bearer sk-xxxx"
        },
        "models": [
          {
            "id": "gpt-5.2-codex",
            "name": "gpt-5.2-codex",
            "contextWindow": 200000,
            "maxTokens": 32000,
            "cost": {
              "input": 0,
              "output": 0,
              "cacheRead": 0,
              "cacheWrite": 0
            }
          }
        ]
      }
    }
  },
  "gateway": {
    "mode": "local",
    "auth": {
      "mode": "token",
      "token": "xxxx"
    },
    "port": 18789,
    "bind": "loopback",
    "tailscale": {
      "mode": "off",
      "resetOnExit": false
    }
  },
  "auth": {
    "profiles": {}
  },
  "plugins": {
    "entries": {
      "telegram": {
        "enabled": true
      }
    }
  },
  "channels": {
    "telegram": {
      "enabled": true,
      "botToken": "xxxxx"
    }
  },
  "logging": {
    "level": "trace",
    "consoleLevel": "debug",
    "consoleStyle": "pretty"
  },
  "commands": {
    "restart": true
  },
  "skills": {
    "install": {
      "nodeManager": "npm"
    }
  }
}

Key Fields

Field	Description
agents.defaults.model.primary	Default model, format: provider/model-id
agents.defaults.maxConcurrent	Max concurrent main agents
agents.defaults.subagents.maxConcurrent	Max concurrent sub-agents
agents.defaults.compaction.mode	Context compression mode (safeguard = safe mode)
agents.defaults.workspace	Workspace directory path
models.providers.*.baseUrl	API base URL — use https://api.3xcoder.com/v1
models.providers.*.apiKey	Your 3xCoder API key
models.providers.*.api	Protocol, always openai-completions
models.providers.*.headers	Must include User-Agent and Authorization
gateway.port	Gateway listen port (default 18789)
gateway.bind	Bind mode — loopback for local access only
channels.telegram.botToken	Telegram Bot token from @BotFather
logging.level	Log level — use trace for debugging

Notes

• Authorization in headers must match apiKey, format: Bearer sk-xxxx
• User-Agent must match the example format for requests to be accepted
• Windows paths use \\ double backslash; Linux/macOS use / (e.g., /root/.openclaw/workspace)
• Set all cost values to 0 — billing is handled by 3xCoder, not locally

Troubleshooting

Install script fails

• Verify your network can reach openclaw.ai
• Ensure curl and bash are installed
• If on a restricted network, configure a proxy

403 "Your request was blocked"

Missing or incorrect headers. Add the headers field to your provider config:

"headers": {
  "User-Agent": "claude-cli/2.0.76 (external, cli)",
  "Authorization": "Bearer sk-xxxx"
}

Then run openclaw gateway restart.

Gateway restart — model still unavailable

• Verify the API key is entered correctly
• Confirm your key's group supports the selected model
• Check OpenClaw logs for detailed errors

More Help

See Troubleshooting or FAQ.

Model errors

• Verify your API key and base URL in config.json
• Test the connection: curl https://api.3xcoder.com/v1/models -H "Authorization: Bearer sk-your-key"
• Ensure the model names match what's available in your 3xCoder account

Docker issues

• Ensure port mapping is correct: -p 3000:3000
• Mount the config file correctly: -v /path/to/config.json:/app/config.json
• Check Docker logs: docker logs <container-id>