Gateway Won't Start

Quick Fix

Check the Logs First

openclaw logs --tail 100

Look for errors mentioning port conflicts, missing config values, or permission issues.

Common Causes

Port Already in Use

Another process is using OpenClaw's default port (3000). Find and stop it:

# macOS / Linux
lsof -i :3000
kill -9 <PID>

# Windows
netstat -ano | findstr :3000
taskkill /PID <PID> /F

Or change the port in config.yaml: server.port: 3001

Missing or Invalid config.yaml

1. Check the config exists: openclaw config validate
2. Re-run onboarding if needed: openclaw onboard

Node.js Version Too Old

OpenClaw requires Node.js 22+. Check your version:

node --version

If it's below v22, update Node.js and try again.

Daemon Already Running

openclaw stop
openclaw start

Permissions Error (Linux/macOS)

sudo chown -R $USER ~/.openclaw