OpenClaw does not require the web dashboard for day-to-day use. If you prefer a terminal-first workflow, the TUI gives you chat, tool output, and model controls without leaving the shell.
Quick answer
Start the gateway, run openclaw tui, and only add --url plus --token when you are connecting to a remote gateway.
Command line steps
1. Start or verify the gateway
The TUI is a gateway client, so it only works once the gateway is reachable.
BASH
$openclaw gateway
# or, if it is already installed as a service:
openclaw gateway status --require-rpc
2. Open the local TUI
For a local install, the default command is enough.
BASH
$openclaw tui
3. Connect the TUI to a remote gateway when needed
When you pass an explicit URL, also pass explicit auth.
BASH
$openclaw tui --url ws://127.0.0.1:18789 --token <gateway-token>
What to check if it still fails
- If the TUI cannot connect, verify the gateway first with
openclaw gateway status --require-rpc. - If you passed
--url, remember the CLI stops auto-reading your saved token. Supply--tokenor--passwordexplicitly. - If you just want logs,
openclaw logs --followis often faster than opening the TUI.