OpenClaw releases iOS and Android companion node app to attach telephones to self-hosted AI agent gateway

OpenClaw simply launched a local companion app for iOS. android. of iOS app It is listed as “OpenClaw – AI that does issues.” Each apps are free to obtain. These should not standalone chatbots. Every cellphone turns into a node in a self-hosted agent community. The assistant itself runs on a separate gateway. That separation is the general design.

TL;DR

• OpenClaw’s iOS and Android apps are companion nodes fairly than standalone assistants.
• The gateway runs an agent. Your cellphone may have a digicam, location, audio, and canvas added to it.
• Nodes are paired by way of WebSocket on port 18789 and require express authorization.
• Privateness-sensitive instructions stay turned off till you add them to your allowlist.
• Requires a gateway on macOS, Linux, or Home windows (WSL2).

What’s open claw??

OpenClaw is an open supply private AI assistant/agent. It was created by Peter Steinberger and neighborhood contributors. This undertaking is unbiased and never affiliated with Anthropic. Its core is written in TypeScript. Runtime is Node 24 (really useful) or Node 22.19 or later. The gateway runs on macOS, Linux, or Home windows over WSL2. Speak to them from the chat app you already use. Supported channels embrace WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord, Slack, Sign, and iMessage. Brokers can browse the online, run shell instructions, and browse and write recordsdata. Works with hosted, subscription, gateway, or native fashions. Get hold of an API key out of your chosen supplier. Maintains persistent reminiscence and helps neighborhood abilities and plugins.

How the gateway and node structure works?

The gateway is a single management aircraft. Personal classes, routes, channels, instruments, and occasions. Run one gateway course of in your machine or server. Chat messages are at all times despatched to the gateway and by no means to your cellphone. A node is a companion system that connects to that gateway. The node connects to the default port 18789 by way of WebSocket. Every node is registered as follows: position: "node" Pairing in progress. Nodes expose command surfaces. node.invoke. These command households embrace: canvas.*, digicam.*, system.*, notifications.*and system.*. The documentation clearly states that “Nodes are peripherals, not gateways.” On the native community, the app discovers the gateway by way of mDNS/Bonjour. For distant entry, OpenClaw wss:// the final cease.

What does the cell app add??

The cellphone offers the agent a bodily physique. Give your workflow device-specific {hardware}. The iOS app pairs with a QR code or setup code. Helps chat, real-time and background speak modes, and approvals. You may share textual content, hyperlinks, and media from iOS to OpenClaw. Optionally available options embrace digicam, display, location, photographs, contacts, calendar, reminders, and extra. Android apps are companion nodes, not standalone gateways. Gives streaming chat replies, picture attachments, and full session historical past. Speak mode makes use of Eleven Labs or System TTS. Dwell Canvas surfaces permit brokers to render dashboards and instruments. Android grants permissions one by one. The foreground service maintains the gateway connection.

Evaluating iOS and Android nodes

Utilization and examples

Contemplate area information assortment within the area. Brokers use iOS digicam seize to movie the scenario. Location tags every photograph with GPS coordinates. Contemplate context-aware reminders. While you arrive at a particular location, the agent will set off a activity. Contemplate receiving notifications on Android. The agent will learn it and draft a response. Contemplate a dwell dashboard. The agent pushes the Canvas floor onto the display. Think about using it hands-free. In speak mode, steady voice dialog is feasible. One caveat applies to cameras and display captures. Requires app in foreground. Background calls return an error.

Pairing your cellphone: minimal walkthrough

First, run the gateway on a supported host.

# On the Gateway host (macOS, Linux, or Home windows by way of WSL2)
npm set up -g openclaw@newest
openclaw onboard --install-daemon

Then open the app and choose the detected gateway. Or enter the host and port manually. The app connects to position: "node" Then ship a tool pairing request. Authorize from the gateway CLI.

openclaw units listing
openclaw units approve <requestId>
openclaw nodes standing        # verify the node is paired and linked

Privateness-sensitive instructions stay off by default. Examples embrace: digicam.snap, digicam.clipand display.report. explicitly opt-in by gateway.nodes.allowCommands in your settings.

// ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json
{
  gateway: {
    nodes: {
      allowCommands: ["camera.snap", "screen.record"],
    },
  },
}

Deny listing (gateway.nodes.denyCommands) at all times takes priority over the permit listing.

Safety and authorization

Pairing credentials are saved in your system. All node connections require authorization earlier than reaching the gateway. A tool pairing report is a everlasting position contract. Token rotation doesn’t permit you to improve a node to a special position. Digital camera and display seize are permission-gated and solely run within the foreground. Plaintext ws:// Restricted to LAN, .native host. A public or Tailscale endpoint has an actual wss:// TLS endpoint.

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