OpenClaw Agent Not Starting – Troubleshoot

OpenClawErrors & BugsUpdated February 23, 2026
Quick Answer

Check your API key configuration, verify your agent definition file is valid JSON/YAML, and ensure all required dependencies are installed.

Step-by-Step Fix

1. Verify API Key

Check that your API key is correctly set:

echo $OPENCLAW_API_KEY

If it's empty or incorrect, set it:

export OPENCLAW_API_KEY=your_key_here

2. Validate Configuration File

Ensure your agent configuration is valid:

openclaw validate agent.yaml

3. Install Dependencies

Run the dependency installer:

openclaw install

4. Check Logs

Review the agent logs for specific error messages:

openclaw logs --tail 50

5. Update OpenClaw

Ensure you're running the latest version:

npm update -g openclaw

Additional FAQ

Q: How do I know if the problem is on my end or the platform's side? Check the platform's official status page first — most services maintain a public status page that shows current incidents and outages. If no incident is posted and the problem only affects your account (not reported widely on Reddit or Twitter), it is likely a local issue. Testing in incognito mode and on a different network also helps isolate whether the problem is browser-specific, network-specific, or account-specific.

Q: Why do hard refresh and regular refresh fix different problems? A regular refresh (F5) reloads the page using cached resources — it does not clear JavaScript bundles, service worker state, or session cookies. A hard refresh (Ctrl+Shift+R or Cmd+Shift+R) bypasses the cache and fetches all resources fresh from the server. Regular refresh fixes transient network hiccups; hard refresh fixes stale cached code. Neither clears cookies or session tokens — for that, you need to clear site data explicitly from browser settings.

Q: When should I contact support versus waiting it out? Contact support immediately if: you were charged but did not receive access, your account was suspended without explanation, or the problem affects billing or data. Wait and retry after 30–60 minutes if: a status page shows an ongoing incident, the error message says 'try again later', or the problem started very recently. For account-specific errors with no platform-wide incident, opening a support ticket is always the right move — document what you tried and include timestamps.

Related Articles

Additional FAQ

Q: How do I know if the problem is on my end or the platform's side? Check the platform's official status page first — most services maintain a public status page that shows current incidents and outages. If no incident is posted and the problem only affects your account (not reported widely on Reddit or Twitter), it is likely a local issue. Testing in incognito mode and on a different network also helps isolate whether the problem is browser-specific, network-specific, or account-specific.

Q: Why do hard refresh and regular refresh fix different problems? A regular refresh (F5) reloads the page using cached resources — it does not clear JavaScript bundles, service worker state, or session cookies. A hard refresh (Ctrl+Shift+R or Cmd+Shift+R) bypasses the cache and fetches all resources fresh from the server. Regular refresh fixes transient network hiccups; hard refresh fixes stale cached code. Neither clears cookies or session tokens — for that, you need to clear site data explicitly from browser settings.

Q: When should I contact support versus waiting it out? Contact support immediately if: you were charged but did not receive access, your account was suspended without explanation, or the problem affects billing or data. Wait and retry after 30–60 minutes if: a status page shows an ongoing incident, the error message says 'try again later', or the problem started very recently. For account-specific errors with no platform-wide incident, opening a support ticket is always the right move — document what you tried and include timestamps.

Related Articles

Additional FAQ

Q: How do I know if the problem is on my end or the platform's side? Check the platform's official status page first — most services maintain a public status page that shows current incidents and outages. If no incident is posted and the problem only affects your account (not reported widely on Reddit or Twitter), it is likely a local issue. Testing in incognito mode and on a different network also helps isolate whether the problem is browser-specific, network-specific, or account-specific.

Q: Why do hard refresh and regular refresh fix different problems? A regular refresh (F5) reloads the page using cached resources — it does not clear JavaScript bundles, service worker state, or session cookies. A hard refresh (Ctrl+Shift+R or Cmd+Shift+R) bypasses the cache and fetches all resources fresh from the server. Regular refresh fixes transient network hiccups; hard refresh fixes stale cached code. Neither clears cookies or session tokens — for that, you need to clear site data explicitly from browser settings.

Related Articles

Additional FAQ

Q: How do I know if the problem is on my end or the platform's side? Check the platform's official status page first — most services maintain a public status page that shows current incidents and outages. If no incident is posted and the problem only affects your account (not reported widely on Reddit or Twitter), it is likely a local issue. Testing in incognito mode and on a different network also helps isolate whether the problem is browser-specific, network-specific, or account-specific.

Related Articles

Additional FAQ

Q: How do I know if the problem is on my end or the platform's side? Check the platform's official status page first — most services maintain a public status page that shows current incidents and outages. If no incident is posted and the problem only affects your account (not reported widely on Reddit or Twitter), it is likely a local issue. Testing in incognito mode and on a different network also helps isolate whether the problem is browser-specific, network-specific, or account-specific.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Common causes include invalid API keys, malformed configuration files, missing dependencies, or insufficient permissions.

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Continue with nearby guides in the same topic to rule out adjacent causes faster.

How to fix OpenClaw 401/invalid API key errors for cron jobs?

A 401 error in OpenClaw cron jobs means the Anthropic API key stored in your agent's environment is invalid, expired, or missing — regenerate it from console.anthropic.com, update the ANTHROPIC_API_KEY environment variable in your OpenClaw workflow, and re-run the job. This error does not indicate an OpenClaw account problem; it is an Anthropic API authentication failure passed through to your cron output.

How to report a OpenClaw bug effectively (what to include)?

A well-structured OpenClaw bug report gets resolved 3 to 5 times faster than a vague one — include the exact error message, the run ID from the dashboard URL, your agent configuration YAML (with API keys removed), the sequence of steps that reproduces the issue, and your OpenClaw plan tier. Submit via the support form at openclaw.com or paste it into the #bug-reports channel on their Discord.

How to fix OpenClaw git push failing in automation (auth/DNS/network)?

Git push failures in OpenClaw automations are caused by one of three things: missing or expired credentials (no SSH key or PAT configured in the worker environment), DNS resolution failures in OpenClaw's container network that block GitHub/GitLab domains, or a repository permission issue where the token lacks write access. The fix in 90% of cases is adding a valid Personal Access Token with repo write scope to your OpenClaw workflow environment as GIT_TOKEN or configuring SSH key authentication.

How to fix OpenClaw error?

Start by checking whether the issue is caused by account access, plan status, browser state, or a temporary service incident. Then follow the step-by-step checks below to isolate the root cause quickly.