---
summary: "CLI reference for `openclaw config` (get/set/unset/file/schema/validate)"
read_when:
  - You want to read or edit config non-interactively
title: "config"
---

# `openclaw config`

Config helpers for non-interactive edits in `openclaw.json`: get/set/unset/file/schema/validate
values by path and print the active config file. Run without a subcommand to
open the configure wizard (same as `openclaw configure`).

Root options:

- `--section <section>`: repeatable guided-setup section filter when you run `openclaw config` without a subcommand

Supported guided sections:

- `workspace`
- `model`
- `web`
- `gateway`
- `daemon`
- `channels`
- `plugins`
- `skills`
- `health`

## Examples

```bash
openclaw config file
openclaw config --section model
openclaw config --section gateway --section daemon
openclaw config schema
openclaw config get browser.executablePath
openclaw config set browser.executablePath "/usr/bin/google-chrome"
openclaw config set agents.defaults.heartbeat.every "2h"
openclaw config set agents.list[0].tools.exec.node "node-id-or-name"
openclaw config set channels.discord.token --ref-provider default --ref-source env --ref-id DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN
openclaw config set secrets.providers.vaultfile --provider-source file --provider-path /etc/openclaw/secrets.json --provider-mode json
openclaw config unset plugins.entries.brave.config.webSearch.apiKey
openclaw config set channels.discord.token --ref-provider default --ref-source env --ref-id DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN --dry-run
openclaw config validate
openclaw config validate --json
```

### `config schema`

Print the generated JSON schema for `openclaw.json` to stdout as JSON.

What it includes:

- The current root config schema, plus a root `$schema` string field for editor tooling
- Field `title` and `description` docs metadata used by the Control UI
- Nested object, wildcard (`*`), and array-item (`[]`) nodes inherit the same `title` / `description` metadata when matching field documentation exists
- `anyOf` / `oneOf` / `allOf` branches inherit the same docs metadata too when matching field documentation exists
- Best-effort live plugin + channel schema metadata when runtime manifests can be loaded
- A clean fallback schema even when the current config is invalid

Related runtime RPC:

- `config.schema.lookup` returns one normalized config path with a shallow
  schema node (`title`, `description`, `type`, `enum`, `const`, common bounds),
  matched UI hint metadata, and immediate child summaries. Use it for
  path-scoped drill-down in Control UI or custom clients.

```bash
openclaw config schema
```

Pipe it into a file when you want to inspect or validate it with other tools:

```bash
openclaw config schema > openclaw.schema.json
```

### Paths

Paths use dot or bracket notation:

```bash
openclaw config get agents.defaults.workspace
openclaw config get agents.list[0].id
```

Use the agent list index to target a specific agent:

```bash
openclaw config get agents.list
openclaw config set agents.list[1].tools.exec.node "node-id-or-name"
```

## Values

Values are parsed as JSON5 when possible; otherwise they are treated as strings.
Use `--strict-json` to require JSON5 parsing. `--json` remains supported as a legacy alias.

```bash
openclaw config set agents.defaults.heartbeat.every "0m"
openclaw config set gateway.port 19001 --strict-json
openclaw config set channels.whatsapp.groups '["*"]' --strict-json
```

`config get <path> --json` prints the raw value as JSON instead of terminal-formatted text.

## `config set` modes

`openclaw config set` supports four assignment styles:

1. Value mode: `openclaw config set <path> <value>`
2. SecretRef builder mode:

```bash
openclaw config set channels.discord.token \
  --ref-provider default \
  --ref-source env \
  --ref-id DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN
```

3. Provider builder mode (`secrets.providers.<alias>` path only):

```bash
openclaw config set secrets.providers.vault \
  --provider-source exec \
  --provider-command /usr/local/bin/openclaw-vault \
  --provider-arg read \
  --provider-arg openai/api-key \
  --provider-timeout-ms 5000
```

4. Batch mode (`--batch-json` or `--batch-file`):

```bash
openclaw config set --batch-json '[
  {
    "path": "secrets.providers.default",
    "provider": { "source": "env" }
  },
  {
    "path": "channels.discord.token",
    "ref": { "source": "env", "provider": "default", "id": "DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN" }
  }
]'
```

```bash
openclaw config set --batch-file ./config-set.batch.json --dry-run
```

Policy note:

- SecretRef assignments are rejected on unsupported runtime-mutable surfaces (for example `hooks.token`, `commands.ownerDisplaySecret`, Discord thread-binding webhook tokens, and WhatsApp creds JSON). See [SecretRef Credential Surface](/reference/secretref-credential-surface).

Batch parsing always uses the batch payload (`--batch-json`/`--batch-file`) as the source of truth.
`--strict-json` / `--json` do not change batch parsing behavior.

JSON path/value mode remains supported for both SecretRefs and providers:

```bash
openclaw config set channels.discord.token \
  '{"source":"env","provider":"default","id":"DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN"}' \
  --strict-json

openclaw config set secrets.providers.vaultfile \
  '{"source":"file","path":"/etc/openclaw/secrets.json","mode":"json"}' \
  --strict-json
```

## Provider Builder Flags

Provider builder targets must use `secrets.providers.<alias>` as the path.

Common flags:

- `--provider-source <env|file|exec>`
- `--provider-timeout-ms <ms>` (`file`, `exec`)

Env provider (`--provider-source env`):

- `--provider-allowlist <ENV_VAR>` (repeatable)

File provider (`--provider-source file`):

- `--provider-path <path>` (required)
- `--provider-mode <singleValue|json>`
- `--provider-max-bytes <bytes>`

Exec provider (`--provider-source exec`):

- `--provider-command <path>` (required)
- `--provider-arg <arg>` (repeatable)
- `--provider-no-output-timeout-ms <ms>`
- `--provider-max-output-bytes <bytes>`
- `--provider-json-only`
- `--provider-env <KEY=VALUE>` (repeatable)
- `--provider-pass-env <ENV_VAR>` (repeatable)
- `--provider-trusted-dir <path>` (repeatable)
- `--provider-allow-insecure-path`
- `--provider-allow-symlink-command`

Hardened exec provider example:

```bash
openclaw config set secrets.providers.vault \
  --provider-source exec \
  --provider-command /usr/local/bin/openclaw-vault \
  --provider-arg read \
  --provider-arg openai/api-key \
  --provider-json-only \
  --provider-pass-env VAULT_TOKEN \
  --provider-trusted-dir /usr/local/bin \
  --provider-timeout-ms 5000
```

## Dry run

Use `--dry-run` to validate changes without writing `openclaw.json`.

```bash
openclaw config set channels.discord.token \
  --ref-provider default \
  --ref-source env \
  --ref-id DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN \
  --dry-run

openclaw config set channels.discord.token \
  --ref-provider default \
  --ref-source env \
  --ref-id DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN \
  --dry-run \
  --json

openclaw config set channels.discord.token \
  --ref-provider vault \
  --ref-source exec \
  --ref-id discord/token \
  --dry-run \
  --allow-exec
```

Dry-run behavior:

- Builder mode: runs SecretRef resolvability checks for changed refs/providers.
- JSON mode (`--strict-json`, `--json`, or batch mode): runs schema validation plus SecretRef resolvability checks.
- Policy validation also runs for known unsupported SecretRef target surfaces.
- Policy checks evaluate the full post-change config, so parent-object writes (for example setting `hooks` as an object) cannot bypass unsupported-surface validation.
- Exec SecretRef checks are skipped by default during dry-run to avoid command side effects.
- Use `--allow-exec` with `--dry-run` to opt in to exec SecretRef checks (this may execute provider commands).
- `--allow-exec` is dry-run only and errors if used without `--dry-run`.

`--dry-run --json` prints a machine-readable report:

- `ok`: whether dry-run passed
- `operations`: number of assignments evaluated
- `checks`: whether schema/resolvability checks ran
- `checks.resolvabilityComplete`: whether resolvability checks ran to completion (false when exec refs are skipped)
- `refsChecked`: number of refs actually resolved during dry-run
- `skippedExecRefs`: number of exec refs skipped because `--allow-exec` was not set
- `errors`: structured schema/resolvability failures when `ok=false`

### JSON Output Shape

```json5
{
  ok: boolean,
  operations: number,
  configPath: string,
  inputModes: ["value" | "json" | "builder", ...],
  checks: {
    schema: boolean,
    resolvability: boolean,
    resolvabilityComplete: boolean,
  },
  refsChecked: number,
  skippedExecRefs: number,
  errors?: [
    {
      kind: "schema" | "resolvability",
      message: string,
      ref?: string, // present for resolvability errors
    },
  ],
}
```

Success example:

```json
{
  "ok": true,
  "operations": 1,
  "configPath": "~/.openclaw/openclaw.json",
  "inputModes": ["builder"],
  "checks": {
    "schema": false,
    "resolvability": true,
    "resolvabilityComplete": true
  },
  "refsChecked": 1,
  "skippedExecRefs": 0
}
```

Failure example:

```json
{
  "ok": false,
  "operations": 1,
  "configPath": "~/.openclaw/openclaw.json",
  "inputModes": ["builder"],
  "checks": {
    "schema": false,
    "resolvability": true,
    "resolvabilityComplete": true
  },
  "refsChecked": 1,
  "skippedExecRefs": 0,
  "errors": [
    {
      "kind": "resolvability",
      "message": "Error: Environment variable \"MISSING_TEST_SECRET\" is not set.",
      "ref": "env:default:MISSING_TEST_SECRET"
    }
  ]
}
```

If dry-run fails:

- `config schema validation failed`: your post-change config shape is invalid; fix path/value or provider/ref object shape.
- `Config policy validation failed: unsupported SecretRef usage`: move that credential back to plaintext/string input and keep SecretRefs on supported surfaces only.
- `SecretRef assignment(s) could not be resolved`: referenced provider/ref currently cannot resolve (missing env var, invalid file pointer, exec provider failure, or provider/source mismatch).
- `Dry run note: skipped <n> exec SecretRef resolvability check(s)`: dry-run skipped exec refs; rerun with `--allow-exec` if you need exec resolvability validation.
- For batch mode, fix failing entries and rerun `--dry-run` before writing.

## Write safety

`openclaw config set` and other OpenClaw-owned config writers validate the full
post-change config before committing it to disk. If the new payload fails schema
validation or looks like a destructive clobber, the active config is left alone
and the rejected payload is saved beside it as `openclaw.json.rejected.*`.

Prefer CLI writes for small edits:

```bash
openclaw config set gateway.reload.mode hybrid --dry-run
openclaw config set gateway.reload.mode hybrid
openclaw config validate
```

If a write is rejected, inspect the saved payload and fix the full config shape:

```bash
CONFIG="$(openclaw config file)"
ls -lt "$CONFIG".rejected.* 2>/dev/null | head
openclaw config validate
```

Direct editor writes are still allowed, but the running Gateway treats them as
untrusted until they validate. Invalid direct edits can be restored from the
last-known-good backup during startup or hot reload. See
[Gateway troubleshooting](/gateway/troubleshooting#gateway-restored-last-known-good-config).

## Subcommands

- `config file`: Print the active config file path (resolved from `OPENCLAW_CONFIG_PATH` or default location).

Restart the gateway after edits.

## Validate

Validate the current config against the active schema without starting the
gateway.

```bash
openclaw config validate
openclaw config validate --json
```
