OpenClaw Dashboard Web Panel User Guide

Introduction

OpenClaw Dashboard is a built-in web management panel that allows you to manage conversations, switch models, and adjust settings directly from your browser. This article provides a comprehensive walkthrough of all Dashboard features.

Starting and Accessing the Dashboard

Starting the Dashboard

Make sure the OpenClaw gateway service is running:

openclaw up -d

Then open the Dashboard in your browser with the following command:

openclaw dashboard

This command automatically opens your default browser and navigates to the Dashboard.

Manual Access

You can also access the Dashboard by entering the address directly in your browser:

http://localhost:18789/dashboard

If you have changed the default port, replace it with the corresponding port number.

Remote Access

If OpenClaw is deployed on a remote server, make sure the port is open, then access it via the server IP:

http://your-server-ip:18789/dashboard

For security purposes, it is recommended to access the remote Dashboard through an Nginx reverse proxy with HTTPS configured.

Interface Overview

The Dashboard main interface is divided into the following areas:

Sidebar Navigation

The sidebar contains the following main menu items:

• Conversations — View all conversation records
• Channels — Manage connected messaging channels
• Skills — Browse and manage installed skill plugins
• Models — Configure AI models and parameters
• Settings — System-level settings
• Logs — View runtime logs in real time

Conversation Management

Viewing the Conversation List

Click "Conversations" in the sidebar to see all conversation records from all channels. The conversation list supports:

• Filter by channel — Click a channel icon to show only conversations from that channel
• Sort by time — Sorted by most recent message time by default
• Search conversations — Enter keywords in the top search bar for full-text search

Search syntax examples:
- Plain text: enter keywords directly
- Specify channel: channel:whatsapp keyword
- Specify date: date:2026-03-20 keyword
- Combined search: channel:telegram date:2026-03 deployment tutorial

Conversation Details

Click a conversation to display the full conversation content in the main panel. Here you can:

1. View the message stream — Including user messages and AI replies
2. View metadata — Timestamps, model used, and token consumption for each message
3. Continue the conversation — Send a message from the input box at the bottom to continue the conversation
4. Export the conversation — Click the export button in the top right; JSON and Markdown formats are supported

Starting a New Conversation

You can initiate a new conversation directly in the Dashboard without relying on any messaging channel:

1. Click the "New Conversation" button at the top of the sidebar
2. Select the AI model to use
3. Type your content in the input box and send

This is very useful for testing model configurations and debugging skill plugins.

Switching Models

Switching Models from the Top Bar

The top bar features a model selection dropdown showing the currently active model. Click it to switch to another configured model:

Available models example:
├── Claude 3.5 Sonnet (claude)
├── GPT-4o (openai)
├── Gemini 1.5 Pro (gemini)
├── Llama 3 70B (ollama)
└── Mixtral 8x7B (openrouter)

Adjusting Model Parameters

Next to the model selector, click the gear icon to adjust the current model's parameters:

Parameter changes take effect immediately and only affect the current session. To set global defaults, go to the "Settings" page.

Channel Management

Viewing Channel Status

On the "Channels" page, you can see the status of all configured channels:

Channel status indicators:
🟢 Connected — Channel is running normally
🟡 Connecting — Establishing connection
🔴 Disconnected — Connection lost; check configuration
⚪ Disabled — Channel is configured but not enabled

Channel Operations

For each channel, you can perform the following actions:

• Enable/Disable — Toggle the channel's running state
• Reconnect — Attempt to re-establish a disconnected connection
• View Logs — View the channel's dedicated logs
• Edit Configuration — Modify the channel's configuration parameters

Settings Panel

General Settings

In the "General" tab of the "Settings" page, you can adjust the following:

{
  // Gateway port
  port: 18789,
  // Default language
  language: "zh-CN",
  // Default model
  defaultModel: "claude",
  // Message history retention in days
  historyRetention: 30,
  // Maximum concurrent conversations
  maxConcurrent: 10
}

Security Settings

The security settings allow you to configure:

• Dashboard access password — Set a login password to protect the panel
• API key management — View and rotate API keys for each model (keys are shown masked)
• IP whitelist — Restrict which IP addresses can access the Dashboard
• Session timeout — Set the auto-logout duration

You can also quickly set a password via the command line:

openclaw config set dashboard.password "your-secure-password"
openclaw restart

Theme Switching

The Dashboard includes several built-in themes:

• Light theme — A white theme suitable for daytime use
• Dark theme — A dark theme suitable for nighttime use
• Follow system — Automatically follows the operating system's dark/light mode

To switch themes: click your avatar in the top right corner, then Theme Settings, then select your preferred theme.

You can also set the default theme via the configuration file:

{
  dashboard: {
    theme: "dark",  // "light", "dark", "system"
  }
}

Keyboard Shortcuts

The Dashboard provides a rich set of keyboard shortcuts to improve efficiency:

On macOS, replace Ctrl with Cmd.

Real-Time Log Viewer

On the "Logs" page, you can view OpenClaw runtime logs in real time. Features include:

• Streaming output — Logs are displayed in real time as a stream
• Log level filtering — Filter by DEBUG, INFO, WARN, or ERROR
• Keyword filtering — Enter keywords to show only matching log entries
• Pause/Resume — Pause log scrolling for closer inspection
• Download logs — Export the current filtered results as a file

# You can also view logs via the command line
openclaw logs

# View only error logs
openclaw logs --level error

# Follow logs in real time
openclaw logs -f

Mobile Responsiveness

The Dashboard is fully responsive and optimized for mobile devices. When accessed from a mobile browser:

• The sidebar collapses automatically and can be opened via the hamburger menu
• The message input box is fixed at the bottom
• Model switching is available in the top dropdown menu
• Gesture support is available (swipe left to open the sidebar, pull down to refresh)

Summary

The OpenClaw Dashboard provides an intuitive web interface for managing your AI assistant platform. Key takeaways:

• Launch and open the panel quickly with openclaw dashboard
• Use the top bar to quickly switch models and adjust parameters
• Take advantage of the search function and keyboard shortcuts for efficiency
• Configure security options in the settings panel to protect your instance
• Use the logs page for real-time monitoring and troubleshooting