OpenClaw Web Dashboard User Guide

Introduction

OpenClaw provides a built-in Web Dashboard that lets you visually manage and monitor every aspect of the AI gateway through your browser. From real-time conversations to system status, from configuration adjustments to device management, the Dashboard is the most frequently used tool in daily operations. This article provides a complete overview of Dashboard features and how to use them.

Starting the Dashboard

There are two ways to start the Dashboard:

Auto-Start with the Gateway

When you start the OpenClaw gateway, the Dashboard is enabled by default:

openclaw gateway --port 18789
# Dashboard is available at http://localhost:18789/dashboard

Standalone Start

You can also start the Dashboard service independently:

openclaw dashboard
# Starts at http://localhost:18789/dashboard by default

openclaw dashboard --port 8080
# Specify a custom port

Access and Authentication

After opening the Dashboard URL in your browser, you will need to authenticate if a password is configured:

{
  "gateway": {
    "dashboardPassword": "your-strong-password"
  }
}

After entering the password, the Dashboard generates a session token and remains logged in until the browser is closed.

It is strongly recommended to set a password in production environments, especially when host is set to "0.0.0.0".

Main Page: Overview

After logging in, the first page you see is the Overview, which displays the system's core status in card format:

Status Cards

• Uptime: How long the gateway has been running
• Active Channels: Number and names of currently connected messaging channels
• Today's Messages: Total number of messages processed today
• Active Sessions: Number of users with active conversations
• Model Status: Availability and response latency of each model provider
• System Resources: CPU and memory usage

Real-Time Message Stream

At the bottom of the Overview page is a real-time message stream showing the latest messages from all channels. You can filter by channel or user, making it convenient to monitor AI reply quality in real time.

Session Management

The Dashboard's session management feature is the most frequently used module in daily operations.

Session List

The left panel lists all active and historical sessions, sorted by most recent activity. Each session entry displays:

• Username and avatar (if available)
• Source channel icon
• Summary of the last message
• Last active time

Conversation Interface

After clicking a session, the full conversation content is displayed on the right. Here you can:

• Read History: Scroll through the complete conversation record
• Direct Chat: Send messages as the AI assistant (for testing or manual takeover)
• View Branches: Branches in tree-structured sessions are displayed visually; click branch nodes to switch views
• Delete Messages: Delete specific messages and all their child nodes
• Export Conversation: Export the current session as JSON or plain text format

New Conversation

You can also start a conversation with the AI directly in the Dashboard to quickly test configuration effects:

1. Click the "New Conversation" button
2. Select the target Agent
3. Start typing messages

Dashboard conversation session data is stored in the web_dashboard.jsonl file.

Channel Monitoring

The channel monitoring page displays detailed status for all configured channels:

For channels experiencing issues, you can click the "Reconnect" button to attempt a reconnection, or click "View Logs" to see detailed logs for that channel.

Agent Management

If you have multiple Agents configured, the Dashboard provides a visual Agent management interface:

• View Agent List: Overview of all configured Agents
• Edit Agent: Modify Agent name, model, system prompt, and other configurations
• View Statistics: Message volume, active users, and average response time for each Agent
• Routing Rules: View and edit multi-Agent routing configurations

Configuration changes made in the Dashboard are automatically written back to openclaw.json, so there is no need to manually edit the file.

Model Testing

The Model Testing (Playground) page lets you interact directly with models without going through any channel:

• Select the model provider and specific model
• Customize system prompts and parameters (temperature, maxTokens, etc.)
• Upload images to test vision capabilities
• View raw API requests and responses

This feature is very useful when debugging model configurations or comparing reply quality across different models.

Device Management

The device management page is used to manage paired mobile devices:

• View Device List: Names, platforms, and last active times of all paired devices
• Generate Pairing Code: Click the button to generate a new pairing code or QR code
• Remove Device: Revoke a device's access permissions
• Push Test: Send a test push notification to a specific device

Log Viewer

The Dashboard includes a built-in log viewer that supports:

• Real-Time Tracking: Real-time log streaming similar to tail -f
• Level Filtering: Filter by debug, info, warn, error
• Search: Full-text search of log content
• Time Range: View logs for a specific time period

Configuration Editor

The Dashboard provides an online configuration editor for directly modifying openclaw.json:

• Syntax highlighting and auto-completion
• Automatic configuration validation before saving
• One-click hot reload (no gateway restart needed)
• Modification history with rollback to previous versions

# Hot reload can also be triggered via the command line
openclaw reload

System Information

The system information page displays OpenClaw's runtime environment:

• OpenClaw version number
• Node.js version
• Operating system information
• Configuration file path
• Data directory size
• List of loaded skills
• MCP Server connection status

Dashboard Configuration Options

You can customize Dashboard behavior in openclaw.json:

{
  "gateway": {
    "dashboard": {
      "enabled": true,
      "path": "/dashboard",
      "theme": "auto",
      "language": "zh-CN",
      "refreshInterval": 5000,
      "maxLogLines": 1000
    }
  }
}

Mobile Access

The Dashboard features a responsive design and works properly in mobile browsers. You can also add the Dashboard to your phone's home screen as a PWA (Progressive Web App) for a near-native app experience.

In iOS Safari: Tap the Share button -> Add to Home Screen. In Android Chrome: Tap the Menu -> Install App.

Security Recommendations

• Always set a dashboardPassword
• If accessing from the public internet, be sure to enable HTTPS
• Regularly check the device management page and remove devices that are no longer in use
• Consider using a reverse proxy (Nginx/Caddy) for additional access control

Conclusion

OpenClaw's Web Dashboard is a fully featured management interface covering everything from real-time monitoring to configuration editing. It allows you to visually manage all aspects of the AI gateway without memorizing command-line parameters. It is recommended to use the Dashboard as the primary entry point for daily management, supplemented by command-line tools for automation and batch operations.