PR #61698: Docs/agents gateway daemon launch

• Repository: openclaw/openclaw
• Author: GuneetGill
• State: open | merged: False
• Link: https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/pull/61698

Description (problem / solution / changelog)

Summary

• Problem: AGENTS.md said the gateway runs only with the menubar app and that no separate LaunchAgent is installed, which is wrong now that openclaw daemon install and openclaw onboard --install-daemon register a user LaunchAgent.
• Why it matters: Readers (including agents using AGENTS.md / CLAUDE.md) may think the Mac app is required, skip the daemon path, and see the gateway stop when the app quits with no service-backed restart.
• What changed: One bullet under Local Runtime / Platform Notes now describes onboarding’s --install-daemon path, explicit openclaw daemon install, optional Mac app, behavior without a daemon, launchctl inspection, and preferring openclaw daemon lifecycle over ad-hoc tmux when debugging.
• What did NOT change (scope boundary): No code, config schema, CLI behavior, or Mintlify docs; only repo contributor/agent guidance in AGENTS.md (root CLAUDE.md remains a symlink to it).

Change Type

• Bug fix
• Feature
• Refactor required for the fix
• Docs
• Security hardening
• Chore/infra

Scope

• Gateway / orchestration
• Skills / tool execution
• Auth / tokens
• Memory / storage
• Integrations
• API / contracts
• UI / DX
• CI/CD / infra

Linked Issue/PR

• Closes #61615
• Related #
• This PR fixes a bug or regression

Root Cause (if applicable)

• Root cause: N/A (documentation drift; product gained daemon/LaunchAgent onboarding after the original menubar-only note was written.)
• Missing detection / guardrail: N/A
• Contributing context (if known): Original line traced to an older “relay/gateway launch mechanism” doc clarification; not updated when daemon install became the recommended path.

Regression Test Plan (if applicable)

• Coverage level that should have caught this:
  • Unit test
  • Seam / integration test
  • End-to-end test
  • Existing coverage already sufficient
• Target test or file: N/A
• Scenario the test should lock in: N/A
• Why this is the smallest reliable guardrail: N/A
• Existing test that already covers this (if any): N/A
• If no new test is added, why not: Markdown-only guidance change; no runtime behavior to assert.

User-visible / Behavior Changes

None (contributor/agent-facing doc only; end-user product behavior unchanged).

Security Impact (required)

• New permissions/capabilities? (No)
• Secrets/tokens handling changed? (No)
• New/changed network calls? (No)
• Command/tool execution surface changed? (No)
• Data access scope changed? (No)

Environment

• OS: any (doc change)
• Runtime/container: N/A
• Model/provider: N/A
• Integration/channel (if any): N/A
• Relevant config (redacted): N/A

Steps

1. Open AGENTS.md and find the “macOS gateway service” bullet under Local Runtime / Platform Notes.
2. Confirm it mentions:
   • openclaw onboard --install-daemon
   • openclaw daemon install
   • optional Mac app
   • behavior when no daemon is installed

Human Verification (required)

• Verified scenarios: Read AGENTS.md on the PR branch; confirmed commands are backtick-formatted and aligned with openclaw onboard / openclaw daemon CLI.
• Edge cases checked: N/A

Review Conversations

• I replied to or resolved every bot review conversation I addressed in this PR.
• I left unresolved only the conversations that still need reviewer or maintainer judgment.

Compatibility / Migration

• Backward compatible? (Yes)
• Config/env changes? (No)
• Migration needed? (No)

Changed files

• AGENTS.md (modified, +1/-1)