openclaw - 💡(How to fix) Fix [Bug]: Gateway binds port but hangs / never responds on Intel macOS with existing ~/.openclaw state [3 comments, 2 participants]

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openclaw/openclaw#73916Fetched 2026-04-29 06:13:18
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OpenClaw gateway starts, binds 127.0.0.1:18789, and logs gateway ready, but HTTP/WS never respond. curl connects then times out with 0 bytes received. CPU stays high.

A clean temporary config/state on port 18790 works, so this seems related to my existing ~/.openclaw config/state.

Root Cause

OpenClaw gateway starts, binds 127.0.0.1:18789, and logs gateway ready, but HTTP/WS never respond. curl connects then times out with 0 bytes received. CPU stays high.

A clean temporary config/state on port 18790 works, so this seems related to my existing ~/.openclaw config/state.

RAW_BUFFERClick to expand / collapse

Bug type

Regression (worked before, now fails)

Beta release blocker

No

Summary

OpenClaw gateway starts, binds 127.0.0.1:18789, and logs gateway ready, but HTTP/WS never respond. curl connects then times out with 0 bytes received. CPU stays high.

A clean temporary config/state on port 18790 works, so this seems related to my existing ~/.openclaw config/state.

Steps to reproduce

Not_ENOUGH_INFO

Expected behavior

Environment

  • OpenClaw: 2026.4.26 (be8c246)
  • OS: macOS 14.8.5
  • Machine: Intel MacBook Air
  • Node: initially nvm Node v22.22.2; also tried /usr/local/bin/node
  • Install path seen in service: /usr/local/lib/node_modules/openclaw/dist/index.js

Symptoms

openclaw gateway status shows: text Runtime: running Connectivity probe: failed Probe target: ws://127.0.0.1:18789 timeout Listening: 127.0.0.1:18789 curl: text Connected to 127.0.0.1 port 18789 GET / HTTP/1.1 Operation timed out after 5000 ms with 0 bytes received

Things tried

  • openclaw doctor --fix
  • openclaw gateway restart
  • rewrote LaunchAgent / switched from nvm Node to /usr/local/bin/node
  • plugins.enabled=false
  • browser.enabled=false
  • plugins.entries.browser.enabled=false
  • canvasHost.enabled=false

Still hangs on normal ~/.openclaw.

Important finding

Clean isolated config/state works: bash TMPDIR=$(mktemp -d /tmp/openclaw-clean.XXXXXX)

Actual behavior

NOT_ENOUGH_INFO

OpenClaw version

2026.04.26

Operating system

macOS 14.8

Install method

No response

Model

OpenAI 5.5, Gemini 3.1 Flash lite

Provider / routing chain

openAI

Additional provider/model setup details

No response

Logs, screenshots, and evidence

Impact and severity

No response

Additional information

No response

extent analysis

TL;DR

The issue can likely be resolved by resetting or cleaning the existing ~/.openclaw config/state, as a clean temporary config/state works.

Guidance

  • Try renaming or deleting the ~/.openclaw directory to start with a fresh config/state.
  • Verify that the issue is resolved by checking the openclaw gateway status and attempting to connect using curl.
  • If the issue persists, try setting plugins.enabled=false and browser.enabled=false again with the new config/state.
  • Check the OpenClaw version and ensure it is up-to-date, as the current version is 2026.4.26.

Example

No code snippet is provided as it is not clearly supported by the issue.

Notes

The issue seems to be related to the existing ~/.openclaw config/state, and a clean temporary config/state works. However, the exact cause of the issue is not clear, and further investigation may be needed.

Recommendation

Apply workaround: Reset or clean the existing ~/.openclaw config/state, as it seems to be the most likely cause of the issue.

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openclaw - 💡(How to fix) Fix [Bug]: Gateway binds port but hangs / never responds on Intel macOS with existing ~/.openclaw state [3 comments, 2 participants]