The native Windows companion for OpenClaw. Connect your PC to a gateway, chat with your agents, and choose which Windows capabilities they can use.
Download | Setup guide | Windows docs | Discord
| Architecture | Installer |
|---|---|
| x64 | OpenClawCompanion-Setup-x64.exe |
| ARM64 | OpenClawCompanion-Setup-arm64.exe |
Requires Windows 10 20H2 or later, or Windows 11. No source build is required.
On first launch, the setup wizard can install a dedicated local gateway in WSL or connect OpenClaw Companion to an existing gateway. If you do not have a gateway yet, choose Install a local gateway (WSL).
Use OpenClaw Companion for normal setup. You should not need to edit openclaw.json by hand.
- Open Companion Settings… from the tray menu.
- Open Connection and connect to your gateway. Complete any pending pairing approval shown by the app.
- Open Sandbox and choose how agent-run programs should be contained.
- Open Permissions and turn on Node mode.
- Choose the capabilities this PC should offer. Changes save automatically.
- Open Command Center to verify the node is connected and to resolve any gateway allowlist or reapproval warnings.
Node mode registers this PC as a node and advertises only the capabilities enabled in Permissions. Gateway policy and local Windows checks can still block a capability.
| Capability | What it lets agents do |
|---|---|
| System tools | Run shell commands and scripts, subject to local exec approvals and sandbox policy |
| Browser control | Drive a compatible Chromium browser on this PC |
| Camera | Capture still images and short camera clips |
| Canvas | Present and interact with visual content in a hosted window |
| Screen capture | Take screenshots and short screen recordings |
| Location | Read this PC's approximate location |
| Text-to-speech | Speak text aloud through this PC's speakers |
| Speech-to-text | Transcribe microphone audio locally |
Notifications and basic device status are available when Node mode is active. Windows may request consent before camera, microphone, location, or screen features can run.
Privacy-sensitive capabilities should stay off unless you intend to use them. This includes camera capture, screen recording, microphone transcription, spoken output, and command execution.
OpenClaw applies more than one trust check:
- Permissions controls what this PC advertises.
- Connection shows pairing and reapproval requests.
- Command Center explains commands filtered by gateway policy and provides copyable repair commands for safe capabilities.
- Advanced > Config provides a schema-guided editor for the connected gateway's configuration.
After changing gateway command policy, approve any pending-reapproval request shown by the app and reconnect the node. The app never silently opts into privacy-sensitive gateway commands.
Advanced: externally managed gateway allowlist shape
Use your gateway's supported configuration tools when OpenClaw Companion cannot manage that gateway. Preserve existing entries and add only the exact commands you need. Wildcards such as canvas.* are not expanded.
{
"gateway": {
"nodes": {
"allowCommands": [
"system.notify",
"canvas.present",
"canvas.hide",
"screen.snapshot",
"device.info",
"device.status"
]
}
}
}Commands such as system.run, system.run.prepare, system.which, screen.record, camera.snap, camera.clip, stt.transcribe, and tts.speak require deliberate opt-in. Reapprove and reconnect the node after changing the effective command set.
See Operator and node concepts for the pairing and trust model, and Windows node testing for command-level reference material.
The Sandbox page controls programs launched through the Windows node's system.run capability:
- Locked Down blocks internet, clipboard, and standard user folders.
- Recommended enables internet, read-only access to common folders, and clipboard read access.
- Unprotected allows broad folder and clipboard access. Use it only when you accept the added risk.
- Custom controls set folder access, network access, clipboard access, timeout, and output limits.
When enabled and available, the Windows node uses MXC process isolation for system.run. If MXC is unavailable and strict fallback blocking is off, OpenClaw can fall back to uncontained host execution for compatibility. The Sandbox page shows the current state and lets you choose the appropriate policy.
This sandbox covers commands run through the Windows node. Commands run directly on the gateway use the gateway's separate security controls.
- Native tray flyout with gateway, session, usage, channel, node, and activity status
- Companion Settings for connections, permissions, gateway configuration, diagnostics, and updates
- Native chat and Quick Send with the
Ctrl+Alt+Shift+Cglobal hotkey - Command Center diagnostics with copyable repair guidance
- Toast notifications with smart categorization
- WebView2 Canvas and A2UI rendering
- Local MCP server for local tool integrations
- Background updates from GitHub Releases
openclaw://deep links for automation
| Link | Action |
|---|---|
openclaw://settings |
Open Companion Settings |
openclaw://setup |
Open the setup wizard |
openclaw://chat |
Open Chat |
openclaw://commandcenter |
Open Command Center |
openclaw://send?message=Hello |
Open Quick Send with pre-filled text |
openclaw://logs |
Open the current log file |
openclaw://support-context |
Copy redacted support context |
openclaw://capability-diagnostics |
Copy capability and allowlist diagnostics |
Deep links are forwarded through IPC when OpenClaw Companion is already running.
| Data | Default path |
|---|---|
| App settings | %APPDATA%\OpenClawTray\settings.json |
| Gateway registry | %APPDATA%\OpenClawTray\gateways.json |
| Logs | %LOCALAPPDATA%\OpenClawTray\openclaw-tray.log |
| Exec approvals | %APPDATA%\OpenClawTray\exec-approvals.json |
The default local gateway URL is ws://localhost:18789.
| Project | Purpose |
|---|---|
| OpenClaw.Tray.WinUI | WinUI 3 tray app and Companion Settings |
| OpenClaw.Connection | Gateway registry, credential resolution, and connection manager |
| OpenClaw.Shared | Gateway client, Windows capabilities, diagnostics, and MCP bridge |
| OpenClaw.Chat | Native chat model and timeline reducer |
| OpenClaw.WinNode.Cli | winnode CLI for local Windows node and MCP invocation |
| OpenClaw.SetupEngine | WSL gateway installation and setup-code pairing |
| OpenClaw.SetupEngine.UI | WinUI setup wizard pages |
| OpenClaw.Cli | Gateway WebSocket validation CLI |
| OpenClawTray.FunctionalUI | Declarative WinUI helpers used by newer surfaces |
.\scripts\setup-dev.ps1
.\scripts\setup-dev.ps1 -CheckOnly
.\scripts\setup-dev.ps1 -RunValidation.\build.ps1
.\build.ps1 -Project WinUI
.\build.ps1 -CheckOnlyDirect WinUI builds require a runtime identifier:
dotnet build .\src\OpenClaw.Tray.WinUI\OpenClaw.Tray.WinUI.csproj -r win-x64
dotnet build .\src\OpenClaw.Tray.WinUI\OpenClaw.Tray.WinUI.csproj -r win-arm64
dotnet build .\src\OpenClaw.Tray.WinUI\OpenClaw.Tray.WinUI.csproj -r win-x64 -p:PackageMsix=truerun-app-local.ps1 allows main by default. Pass -AllowNonMain when previewing a feature branch or linked worktree.
.\run-app-local.ps1
.\run-app-local.ps1 -NoBuild
.\run-app-local.ps1 -AllowNonMain -Isolated
.\run-app-local.ps1 -AllowNonMain -Dev -Isolated
.\run-app-local.ps1 -AllowNonMain -Configuration Release -Isolated -UpdateChannel alphaSet the repository root explicitly so tests also work in linked worktrees:
$env:OPENCLAW_REPO_ROOT = (Get-Location).Path
dotnet test .\tests\OpenClaw.Shared.Tests\OpenClaw.Shared.Tests.csproj
dotnet test .\tests\OpenClaw.Tray.Tests\OpenClaw.Tray.Tests.csprojThese commands restore and build the test projects when needed. Use --no-restore only after each test project has built successfully in the current worktree.
| Topic | Document |
|---|---|
| Architecture ownership | docs/ARCHITECTURE.md |
| Connection and pairing | docs/CONNECTION_ARCHITECTURE.md |
| Onboarding wizard | docs/ONBOARDING_WIZARD.md |
| Windows node behavior | docs/WINDOWS_NODE_TESTING.md |
| Local MCP mode | docs/MCP_MODE.md |
| Managed WSL gateway | docs/WSL_GATEWAY_ADMIN.md |
| Development | DEVELOPMENT.md |