---
summary: "CLI reference for `openclaw doctor` (health checks + guided repairs)"
read_when:
  - You have connectivity/auth issues and want guided fixes
  - You updated and want a sanity check
title: "Doctor"
---

# `openclaw doctor`

Health checks + quick fixes for the gateway and channels.

Related:

- Troubleshooting: [Troubleshooting](/gateway/troubleshooting)
- Security audit: [Security](/gateway/security)

## Examples

```bash
openclaw doctor
openclaw doctor --repair
openclaw doctor --deep
openclaw doctor --repair --non-interactive
openclaw doctor --generate-gateway-token
```

## Options

- `--no-workspace-suggestions`: disable workspace memory/search suggestions
- `--yes`: accept defaults without prompting
- `--repair`: apply recommended repairs without prompting
- `--fix`: alias for `--repair`
- `--force`: apply aggressive repairs, including overwriting custom service config when needed
- `--non-interactive`: run without prompts; safe migrations only
- `--generate-gateway-token`: generate and configure a gateway token
- `--deep`: scan system services for extra gateway installs

Notes:

- Interactive prompts (like keychain/OAuth fixes) only run when stdin is a TTY and `--non-interactive` is **not** set. Headless runs (cron, Telegram, no terminal) will skip prompts.
- Performance: non-interactive `doctor` runs skip eager plugin loading so headless health checks stay fast. Interactive sessions still fully load plugins when a check needs their contribution.
- `--fix` (alias for `--repair`) writes a backup to `~/.openclaw/openclaw.json.bak` and drops unknown config keys, listing each removal.
- State integrity checks now detect orphan transcript files in the sessions directory. Archiving them as `.deleted.<timestamp>` requires an interactive confirmation; `--fix`, `--yes`, and headless runs leave them in place.
- Doctor also scans `~/.openclaw/cron/jobs.json` (or `cron.store`) for legacy cron job shapes and can rewrite them in place before the scheduler has to auto-normalize them at runtime.
- Doctor repairs missing bundled plugin runtime dependencies without writing into packaged global installs. For root-owned npm installs or hardened systemd units, set `OPENCLAW_PLUGIN_STAGE_DIR` to a writable directory such as `/var/lib/openclaw/plugin-runtime-deps`; it can also be a path-list such as `/opt/openclaw/plugin-runtime-deps:/var/lib/openclaw/plugin-runtime-deps`, where earlier roots are read-only lookup layers and the final root is the repair target.
- Doctor repairs stale plugin config by removing missing plugin ids from `plugins.allow`/`plugins.entries`, plus matching dangling channel config, heartbeat targets, and channel model overrides when plugin discovery is healthy.
- Doctor quarantines invalid plugin config by disabling the affected `plugins.entries.<id>` entry and removing its invalid `config` payload. Gateway startup already skips only that bad plugin so other plugins and channels can keep running.
- Set `OPENCLAW_SERVICE_REPAIR_POLICY=external` when another supervisor owns the gateway lifecycle. Doctor still reports gateway/service health and applies non-service repairs, but skips service install/start/restart/bootstrap and legacy service cleanup.
- On Linux, doctor ignores inactive extra gateway-like systemd units and does not rewrite command/entrypoint metadata for a running systemd gateway service during repair. Stop the service first or use `openclaw gateway install --force` when you intentionally want to replace the active launcher.
- Doctor auto-migrates legacy flat Talk config (`talk.voiceId`, `talk.modelId`, and friends) into `talk.provider` + `talk.providers.<provider>`.
- Repeat `doctor --fix` runs no longer report/apply Talk normalization when the only difference is object key order.
- Doctor includes a memory-search readiness check and can recommend `openclaw configure --section model` when embedding credentials are missing.
- Doctor warns when no command owner is configured. The command owner is the human operator account allowed to run owner-only commands and approve dangerous actions. DM pairing only lets someone talk to the bot; if you approved a sender before first-owner bootstrap existed, set `commands.ownerAllowFrom` explicitly.
- If sandbox mode is enabled but Docker is unavailable, doctor reports a high-signal warning with remediation (`install Docker` or `openclaw config set agents.defaults.sandbox.mode off`).
- If `gateway.auth.token`/`gateway.auth.password` are SecretRef-managed and unavailable in the current command path, doctor reports a read-only warning and does not write plaintext fallback credentials.
- If channel SecretRef inspection fails in a fix path, doctor continues and reports a warning instead of exiting early.
- Telegram `allowFrom` username auto-resolution (`doctor --fix`) requires a resolvable Telegram token in the current command path. If token inspection is unavailable, doctor reports a warning and skips auto-resolution for that pass.

## macOS: `launchctl` env overrides

If you previously ran `launchctl setenv OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKEN ...` (or `...PASSWORD`), that value overrides your config file and can cause persistent “unauthorized” errors.

```bash
launchctl getenv OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKEN
launchctl getenv OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_PASSWORD

launchctl unsetenv OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKEN
launchctl unsetenv OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_PASSWORD
```

## Related

- [CLI reference](/cli)
- [Gateway doctor](/gateway/doctor)
