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openclaw-android-setup

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Updated 10-16 02:32

About this skill

OpenClaw Android Setup Skill

Skill by ara.so — Hermes Skills collection.

Overview

OpenClaw on Android (openclaw-android) enables running the OpenClaw AI agent framework on Android devices through Termux, without requiring a full Linux distribution via proot-distro. It achieves this by installing only the glibc dynamic linker, resulting in ~200MB overhead instead of 1-2GB, with native performance.

Key benefits:

  • Single-command installation
  • No proot-distro required (saves 1-2GB storage)
  • Native performance (no proot layer overhead)
  • Automatic path conversion and environment setup
  • Built-in CLI for updates, backups, and optional tool installation

Installation

Prerequisites

  • Android 7.0+ (Android 10+ recommended)
  • ~1GB free storage
  • Termux from F-Droid (NOT Play Store version)

Initial Termux Setup

# Update package manager and install curl
pkg update -y && pkg install -y curl

Install OpenClaw on Android

# Single command installation
curl -sL myopenclawhub.com/install | bash && source ~/.bashrc

This installs:

  • glibc dynamic linker (glibc-runner via pacman)
  • Node.js (official linux-arm64 with ld.so loader)
  • OpenClaw framework
  • Path conversion and environment patches
  • oa CLI management tool

Installation takes 3-10 minutes depending on network speed.

Initial Configuration

Onboarding

# Run initial setup wizard
openclaw onboard

Follow prompts to configure:

  • Authentication token
  • Gateway port
  • Optional tools (code-server, OpenCode, AI CLIs)

Starting the Gateway

Important: Run gateway directly in Termux app, not via SSH (SSH disconnection will stop the gateway).

# Start OpenClaw gateway (occupies terminal)
openclaw gateway

To stop: Press Ctrl+C (NOT Ctrl+Z which only suspends).

Opening New Termux Sessions

Use the hamburger menu (☰) or swipe from left edge to open side menu, then tap "NEW SESSION" to run additional commands while gateway is running.

CLI Reference

oa Management Tool

# Update OpenClaw and all installed components
oa --update && source ~/.bashrc

# Install optional tools interactively
oa --install

# Create backup of OpenClaw data
oa --backup

# Restore from backup (interactive selection)
oa --restore

# Show installation status
oa --status

# Uninstall OpenClaw on Android
oa --uninstall

# Show version
oa --version

# Show help
oa --help

OpenClaw Core Commands

# Show OpenClaw version
openclaw --version

# Start gateway (main daemon)
openclaw gateway

# Run onboarding wizard
openclaw onboard

# List available commands
openclaw --help

Backup and Restore

Creating Backups

# Create backup in default location (~/.openclaw-android/backup/)
oa --backup

# Create backup in custom location
oa --backup ~/my-backups/

Backup includes:

  • Configuration files
  • State and workspace data
  • Agent definitions
  • All OpenClaw data from ~/.openclaw/

Backup format: Timestamped tar.gz (e.g., 2026-03-14T00-00-00.000Z-openclaw-backup.tar.gz)

Restoring Backups

# Interactive restore (lists available backups)
oa --restore

The restore process:

  1. Lists all backups in default directory
  2. Prompts for selection by number
  3. Validates backup manifest
  4. Confirms before overwriting existing data
  5. Extracts to ~/.openclaw/

Configuration

Environment Variables

OpenClaw configuration is stored in ~/.openclaw/. Common environment variables:

# Set gateway port (default 3000)
export OPENCLAW_PORT=3000

# Set authentication token
export OPENCLAW_TOKEN=your_token_here

# Set log level
export OPENCLAW_LOG_LEVEL=info

SSH Access and Dashboard

Set up SSH to access dashboard from PC:

# In Termux, install OpenSSH
pkg install openssh

# Start SSH daemon
sshd

# Get device IP
ifconfig wlan0 | grep inet

From PC, create SSH tunnel:

# Tunnel gateway port to localhost
ssh -L 3000:localhost:3000 -p 8022 192.168.1.XXX

# Access dashboard at http://localhost:3000

Managing Multiple Devices

Use Dashboard Connect tool at myopenclawhub.com:

  • Save connection settings per device (IP, token, ports)
  • Auto-generates SSH tunnel commands
  • All data stored locally in browser localStorage

Keeping Processes Alive

Android aggressively kills background processes. Required settings:

Developer Options

# Enable Developer Options:
# Settings → About Phone → Tap "Build Number" 7 times

Enable in Developer Options:

  • Stay awake (while charging)
  • Disable Phantom Process Killer (if available)

Battery Optimization

# Disable battery optimization for Termux:
# Settings → Apps → Termux → Battery → Unrestricted

Charge Limit (optional)

For devices used 24/7, limit charge to 80% to extend battery life:

  • Settings → Battery → Battery Protection / Charge Limit → 80%

Common Patterns

Running Gateway as Background Service

# Use tmux to persist sessions (install via oa --install)
tmux new -s gateway
openclaw gateway

# Detach: Ctrl+b, then d
# Reattach: tmux attach -t gateway

Checking Gateway Status

# Check if gateway is running
pgrep -f "openclaw gateway"

# View gateway logs (if running in tmux)
tmux attach -t gateway

Updating All Components

# Single command to update everything
oa --update && source ~/.bashrc

# This updates:
# - OpenClaw core (openclaw@latest)
# - code-server (if installed)
# - OpenCode (if installed)
# - AI CLI tools (if installed)
# - Android compatibility patches

Installing Optional Tools

# Interactive installation menu
oa --install

# Available options:
# - tmux (session management)
# - code-server (browser IDE)
# - OpenCode (AI coding assistant)
# - Claude Code CLI
# - Gemini CLI
# - Codex CLI

Architecture

Standard Approach (Avoided)

Linux Kernel
└── Android + Bionic libc + Termux
    └── proot-distro + Debian/Ubuntu (1-2GB)
        └── GNU glibc
            └── Node.js → OpenClaw

OpenClaw-Android Approach

Linux Kernel
└── Android + Bionic libc + Termux
    └── glibc ld.so (linker only, ~200MB)
        └── Node.js → OpenClaw

Benefits:

  • 5-10x less storage overhead
  • Native performance (no proot layer)
  • Automatic path conversion (/tmp, /bin/sh, /usr/bin/env)
  • Single-command setup

Troubleshooting

Gateway Won't Start

# Check if port is already in use
netstat -tulpn | grep 3000

# Kill existing process
pkill -f "openclaw gateway"

# Check logs
openclaw gateway --verbose

"Command not found" After Installation

# Reload shell configuration
source ~/.bashrc

# Verify installation
which openclaw
which oa

Gateway Stops When Screen Locks

Ensure battery optimization is disabled:

  1. Settings → Apps → Termux → Battery → Unrestricted
  2. Enable "Stay awake" in Developer Options (while charging)
  3. Use tmux to persist sessions

Node.js Binary Issues

# Reinstall with proper glibc wrapper
oa --update && source ~/.bashrc

# Verify Node.js is using glibc loader
which node
cat $(which node)  # Should show ld.so wrapper script

Backup Fails with "Operation not permitted"

# Use oa --backup instead of openclaw backup
oa --backup

# This uses tar directly, avoiding hardlink issues in Android

SSH Connection Refused

# Ensure sshd is running
pgrep sshd

# If not running, start it
sshd

# Check SSH port (default 8022 in Termux)
netstat -tulpn | grep sshd

Out of Storage Space

# Check storage usage
df -h ~

# Clean package cache
pkg clean

# Remove unused backups
ls ~/.openclaw-android/backup/
rm ~/.openclaw-android/backup/old-backup.tar.gz

Gateway Crashes on Android 7-9

Some older Android versions have issues with certain Node.js features:

# Update to latest version (may include compatibility fixes)
oa --update && source ~/.bashrc

# Check Android version
getprop ro.build.version.release

# If issues persist, report with Android version and device model

Best Practices

  1. Always run gateway in Termux app (not via SSH) to prevent disconnection issues
  2. Use tmux for persistent sessions that survive terminal closures
  3. Regular backups before major updates: oa --backup
  4. Monitor storage on devices with limited space
  5. Keep device charged and plugged in for 24/7 operation
  6. Update regularly to get latest Android compatibility patches: oa --update
  7. Disable phantom process killer on Android 12+ for stability
  8. Use Wi-Fi for initial installation (faster, more reliable)

Additional Resources