OpenClaw Windows Debugging

Use this skill to debug OpenClaw Companion and the Windows node. Start from the reported behavior, identify the first failing boundary, and collect the narrowest evidence that distinguishes setup, configuration, transport, product code, Windows permission, packaging, and runtime failures.

This skill does not authorize installing software, changing shared runtimes, resetting pairing, approving requests, invoking sensitive capabilities, or editing user configuration. Obtain the required authority first. Never print or share Gateway tokens, setup codes, MCP tokens, device identities, private keys, raw settings, screenshots, recordings, camera data, microphone data, or chat payloads.

Read first

• Architecture ownership for the affected owner.
• Connection architecture for credentials, pairing, reconnect, and node state.
• Local MCP for same-machine discovery and invocation.
• winnode for exact command arguments and output shapes.
• Windows node testing for capability, permission, and system.run behavior.
• Setup engine and onboarding for WSL and native Gateway setup.
• Proof selection before runtime or UI claims.

Do not preload unrelated guides. Follow the owner named by the first failing boundary.

Default loop

1. Record the exact repository HEAD, dirty files, app build, runtime identity, selected profile, Gateway kind, and repro command or UI route.
2. State one suspected boundary before changing code.
3. Collect the narrowest signal from that boundary.
4. Reproduce without switching profile, app build, Gateway, transport, command, or permission state unless that variable is the test.
5. Classify the failure as environment/setup, configuration/permission, transport/pairing, product code, packaging/update, or unproven.
6. Patch the owner of the first incorrect behavior, not the next layer that reports it.
7. Rerun the exact failing probe, then add the required broader validation.

An exit code alone is not proof. Check that the intended tests executed, that the selected command appeared in tools/list, that the app under test came from the expected HEAD, and that UI evidence shows the asserted state.

Choose the boundary

Symptom	First evidence	Boundary interpretation
App will not start, exits, or opens the wrong instance	openclaw-tray.log, crash.log, run.marker, activation arguments, runtime identity	Startup, single-instance, activation, migration admission, or crash handling
Setup fails before Companion is usable	Latest setup JSONL and matching journal, failed step, command exit/timeout, rollback result	Setup pipeline or host prerequisite, not automatically a product runtime defect
WSL Gateway is installed but unavailable	WSL service status and journal as user openclaw, then Windows reachability	Gateway service/runtime or Windows-to-WSL reachability
Native Gateway is installed but unavailable	Setup page status, Collect Gateway diagnostics, View setup log, or clawctl gateway-service status	Package service, isolated session, listener ownership, or native runtime readiness
Companion is disconnected or pairing is pending	app.connection.status, app.connection.gateways, pending approvals, connection event timeline	Registry, credential, protocol, operator, node, or approval state
Local MCP is unavailable	Selected profile, mcp-token.txt existence, listener state, winnode --list-tools	Local MCP startup/authentication, not Gateway pairing
Command is absent	Live tools/list, capability settings, disabled commands, Gateway allowlist	Registration or gating before invocation
Command is listed but fails	Exact winnode request, tool error, tray log entry, native permission state	Capability implementation or Windows runtime permission
Local MCP works but remote use fails	Same command through Gateway node.invoke, node pairing/trust, allowlist	Gateway transport or policy; local MCP is only supporting evidence
system.run fails	system.which, system.run.prepare, approval snapshot, MXC diagnostics, exact argv/cwd	Binding, approval, policy, containment, execution, or cleanup
Update check behaves unexpectedly	Build identity, package state, update status, tray log	Store/Dev/Debug intentional skip, release updater, or optional dependency
Installer or migration fails	Exact artifact/identity, installer source checks, migration receipts and runtime logs	Packaging/migration; unit or source checks do not prove installed behavior
UI state is wrong but snapshots look correct	Current-head native UI evidence on the selected profile	Presentation or lifecycle; MCP snapshots do not prove pixels

Stop at the first boundary whose actual result differs from its contract. Do not reset settings, delete state, re-pair, restart an unowned Gateway, or swap to a different transport to make the symptom disappear.

Establish the exact runtime

Before branch-specific, proof-specific, or runtime-specific debugging:

git branch --show-current
git rev-parse HEAD
git --no-pager status --short

Record:

• Companion build configuration and architecture.
• Release or Dev identity.
• Packaged MSIX, unpackaged Inno/portable, fixture, or source-built app.
• Selected profile and any OPENCLAW_TRAY_* overrides.
• WSL, Store native Gateway, development native Gateway patch, remote Gateway, or synthetic fixture.
• Local MCP or Gateway node transport.

OPENCLAW_TRAY_DATA_DIR is a direct isolated profile. It controls settings, logs, crash state, MCP token, run marker, identities, and the isolated mutex. OPENCLAW_STATE_DIR in the app process separately overrides the exec-approvals location, so record it before claiming approval isolation. Keep the same profile in the app and every winnode command. Release and Dev profiles are distinct. Packaged apps can use Windows redirected storage, so use the running app's Diagnostics page or resolved profile rather than guessing a package-family path.

Isolated and fixture instances intentionally suppress Windows toasts, skip startup update checks, and do not register URI schemes. Use a non-isolated, authorized identity for visible toast or capture-indicator proof. Do not invoke screen.snapshot, camera.snap, or location.get in an isolated or fixture instance because sensor access can continue after the suppressed indicator. Use the tray-log suppression entry only to debug the non-sensitive notification path, not as sensitive-capture proof.

The fixture Gateway is deterministic app and UI evidence. It is not real WSL setup, pairing, provider, node invocation, sensor, notification, or MXC proof.

Use the repository diagnostics

Preferred sanitized bundle

Open Settings > Diagnostics, then use Create diagnostics bundle. Review the preview before copying or saving it. The bundle includes bounded, sanitized:

• support and debug summaries
• connection event timeline
• openclaw-tray.log and openclaw-tray.log.old tails
• Logs\diagnostics.jsonl tail
• crash.log tail
• latest setup JSONL tails

It excludes raw settings, Gateway records, MCP tokens, device identities, screenshots, recordings, chat payloads, camera data, and microphone data. Open diagnostics folder opens the selected profile's structured diagnostics directory. For a non-isolated Release identity, openclaw://diagnostics opens that registered app's folder. Dev uses openclaw-dev://diagnostics; isolated instances do not register either scheme.

File locations

For the normal unpackaged Release identity:

Evidence	Default location
Tray log	%LOCALAPPDATA%\OpenClawTray\openclaw-tray.log
Tray archive	%LOCALAPPDATA%\OpenClawTray\openclaw-tray.log.old
Crash log	%LOCALAPPDATA%\OpenClawTray\crash.log
Structured events	%LOCALAPPDATA%\OpenClawTray\Logs\diagnostics.jsonl
Setup logs	%APPDATA%\OpenClawTray\Logs\Setup\setup-engine-*.jsonl
Setup journal	Beside its setup log as *.journal.jsonl
Native setup log	%APPDATA%\OpenClawTray\Logs\Setup\native-setup-*.jsonl

Dev uses OpenClawTray-Dev. An isolated run puts these artifacts under the selected direct profile. For packaged storage, resolve the active profile through the app instead of hard-coding the Windows package publisher suffix.

Set OPENCLAW_TRAY_TRACE=1 only for a bounded reproduction that needs verbose Gateway protocol traces. Restart the selected app with the same profile and unset the variable afterward. Trace is not a replacement for app.connection.status or a real invocation.

Distinguish setup failures from product defects

For a developer build-host failure, check prerequisites without installing anything:

.\scripts\setup-dev.ps1 -CheckOnly

This checks repository build prerequisites such as Git, .NET, Node, Windows SDK, WebView2, and the build script's prerequisite contract. It does not prove WSL2, Gateway, MXC, Store, packaged permission, or desktop proof readiness.

For a product setup failure, start from the failed setup JSONL step. A missing Windows capability, Store access, WSL feature, or runtime prerequisite remains an environment/setup failure until the supported setup path handles it incorrectly. Preserve the exact prerequisite result and setup step.

For WSL setup, correlate:

1. setup-engine-*.jsonl step.started, cmd.start, cmd.done, step.completed, and step.exception records.
2. The matching .journal.jsonl start, completion, and rollback records.
3. Whether the original command timed out. A timeout is an unknown outcome and must not be rewritten as a clean failure.
4. The first failed step and any later rollback failure separately.

Inspect the managed distro without mutating it:

wsl.exe --list --verbose
wsl.exe -d OpenClawGateway --user openclaw -- bash -lc "systemctl --user status openclaw-gateway.service --no-pager || true"
wsl.exe -d OpenClawGateway --user openclaw -- bash -lc "journalctl --user-unit openclaw-gateway.service --no-pager -n 80 || true"

Use the actual distro name for Dev or custom setup. Do not run the user-service checks as root, edit the VHD, or inspect the full Gateway configuration. See WSL Gateway administration.

Native Gateway setup writes native-setup-*.jsonl. Isolated native Gateway console output is obtained through its authenticated logs.tail setup path, not an invented host log file. Store package acquisition failures, unavailable aliases, package registration ambiguity, and unsupported Windows capability are setup/admission evidence. They are not proof that later Companion runtime code is defective.

For an installed native Gateway that cannot start, prefer the setup page's Collect Gateway diagnostics and View setup log actions. The former runs clawctl collect-logs --json and creates a redacted ZIP under package-owned state; review it before sharing. clawctl gateway-service status is the read-only lifecycle probe named by startup timeout guidance.

Connection, pairing, and node flow

Use local MCP diagnostics before changing connection code:

$env:OPENCLAW_TRAY_DATA_DIR = '<selected-profile>'
Remove-Item Env:\OPENCLAW_MCP_TOKEN -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
$mcpUrl = '<selected-loopback-mcp-url>'
winnode --mcp-url $mcpUrl --list-tools
winnode --mcp-url $mcpUrl --command app.connection.status --params '{}'
winnode --mcp-url $mcpUrl --command app.connection.gateways --params '{}'
winnode --mcp-url $mcpUrl --command app.connection.pendingApprovals --params '{}'

Use the endpoint printed by the same selected app or fixture. Profile selection does not select the MCP port, and an inherited OPENCLAW_MCP_TOKEN overrides the profile token. Repeat the profile, token clearing, and explicit URL in each fresh agent shell. Follow the canonical client binding procedure.

app.connection.status is the primary read-only projection. Preserve:

• active Gateway and effective mode
• operator and node state
• credential source and credential-resolution status
• accepted and supported protocol versions
• MCP enabled/running/error state
• browser proxy caveat
• pending actions and retry hint
• recent connection diagnostic events

app.connection.gateways returns credential-presence booleans, never token values. A device identity load failure is not permission to replace the key. Device token precedence must not be downgraded to shared or bootstrap token. Protocol mismatch is not fixed by repeated reconnects.

Pairing approval tools and reconnect tools mutate live state. Use them only when that exact action is authorized, with a request ID read from the same selected Gateway:

• app.connection.approveDevicePairing
• app.connection.rejectDevicePairing
• app.connection.approveNodePairing
• app.connection.rejectNodePairing
• app.connection.reconnect
• app.connection.reconnectNode

Local MCP connection diagnostics do not prove remote node.invoke. When the bug is Gateway-mediated, reproduce the same command through the active Gateway after pairing, trust, and allowlist state are known.

Local MCP and capability discovery

Keep local MCP and Gateway node mode distinct:

$env:OPENCLAW_TRAY_DATA_DIR = '<selected-profile>'
Remove-Item Env:\OPENCLAW_MCP_TOKEN -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
$mcpUrl = '<selected-loopback-mcp-url>'
winnode --mcp-url $mcpUrl --list-tools
winnode --mcp-url $mcpUrl --command app.status --params '{}'
winnode --mcp-url $mcpUrl --command app.connection.status --params '{}'

A refused selected endpoint means that tray MCP server is not listening. Port 8765 is only the default. Do not reinstall winnode. Confirm Permissions > Integrations > Local MCP Server, the profile, endpoint, and token-file creation. Never print the token or put it on a command line.

If discovery succeeds but a command is absent, inspect live capability settings and NodeCapabilityGating before editing the static catalog. browser.proxy is intentionally absent until a Gateway client, shared token, enabled bridge, and verified browser-control endpoint are all present.

Native Windows capability probes

Run only probes whose side effects and permission prompts are authorized. Start with discovery and status-shaped commands. Use the same explicit profile and MCP URL binding established above; exact schemas remain in winnode.

winnode --mcp-url $mcpUrl --list-tools
winnode --mcp-url $mcpUrl --command camera.list --params '{}'
winnode --mcp-url $mcpUrl --command stt.status --params '{}'
winnode --mcp-url $mcpUrl --command tts.status --params '{}'
winnode --mcp-url $mcpUrl --command system.which --params '{"bins":["git","powershell"]}'

Sensitive capture results contain screen images, camera images, locations, or microphone transcripts. Do not let them print into the agent transcript. For an authorized non-isolated Release or Dev identity, bind winnode to that exact app and redirect each complete payload to a separate private artifact:

$screenArtifact = '<authorized-private-screen-result.json>'
winnode --mcp-url $mcpUrl --command screen.snapshot --params '{"format":"png","maxWidth":1280}' > $screenArtifact

$cameraArtifact = '<authorized-private-camera-result.json>'
winnode --mcp-url $mcpUrl --command camera.snap --params '{"format":"jpeg","maxWidth":1280}' > $cameraArtifact

$sttArtifact = '<authorized-private-stt-result.json>'
winnode --mcp-url $mcpUrl --command stt.transcribe --params '{"maxDurationMs":5000,"language":"auto"}' > $sttArtifact

Check $LASTEXITCODE after each call. Do not read or publish raw base64, location, or transcript content unless that exact inspection and destination are authorized. Report only the bounded non-sensitive metadata needed for the debug claim. Use the exact command schemas in winnode.

Non-capture presentation probes can remain inline when authorized:

winnode --mcp-url $mcpUrl --command tts.speak --params '{"text":"OpenClaw diagnostic probe"}'
winnode --mcp-url $mcpUrl --command system.notify --params '{"body":"OpenClaw diagnostic probe","sound":false}'

Interpret results by boundary:

• Absence from tools/list usually means a disabled capability or registration gate, not a Windows API failure.
• Screen, camera, and location require remembered app consent and a visible per-use indication before sensor access.
• Camera failures that report blocked access require Windows camera access for desktop apps. Packaged and unpackaged identities can have different Windows permission state.
• Microphone capture and camera clips with audio need the relevant Windows microphone permission and an available input device.
• TTS status separates configuration/readiness from playback.
• Notification proof requires a visible toast from the tested app identity. A successful return without visible presentation is incomplete UI proof. Isolated and fixture identities suppress Windows toasts by design and cannot provide visible notification or sensitive capture proof.
• Base64 payload success proves the capability return, not image/audio quality. Inspect authorized artifacts without publishing sensitive content.

For packaged permission bugs, record package identity, architecture, app version, Windows version, the exact privacy setting, and whether the same build behaves differently unpackaged. Do not treat a permission denial as a code regression until identity and OS permission state are established.

system.run and MXC

Start with non-executing boundaries:

winnode --mcp-url $mcpUrl --command system.which --params '{"bins":["cmd","powershell","git"]}'
winnode --mcp-url $mcpUrl --command system.run.prepare --params '{"command":["cmd.exe","/d","/s","/c","echo diagnostic"],"rawCommand":"echo diagnostic"}'

Preserve canonical argv, rawCommand, cwd, timeout, selected profile, approval policy, and the exact tool error. Do not convert a rejected string command into another shell shape after approval. A non-empty custom environment is rejected. An omitted cwd uses owned scratch; an explicit cwd must be granted.

system.execApprovals.get is not a read-only filesystem probe. It can migrate a legacy file or create the default approvals file when missing, and the app's OPENCLAW_STATE_DIR can redirect that write outside OPENCLAW_TRAY_DATA_DIR. Invoke it only when that exact policy-file mutation is authorized, then verify the returned path belongs to the intended profile.

Classify the first failure:

1. command binding or argument validation
2. live System tools permission
3. approval policy or stale approval snapshot
4. MXC availability/probe
5. folder, cwd, executable, or protected-path admission
6. native spawn, output drain, timeout, cancellation, or cleanup

On supported Windows, SDK load, probe, policy, or spawn failures block. They do not fall back to uncontained execution. Positive unsupported-Windows compatibility is a separate explicit result.

Local MCP proves the local capability path only. For Gateway-mediated behavior, also use the same safe command through the active node. Run the CLI where the selected Gateway is authenticated, obtain the node ID from that same Gateway, and pass it explicitly:

openclaw nodes list --json
openclaw nodes invoke --node '<selected-windows-node-id>' --command system.which --params '{"bins":["git"]}'

MXC, system.run, exec approvals, or Windows node execution changes require:

.\scripts\validate-mxc-e2e.ps1

The script sets its own E2E gates and fails if MXC proof skips. -AllowSkip documents a host limitation only; it is not merge validation. This provisions a fresh WSL Gateway and mutates runtime state, so run it only with explicit authorization. Otherwise report the gate as blocked.

Update, installer, and packaged-app boundaries

Update behavior depends on identity:

• Packaged builds are treated as Microsoft Store-managed and intentionally skip the release updater.
• Dev and Debug builds intentionally skip release-channel checks.
• Isolated profiles and OPENCLAW_SKIP_UPDATE_CHECK=1 skip the startup check.
• Production unpackaged Release uses the optional updater.
• An authenticated Gateway on extended-stable can suppress an ordinary Companion update.
• An optional updater dependency load failure disables automatic checks for that process, logs a warning, and leaves the app usable.

Capture the update status from the Diagnostics support context and the matching tray-log lines before changing updater code. Do not diagnose an intentional skip as a failed network check. Do not use a Debug build to prove release download or install behavior.

For source-level updater or installer changes, use focused checks:

dotnet test .\tests\OpenClaw.Tray.Tests\OpenClaw.Tray.Tests.csproj --filter "FullyQualifiedName~UpdateBackendLoaderTests|FullyQualifiedName~UpdateCheckPipelineTests"
.\scripts\run-proof-tests.ps1 -Project 'tests\OpenClaw.Tray.Tests\OpenClaw.Tray.Tests.csproj' -Filter 'FullyQualifiedName~InstallerIssAssertionTests' -ResultName 'installer-source'

Installer source checks do not prove install, upgrade, uninstall, Store migration, package registration, startup task, protocol activation, or Windows permission behavior. Those claims require the matching disposable-machine proof pool and exact signed artifacts. Never test destructive migration or uninstall against a shared machine without explicit authority and the repository's uninstall/migration workflow.

End-to-end repro and proof routes

Choose the smallest route that crosses the failing boundary:

Boundary	Supported route	What it proves
Pure helper, projection, or policy	Focused owning test project and filter	Managed contract only
App UI with deterministic Gateway data	Build the exact app, then .\scripts\test-gateway-fixture.ps1 -AppPath '<built-app.exe>'	Real app, Gateway client, MCP, and selected native UI against synthetic data
Local MCP command	winnode --list-tools, then winnode --command ...	Selected app's local dispatch and capability
Raw MCP protocol	Authenticated initialize, tools/list, tools/call against the selected loopback endpoint	HTTP/JSON-RPC/auth/cancellation shape
WSL setup, pairing, reconnect	The windows-wsl-gateway-e2e proof pool's exact run-gateway-product-path command	Real product WSL Gateway path
Safe Gateway-to-node invocation	FullSetup_SafeNodeInvocation_RoutesThroughRealGateway	Real setup, pairing, node registration, and system.which invoke
MXC or system.run	.\scripts\validate-mxc-e2e.ps1	Required real Gateway and MXC proof on a capable host
Native screen/camera/audio/notification	Current-head app, exact winnode call, visible/inspected result, then Gateway invoke when relevant	Native Windows behavior for the tested identity
Installer/update/package behavior	Focused source checks plus applicable disposable-machine proof pool	Installed identity and lifecycle only when the runtime proof ran

Example real WSL setup/connect lane:

$env:OPENCLAW_RUN_E2E = '1'
$env:OPENCLAW_RUN_OLLAMA_E2E = '1'
.\scripts\run-proof-tests.ps1 `
  -Project 'tests\OpenClaw.E2ETests\OpenClaw.E2ETests.csproj' `
  -Filter 'FullyQualifiedName~OpenClaw.E2ETests.Setup.SetupAndConnectTests' `
  -ResultName 'gateway-setup-connect' `
  -RuntimeIdentifier win-x64

Use win-arm64 on native ARM64. The selected cases must execute with no skipped required proof. This proof pool provisions a WSL Gateway, mutates runtime state, and requires maintainer approval. If that authority is unavailable, report the proof gate as blocked rather than running a partial command.

Validation after a fix

Every code change still requires the repository closeout:

$env:OPENCLAW_REPO_ROOT = (Get-Location).Path
.\build.ps1
dotnet test .\tests\OpenClaw.Shared.Tests\OpenClaw.Shared.Tests.csproj --no-restore
dotnet test .\tests\OpenClaw.Tray.Tests\OpenClaw.Tray.Tests.csproj --no-restore

Add the focused owner test and the end-to-end route selected above. In a fresh worktree, build a test project first or omit --no-restore once so a successful no-op is not mistaken for executed tests.

For this skill or other prose-only debugging guidance:

.\scripts\validate-docs.ps1
.\scripts\validate-agent-skills.ps1
.\scripts\test-agent-skills-validator.ps1
git diff --check

Do not launch the app or mutate a Gateway solely to validate prose.

Handoff

Report:

• boundary tested
• exact app/Gateway/profile/HEAD
• exact redacted command or UI route
• observed log, diagnostic, tool, or visible signal
• classification: setup/environment, configuration/permission, transport/pairing, product code, packaging/update, or blocked
• owner and fix location
• focused validation and end-to-end proof
• unproven boundaries and why

Keep validation confidence, source-review confidence, and runtime/UI proof confidence separate.

Source and maintenance

Windows-owned adaptation of the MIT-licensed OpenClaw debugging skill. This is not a synchronized copy. The Windows repository owns its diagnostics, commands, setup paths, packaging behavior, native permissions, and proof requirements.