OpenClaw MCP Server exposes your OpenClaw assistant to Claude Desktop and other MCP clients using the Streamable HTTP transport. Once running, you connect Claude Desktop to the server via a configured MCP endpoint and authenticate with your API key. The server supports server-sent events (SSE) for streaming responses, so conversations with your OpenClaw assistant can unfold in real time. Tools available to Claude Desktop include asking the assistant, querying long-term memory with memory_search, and checking session status with sessions_status. The system is designed to be configurable, with options to set the bot name, session label, port, host binding, and OpenClaw workspace, and it can be set to start automatically via systemd for reliability in production environments.

Prerequisites:

• Node.js v18+ installed on the host
• Git installed
• OpenClaw installed on the host (as per its own installation docs)
• Optional: Systemd for auto-start

Installation steps:

1. Clone the repository: git clone https://github.com/rodgco/openclaw-mcp-server.git cd openclaw-mcp-server

2. Run the installer script (recommended): ./install.sh

   • The installer checks Node.js 18+ and OpenClaw, installs dependencies, generates an API key, prompts for bot name and session label, and optionally creates a systemd service. It also outputs a Claude Desktop configuration snippet for easy setup.

3. If you prefer manual setup:

   Clone and install

   git clone https://github.com/rodgco/openclaw-mcp-server.git cd openclaw-mcp-server npm install

   Configure environment

   cp .env.example .env

   Edit .env with your settings (BOT_NAME, OPENCLAW_SESSION_LABEL, MCP_SERVER_API_KEY, PORT, BIND_ADDRESS, OPENCLAW_WORKSPACE)

   Start the server

   npm start

4. Optional systemd service (if you want auto-start):

   • Use the installer’s option to create the service, or manually create a unit file at /etc/systemd/system/openclaw-mcp-server.service with the appropriate ExecStart invoking npm start in the repository directory, then enable and start the service: sudo systemctl enable openclaw-mcp-server sudo systemctl start openclaw-mcp-server

Security and networking tips:

• The server requires an API key for all MCP requests. Keep this key secret and rotate periodically.
• Consider using a reverse proxy (nginx or Caddy) with HTTPS in production to protect traffic.
• If exposing the MCP endpoint over the internet, consider enabling additional authentication layers or network access controls (e.g., VPN, SSH tunnel, or a firewall).
• The MCP server uses port 3721 by default; adjust PORT in .env if needed, and ensure firewall rules allow incoming traffic on that port.
• For local development or testing, you can curl the health and basic info endpoints to verify the server, and test MCP endpoints with an authorized request as shown in the readme.
• If you run into issues with OpenClaw workspace paths or API keys, verify that OPENCLAW_WORKSPACE exists and that BOT_NAME and OPENCLAW_SESSION_LABEL match your OpenClaw setup.