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Source-grounded rewrite of 529 published docs pages with per-unit information-loss verification: 1,713 factual corrections cited to src/**, generated surfaces regenerated, frontmatter titles preserved for i18n, release notes pages untouched. All docs gates green. Closes #100141
87 lines
3.7 KiB
Markdown
87 lines
3.7 KiB
Markdown
---
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summary: "Current integration path for external apps, scripts, dashboards, CI jobs, and IDE extensions"
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title: "Gateway integrations for external apps"
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sidebarTitle: "External apps"
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read_when:
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- You are building an external app, script, dashboard, CI job, or IDE extension that talks to OpenClaw
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- You are choosing between Gateway RPC and the Plugin SDK
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- You are integrating with Gateway agent runs, sessions, events, approvals, models, or tools
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---
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External apps talk to OpenClaw through the Gateway protocol: WebSocket
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transport plus RPC methods. Use it when a script, dashboard, CI job, IDE
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extension, or another process wants to start agent runs, stream events, wait
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for results, cancel work, or inspect Gateway resources.
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<Warning>
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There is no public npm client package yet. Do not add OpenClaw client package
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names as application dependencies until release notes announce a published
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package and this page includes install instructions.
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</Warning>
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<Note>
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This page is for code outside the OpenClaw process. Plugin code that runs
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inside OpenClaw should use documented `openclaw/plugin-sdk/*` subpaths instead.
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</Note>
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## What is available today
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| Surface | Status | Use it for |
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| --------------------------------------- | ------ | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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| [Gateway protocol](/gateway/protocol) | Ready | WebSocket transport, connect handshake, auth scopes, protocol versioning, and events. |
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| [Gateway RPC reference](/reference/rpc) | Ready | Current Gateway methods for agents, sessions, tasks, models, tools, artifacts, and approvals. |
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| [`openclaw agent`](/cli/agent) | Ready | One-shot script integration when shelling out to the CLI is enough. |
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| [`openclaw message`](/cli/message) | Ready | Sending messages or channel actions from scripts. |
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A future client library package is in progress internally, but it is not a
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public install surface yet. Treat it as preview implementation detail until a
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release announces a published, versioned package.
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## Recommended path
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1. Run or discover a Gateway.
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2. Connect over the [Gateway protocol](/gateway/protocol).
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3. Call documented RPC methods from [Gateway RPC reference](/reference/rpc).
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4. Pin the OpenClaw version you test against.
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5. Recheck the RPC reference when upgrading OpenClaw.
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For agent runs, start with the `agent` RPC and pair it with `agent.wait` for a
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terminal result. For durable conversation state, use the `sessions.*` methods.
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For UI integrations, subscribe to Gateway events and render only the event
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families your app understands.
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## App code vs plugin code
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Use Gateway RPC when code lives outside OpenClaw:
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- Node scripts that start or observe agent runs
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- CI jobs that call a Gateway
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- dashboards and admin panels
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- IDE extensions
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- external bridges that do not need to become channel plugins
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- integration tests with fake or real Gateway transports
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Use the Plugin SDK when code runs inside OpenClaw:
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- provider plugins
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- channel plugins
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- tool or lifecycle hooks
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- agent harness plugins
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- trusted runtime helpers
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External apps should not import `openclaw/plugin-sdk/*`; those subpaths are for
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plugins loaded by OpenClaw.
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## Related
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- [Gateway protocol](/gateway/protocol)
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- [Gateway RPC reference](/reference/rpc)
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- [CLI agent command](/cli/agent)
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- [CLI message command](/cli/message)
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- [Agent loop](/concepts/agent-loop)
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- [Agent runtimes](/concepts/agent-runtimes)
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- [Sessions](/concepts/session)
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- [Background tasks](/automation/tasks)
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- [ACP agents](/tools/acp-agents)
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- [Plugin SDK overview](/plugins/sdk-overview)
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