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openclaw/docs/concepts/multi-agent.md
Peter Steinberger e6cd90e3fd fix(agents): keep OAuth auth read-through
2026-04-29 11:54:28 +01:00

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---
summary: "Multi-agent routing: isolated agents, channel accounts, and bindings"
title: "Multi-agent routing"
sidebarTitle: "Multi-agent routing"
read_when: "You want multiple isolated agents (workspaces + auth) in one gateway process."
status: active
---
Run multiple _isolated_ agents — each with its own workspace, state directory (`agentDir`), and session history — plus multiple channel accounts (e.g. two WhatsApps) in one running Gateway. Inbound messages are routed to the right agent through bindings.
An **agent** here is the full per-persona scope: workspace files, auth profiles, model registry, and session store. `agentDir` is the on-disk state directory that holds this per-agent config at `~/.openclaw/agents/<agentId>/`. A **binding** maps a channel account (e.g. a Slack workspace or a WhatsApp number) to one of those agents.
## What is "one agent"?
An **agent** is a fully scoped brain with its own:
- **Workspace** (files, AGENTS.md/SOUL.md/USER.md, local notes, persona rules).
- **State directory** (`agentDir`) for auth profiles, model registry, and per-agent config.
- **Session store** (chat history + routing state) under `~/.openclaw/agents/<agentId>/sessions`.
Auth profiles are **per-agent**. Each agent reads from its own:
```text
~/.openclaw/agents/<agentId>/agent/auth-profiles.json
```
<Note>
`sessions_history` is the safer cross-session recall path here too: it returns a bounded, sanitized view, not a raw transcript dump. Assistant recall strips thinking tags, `<relevant-memories>` scaffolding, plain-text tool-call XML payloads (including `<tool_call>...</tool_call>`, `<function_call>...</function_call>`, `<tool_calls>...</tool_calls>`, `<function_calls>...</function_calls>`, and truncated tool-call blocks), downgraded tool-call scaffolding, leaked ASCII/full-width model control tokens, and malformed MiniMax tool-call XML before redaction/truncation.
</Note>
<Warning>
Never reuse `agentDir` across agents (it causes auth/session collisions). Agents
can read through to the default/main agent's auth profiles when they do not have
a local profile, but OpenClaw does not clone OAuth refresh tokens into the
secondary agent store. If you want an independent OAuth account, sign in from
that agent; if you copy credentials manually, copy only portable static
`api_key` or `token` profiles.
</Warning>
Skills are loaded from each agent workspace plus shared roots such as `~/.openclaw/skills`, then filtered by the effective agent skill allowlist when configured. Use `agents.defaults.skills` for a shared baseline and `agents.list[].skills` for per-agent replacement. See [Skills: per-agent vs shared](/tools/skills#per-agent-vs-shared-skills) and [Skills: agent skill allowlists](/tools/skills#agent-skill-allowlists).
The Gateway can host **one agent** (default) or **many agents** side-by-side.
<Note>
**Workspace note:** each agent's workspace is the **default cwd**, not a hard sandbox. Relative paths resolve inside the workspace, but absolute paths can reach other host locations unless sandboxing is enabled. See [Sandboxing](/gateway/sandboxing).
</Note>
## Paths (quick map)
- Config: `~/.openclaw/openclaw.json` (or `OPENCLAW_CONFIG_PATH`)
- State dir: `~/.openclaw` (or `OPENCLAW_STATE_DIR`)
- Workspace: `~/.openclaw/workspace` (or `~/.openclaw/workspace-<agentId>`)
- Agent dir: `~/.openclaw/agents/<agentId>/agent` (or `agents.list[].agentDir`)
- Sessions: `~/.openclaw/agents/<agentId>/sessions`
### Single-agent mode (default)
If you do nothing, OpenClaw runs a single agent:
- `agentId` defaults to **`main`**.
- Sessions are keyed as `agent:main:<mainKey>`.
- Workspace defaults to `~/.openclaw/workspace` (or `~/.openclaw/workspace-<profile>` when `OPENCLAW_PROFILE` is set).
- State defaults to `~/.openclaw/agents/main/agent`.
## Agent helper
Use the agent wizard to add a new isolated agent:
```bash
openclaw agents add work
```
Then add `bindings` (or let the wizard do it) to route inbound messages.
Verify with:
```bash
openclaw agents list --bindings
```
## Quick start
<Steps>
<Step title="Create each agent workspace">
Use the wizard or create workspaces manually:
```bash
openclaw agents add coding
openclaw agents add social
```
Each agent gets its own workspace with `SOUL.md`, `AGENTS.md`, and optional `USER.md`, plus a dedicated `agentDir` and session store under `~/.openclaw/agents/<agentId>`.
</Step>
<Step title="Create channel accounts">
Create one account per agent on your preferred channels:
- Discord: one bot per agent, enable Message Content Intent, copy each token.
- Telegram: one bot per agent via BotFather, copy each token.
- WhatsApp: link each phone number per account.
```bash
openclaw channels login --channel whatsapp --account work
```
See channel guides: [Discord](/channels/discord), [Telegram](/channels/telegram), [WhatsApp](/channels/whatsapp).
</Step>
<Step title="Add agents, accounts, and bindings">
Add agents under `agents.list`, channel accounts under `channels.<channel>.accounts`, and connect them with `bindings` (examples below).
</Step>
<Step title="Restart and verify">
```bash
openclaw gateway restart
openclaw agents list --bindings
openclaw channels status --probe
```
</Step>
</Steps>
## Multiple agents = multiple people, multiple personalities
With **multiple agents**, each `agentId` becomes a **fully isolated persona**:
- **Different phone numbers/accounts** (per channel `accountId`).
- **Different personalities** (per-agent workspace files like `AGENTS.md` and `SOUL.md`).
- **Separate auth + sessions** (no cross-talk unless explicitly enabled).
This lets **multiple people** share one Gateway server while keeping their AI "brains" and data isolated.
## Cross-agent QMD memory search
If one agent should search another agent's QMD session transcripts, add extra collections under `agents.list[].memorySearch.qmd.extraCollections`. Use `agents.defaults.memorySearch.qmd.extraCollections` only when every agent should inherit the same shared transcript collections.
```json5
{
agents: {
defaults: {
workspace: "~/workspaces/main",
memorySearch: {
qmd: {
extraCollections: [{ path: "~/agents/family/sessions", name: "family-sessions" }],
},
},
},
list: [
{
id: "main",
workspace: "~/workspaces/main",
memorySearch: {
qmd: {
extraCollections: [{ path: "notes" }], // resolves inside workspace -> collection named "notes-main"
},
},
},
{ id: "family", workspace: "~/workspaces/family" },
],
},
memory: {
backend: "qmd",
qmd: { includeDefaultMemory: false },
},
}
```
The extra collection path can be shared across agents, but the collection name stays explicit when the path is outside the agent workspace. Paths inside the workspace remain agent-scoped so each agent keeps its own transcript search set.
## One WhatsApp number, multiple people (DM split)
You can route **different WhatsApp DMs** to different agents while staying on **one WhatsApp account**. Match on sender E.164 (like `+15551234567`) with `peer.kind: "direct"`. Replies still come from the same WhatsApp number (no per-agent sender identity).
<Note>
Direct chats collapse to the agent's **main session key**, so true isolation requires **one agent per person**.
</Note>
Example:
```json5
{
agents: {
list: [
{ id: "alex", workspace: "~/.openclaw/workspace-alex" },
{ id: "mia", workspace: "~/.openclaw/workspace-mia" },
],
},
bindings: [
{
agentId: "alex",
match: { channel: "whatsapp", peer: { kind: "direct", id: "+15551230001" } },
},
{
agentId: "mia",
match: { channel: "whatsapp", peer: { kind: "direct", id: "+15551230002" } },
},
],
channels: {
whatsapp: {
dmPolicy: "allowlist",
allowFrom: ["+15551230001", "+15551230002"],
},
},
}
```
Notes:
- DM access control is **global per WhatsApp account** (pairing/allowlist), not per agent.
- For shared groups, bind the group to one agent or use [Broadcast groups](/channels/broadcast-groups).
## Routing rules (how messages pick an agent)
Bindings are **deterministic** and **most-specific wins**:
<Steps>
<Step title="peer match">
Exact DM/group/channel id.
</Step>
<Step title="parentPeer match">
Thread inheritance.
</Step>
<Step title="guildId + roles">
Discord role routing.
</Step>
<Step title="guildId">
Discord.
</Step>
<Step title="teamId">
Slack.
</Step>
<Step title="accountId match for a channel">
Per-account fallback.
</Step>
<Step title="Channel-level match">
`accountId: "*"`.
</Step>
<Step title="Default agent">
Fallback to `agents.list[].default`, else first list entry, default: `main`.
</Step>
</Steps>
<AccordionGroup>
<Accordion title="Tie-breaking and AND semantics">
- If multiple bindings match in the same tier, the first one in config order wins.
- If a binding sets multiple match fields (for example `peer` + `guildId`), all specified fields are required (`AND` semantics).
</Accordion>
<Accordion title="Account-scope detail">
- A binding that omits `accountId` matches the default account only.
- Use `accountId: "*"` for a channel-wide fallback across all accounts.
- If you later add the same binding for the same agent with an explicit account id, OpenClaw upgrades the existing channel-only binding to account-scoped instead of duplicating it.
</Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>
## Multiple accounts / phone numbers
Channels that support **multiple accounts** (e.g. WhatsApp) use `accountId` to identify each login. Each `accountId` can be routed to a different agent, so one server can host multiple phone numbers without mixing sessions.
If you want a channel-wide default account when `accountId` is omitted, set `channels.<channel>.defaultAccount` (optional). When unset, OpenClaw falls back to `default` if present, otherwise the first configured account id (sorted).
Common channels supporting this pattern include:
- `whatsapp`, `telegram`, `discord`, `slack`, `signal`, `imessage`
- `irc`, `line`, `googlechat`, `mattermost`, `matrix`, `nextcloud-talk`
- `bluebubbles`, `zalo`, `zalouser`, `nostr`, `feishu`
## Concepts
- `agentId`: one "brain" (workspace, per-agent auth, per-agent session store).
- `accountId`: one channel account instance (e.g. WhatsApp account `"personal"` vs `"biz"`).
- `binding`: routes inbound messages to an `agentId` by `(channel, accountId, peer)` and optionally guild/team ids.
- Direct chats collapse to `agent:<agentId>:<mainKey>` (per-agent "main"; `session.mainKey`).
## Platform examples
<AccordionGroup>
<Accordion title="Discord bots per agent">
Each Discord bot account maps to a unique `accountId`. Bind each account to an agent and keep allowlists per bot.
```json5
{
agents: {
list: [
{ id: "main", workspace: "~/.openclaw/workspace-main" },
{ id: "coding", workspace: "~/.openclaw/workspace-coding" },
],
},
bindings: [
{ agentId: "main", match: { channel: "discord", accountId: "default" } },
{ agentId: "coding", match: { channel: "discord", accountId: "coding" } },
],
channels: {
discord: {
groupPolicy: "allowlist",
accounts: {
default: {
token: "DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN_MAIN",
guilds: {
"123456789012345678": {
channels: {
"222222222222222222": { allow: true, requireMention: false },
},
},
},
},
coding: {
token: "DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN_CODING",
guilds: {
"123456789012345678": {
channels: {
"333333333333333333": { allow: true, requireMention: false },
},
},
},
},
},
},
},
}
```
- Invite each bot to the guild and enable Message Content Intent.
- Tokens live in `channels.discord.accounts.<id>.token` (default account can use `DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN`).
</Accordion>
<Accordion title="Telegram bots per agent">
```json5
{
agents: {
list: [
{ id: "main", workspace: "~/.openclaw/workspace-main" },
{ id: "alerts", workspace: "~/.openclaw/workspace-alerts" },
],
},
bindings: [
{ agentId: "main", match: { channel: "telegram", accountId: "default" } },
{ agentId: "alerts", match: { channel: "telegram", accountId: "alerts" } },
],
channels: {
telegram: {
accounts: {
default: {
botToken: "123456:ABC...",
dmPolicy: "pairing",
},
alerts: {
botToken: "987654:XYZ...",
dmPolicy: "allowlist",
allowFrom: ["tg:123456789"],
},
},
},
},
}
```
- Create one bot per agent with BotFather and copy each token.
- Tokens live in `channels.telegram.accounts.<id>.botToken` (default account can use `TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN`).
</Accordion>
<Accordion title="WhatsApp numbers per agent">
Link each account before starting the gateway:
```bash
openclaw channels login --channel whatsapp --account personal
openclaw channels login --channel whatsapp --account biz
```
`~/.openclaw/openclaw.json` (JSON5):
```js
{
agents: {
list: [
{
id: "home",
default: true,
name: "Home",
workspace: "~/.openclaw/workspace-home",
agentDir: "~/.openclaw/agents/home/agent",
},
{
id: "work",
name: "Work",
workspace: "~/.openclaw/workspace-work",
agentDir: "~/.openclaw/agents/work/agent",
},
],
},
// Deterministic routing: first match wins (most-specific first).
bindings: [
{ agentId: "home", match: { channel: "whatsapp", accountId: "personal" } },
{ agentId: "work", match: { channel: "whatsapp", accountId: "biz" } },
// Optional per-peer override (example: send a specific group to work agent).
{
agentId: "work",
match: {
channel: "whatsapp",
accountId: "personal",
peer: { kind: "group", id: "1203630...@g.us" },
},
},
],
// Off by default: agent-to-agent messaging must be explicitly enabled + allowlisted.
tools: {
agentToAgent: {
enabled: false,
allow: ["home", "work"],
},
},
channels: {
whatsapp: {
accounts: {
personal: {
// Optional override. Default: ~/.openclaw/credentials/whatsapp/personal
// authDir: "~/.openclaw/credentials/whatsapp/personal",
},
biz: {
// Optional override. Default: ~/.openclaw/credentials/whatsapp/biz
// authDir: "~/.openclaw/credentials/whatsapp/biz",
},
},
},
},
}
```
</Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>
## Common patterns
<Tabs>
<Tab title="WhatsApp daily + Telegram deep work">
Split by channel: route WhatsApp to a fast everyday agent and Telegram to an Opus agent.
```json5
{
agents: {
list: [
{
id: "chat",
name: "Everyday",
workspace: "~/.openclaw/workspace-chat",
model: "anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-6",
},
{
id: "opus",
name: "Deep Work",
workspace: "~/.openclaw/workspace-opus",
model: "anthropic/claude-opus-4-6",
},
],
},
bindings: [
{ agentId: "chat", match: { channel: "whatsapp" } },
{ agentId: "opus", match: { channel: "telegram" } },
],
}
```
Notes:
- If you have multiple accounts for a channel, add `accountId` to the binding (for example `{ channel: "whatsapp", accountId: "personal" }`).
- To route a single DM/group to Opus while keeping the rest on chat, add a `match.peer` binding for that peer; peer matches always win over channel-wide rules.
</Tab>
<Tab title="Same channel, one peer to Opus">
Keep WhatsApp on the fast agent, but route one DM to Opus:
```json5
{
agents: {
list: [
{
id: "chat",
name: "Everyday",
workspace: "~/.openclaw/workspace-chat",
model: "anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-6",
},
{
id: "opus",
name: "Deep Work",
workspace: "~/.openclaw/workspace-opus",
model: "anthropic/claude-opus-4-6",
},
],
},
bindings: [
{
agentId: "opus",
match: { channel: "whatsapp", peer: { kind: "direct", id: "+15551234567" } },
},
{ agentId: "chat", match: { channel: "whatsapp" } },
],
}
```
Peer bindings always win, so keep them above the channel-wide rule.
</Tab>
<Tab title="Family agent bound to a WhatsApp group">
Bind a dedicated family agent to a single WhatsApp group, with mention gating and a tighter tool policy:
```json5
{
agents: {
list: [
{
id: "family",
name: "Family",
workspace: "~/.openclaw/workspace-family",
identity: { name: "Family Bot" },
groupChat: {
mentionPatterns: ["@family", "@familybot", "@Family Bot"],
},
sandbox: {
mode: "all",
scope: "agent",
},
tools: {
allow: [
"exec",
"read",
"sessions_list",
"sessions_history",
"sessions_send",
"sessions_spawn",
"session_status",
],
deny: ["write", "edit", "apply_patch", "browser", "canvas", "nodes", "cron"],
},
},
],
},
bindings: [
{
agentId: "family",
match: {
channel: "whatsapp",
peer: { kind: "group", id: "120363999999999999@g.us" },
},
},
],
}
```
Notes:
- Tool allow/deny lists are **tools**, not skills. If a skill needs to run a binary, ensure `exec` is allowed and the binary exists in the sandbox.
- For stricter gating, set `agents.list[].groupChat.mentionPatterns` and keep group allowlists enabled for the channel.
</Tab>
</Tabs>
## Per-agent sandbox and tool configuration
Each agent can have its own sandbox and tool restrictions:
```js
{
agents: {
list: [
{
id: "personal",
workspace: "~/.openclaw/workspace-personal",
sandbox: {
mode: "off", // No sandbox for personal agent
},
// No tool restrictions - all tools available
},
{
id: "family",
workspace: "~/.openclaw/workspace-family",
sandbox: {
mode: "all", // Always sandboxed
scope: "agent", // One container per agent
docker: {
// Optional one-time setup after container creation
setupCommand: "apt-get update && apt-get install -y git curl",
},
},
tools: {
allow: ["read"], // Only read tool
deny: ["exec", "write", "edit", "apply_patch"], // Deny others
},
},
],
},
}
```
<Note>
`setupCommand` lives under `sandbox.docker` and runs once on container creation. Per-agent `sandbox.docker.*` overrides are ignored when the resolved scope is `"shared"`.
</Note>
**Benefits:**
- **Security isolation**: restrict tools for untrusted agents.
- **Resource control**: sandbox specific agents while keeping others on host.
- **Flexible policies**: different permissions per agent.
<Note>
`tools.elevated` is **global** and sender-based; it is not configurable per agent. If you need per-agent boundaries, use `agents.list[].tools` to deny `exec`. For group targeting, use `agents.list[].groupChat.mentionPatterns` so @mentions map cleanly to the intended agent.
</Note>
See [Multi-agent sandbox and tools](/tools/multi-agent-sandbox-tools) for detailed examples.
## Related
- [ACP agents](/tools/acp-agents) — running external coding harnesses
- [Channel routing](/channels/channel-routing) — how messages route to agents
- [Presence](/concepts/presence) — agent presence and availability
- [Session](/concepts/session) — session isolation and routing
- [Sub-agents](/tools/subagents) — spawning background agent runs
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