d287c9b414
* refactor(mac): reuse CLI node-host runtime * fix(mac): prefer checkout CLI in debug builds * chore: leave release notes to release automation * chore(mac): sync native string inventory * chore(mac): refresh native locale artifacts * fix(node): satisfy native and deadcode gates
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summary, read_when, title
| summary | read_when | title | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Install and use the OpenClaw macOS menu bar app |
|
macOS app |
The macOS app is the OpenClaw menu bar companion: native tray UI, macOS
permission prompts, notifications, WebChat, voice input, Canvas, and
Mac-hosted node tools such as system.run.
Only need the CLI and Gateway? Start with Getting started.
Download
Get macOS app builds from OpenClaw GitHub releases. When a release ships macOS app assets, look for:
OpenClaw-<version>.dmg(preferred)OpenClaw-<version>.zip
Some releases only ship CLI, evidence, or Windows assets. If the newest release has no macOS app asset, use the newest one that does, or build from source with macOS dev setup.
First run
- Install and launch OpenClaw.app.
- Pick This Mac for a local Gateway, or connect to a remote Gateway.
- Wait while the app installs the matching CLI runtime. In local mode it also installs and starts the Gateway.
- Establish inference with a live model check. After it passes, Crestodian handles the remaining setup.
- Complete the macOS permission checklist and send the onboarding test message.
If the app reaches an existing Gateway whose default agent has a configured model, it treats that Gateway as already set up, skips provider onboarding and Crestodian, and opens the dashboard. If the Gateway cannot connect or its default agent has no model, inference onboarding remains available for recovery.
For the CLI/Gateway setup path, use Getting started. For permission recovery, use macOS permissions.
Updates
The dashboard update card updates the signed macOS app through Sparkle first.
After the app relaunches, it automatically updates and restarts the matching
app-managed local Gateway. Homebrew and other user-managed CLI installs keep
the normal Gateway update flow (the card runs the Gateway update directly),
and the automatic repair never downgrades a newer Gateway or overrides an
extended-stable channel pin.
Sparkle follows the Gateway's update.channel setting. beta and dev opt in
to beta app builds; stable, extended-stable, and missing or unknown values
stay on stable app builds.
Open dashboard links
In the macOS app's embedded dashboard, clicking an external web link opens it in a resizable browser sidebar. Each link opens in its own tab; clicking the same link again reuses its existing tab. Drag tabs to reorder them, close them with the tab close button or a middle-click, and right-click a tab for Open in Default Browser, Copy Link, Reload, Close Tab, and Close Other Tabs. The window's titlebar back/forward controls and trackpad swipes navigate dashboard history; the sidebar's own back/forward controls navigate the active tab's history. The sidebar also has reload, open-in-default-browser, and close controls, and it remembers its width.
The titlebar controls follow the app sidebar: while it is expanded, back/forward sit at its right edge next to the sidebar toggle; while it is collapsed, they make way for a search button (opens the command palette) and a new-session button.
Right-click an external link to choose Open in Sidebar, Open in Default Browser, or Copy Link. Modified clicks and user-activated new-window links from the dashboard continue to open in the default browser; new-window links inside the sidebar open as new sidebar tabs. Regular browser-hosted Control UI pages keep the browser's normal link and context-menu behavior.
Import browser logins
When the app runs against a local Gateway and a Chrome-family profile with cookies exists on the Mac, the dashboard window shows a dismissible banner offering to copy those cookies into an isolated managed profile that agents use for browsing. Choose a profile from the banner's Import control (Touch ID may be required); progress and the imported-cookie count appear inline, and only cookies are copied — passwords never leave the source browser. Dismissing the banner records the choice; Settings → General → Browser login → Import… re-offers it at any time. See Browser for the underlying import flow and the browser.allowSystemProfileImport gate.
Choose a Gateway mode
| Mode | Use it when | Detail page |
|---|---|---|
| Local | This Mac should run the Gateway and keep it alive with launchd. | Gateway on macOS |
| Remote | Another host runs the Gateway; this Mac controls it over SSH, LAN, or Tailnet. | Remote control |
Both modes need an installed openclaw CLI because the app reuses its node-host
runtime. On a fresh Mac, the app installs the matching CLI automatically; local
mode then starts the Gateway wizard, while remote mode connects to the selected
Gateway without starting a second local Gateway.
See Gateway on macOS for manual recovery.
What the app owns
- Menu bar status, notifications, health, and WebChat.
- macOS permission prompts for screen, microphone, speech, automation, and accessibility.
- One Mac node that combines native Canvas, camera/screen capture, notifications, location, and computer control with the CLI node host's system, browser, plugin, skill, and MCP commands.
- Exec approval prompts for Mac-hosted commands.
- App-context execution for approved shell commands, preserving the app's macOS permission attribution while the CLI runtime owns shared node policy.
- Remote-mode SSH tunnels or direct Gateway connections.
The app does not replace the Gateway or general CLI docs. Gateway configuration, providers, plugins, channels, tools, and security live in their own docs.
macOS detail pages
| Task | Read |
|---|---|
| Install or debug the CLI/Gateway service | Gateway on macOS |
| Keep state out of cloud-synced folders | Gateway on macOS |
| Debug app discovery and connectivity | Gateway on macOS |
| Understand launchd behavior | Gateway lifecycle |
| Fix permissions or signing/TCC issues | macOS permissions |
| Detect the Mac you most recently used | Active computer presence |
| Connect to a remote Gateway | Remote control |
| Read menu bar status and health checks | Menu bar, Health checks |
| Use the embedded chat UI | WebChat |
| Use voice wake or push-to-talk | Voice wake |
| Use Canvas and Canvas deep links | Canvas |
| Host PeekabooBridge for UI automation | Peekaboo bridge |
| Configure command approvals | Exec approvals, advanced details |
| Inspect Mac node commands and app IPC | macOS IPC |
| Capture logs | macOS logging |
| Build from source | macOS dev setup |