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111 lines
3.6 KiB
Markdown
111 lines
3.6 KiB
Markdown
---
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summary: "Pairing overview: approve who can DM you + which nodes can join"
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read_when:
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- Setting up DM access control
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- Pairing a new iOS/Android node
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- Reviewing OpenClaw security posture
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title: "Pairing"
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---
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# Pairing
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“Pairing” is OpenClaw’s explicit **owner approval** step.
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It is used in two places:
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1. **DM pairing** (who is allowed to talk to the bot)
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2. **Node pairing** (which devices/nodes are allowed to join the gateway network)
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Security context: [Security](/gateway/security)
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## 1) DM pairing (inbound chat access)
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When a channel is configured with DM policy `pairing`, unknown senders get a short code and their message is **not processed** until you approve.
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Default DM policies are documented in: [Security](/gateway/security)
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Pairing codes:
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- 8 characters, uppercase, no ambiguous chars (`0O1I`).
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- **Expire after 1 hour**. The bot only sends the pairing message when a new request is created (roughly once per hour per sender).
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- Pending DM pairing requests are capped at **3 per channel** by default; additional requests are ignored until one expires or is approved.
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### Approve a sender
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```bash
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openclaw pairing list telegram
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openclaw pairing approve telegram <CODE>
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```
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Supported channels: `telegram`, `whatsapp`, `signal`, `imessage`, `discord`, `slack`, `feishu`.
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### Where the state lives
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Stored under `~/.openclaw/credentials/`:
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- Pending requests: `<channel>-pairing.json`
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- Approved allowlist store:
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- Default account: `<channel>-allowFrom.json`
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- Non-default account: `<channel>-<accountId>-allowFrom.json`
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Account scoping behavior:
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- Non-default accounts read/write only their scoped allowlist file.
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- Default account uses the channel-scoped unscoped allowlist file.
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Treat these as sensitive (they gate access to your assistant).
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## 2) Node device pairing (iOS/Android/macOS/headless nodes)
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Nodes connect to the Gateway as **devices** with `role: node`. The Gateway
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creates a device pairing request that must be approved.
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### Pair via Telegram (recommended for iOS)
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If you use the `device-pair` plugin, you can do first-time device pairing entirely from Telegram:
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1. In Telegram, message your bot: `/pair`
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2. The bot replies with two messages: an instruction message and a separate **setup code** message (easy to copy/paste in Telegram).
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3. On your phone, open the OpenClaw iOS app → Settings → Gateway.
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4. Paste the setup code and connect.
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5. Back in Telegram: `/pair approve`
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The setup code is a base64-encoded JSON payload that contains:
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- `url`: the Gateway WebSocket URL (`ws://...` or `wss://...`)
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- `token`: a short-lived pairing token
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Treat the setup code like a password while it is valid.
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### Approve a node device
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```bash
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openclaw devices list
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openclaw devices approve <requestId>
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openclaw devices reject <requestId>
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```
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### Node pairing state storage
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Stored under `~/.openclaw/devices/`:
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- `pending.json` (short-lived; pending requests expire)
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- `paired.json` (paired devices + tokens)
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### Notes
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- The legacy `node.pair.*` API (CLI: `openclaw nodes pending/approve`) is a
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separate gateway-owned pairing store. WS nodes still require device pairing.
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## Related docs
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- Security model + prompt injection: [Security](/gateway/security)
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- Updating safely (run doctor): [Updating](/install/updating)
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- Channel configs:
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- Telegram: [Telegram](/channels/telegram)
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- WhatsApp: [WhatsApp](/channels/whatsapp)
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- Signal: [Signal](/channels/signal)
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- BlueBubbles (iMessage): [BlueBubbles](/channels/bluebubbles)
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- iMessage (legacy): [iMessage](/channels/imessage)
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- Discord: [Discord](/channels/discord)
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- Slack: [Slack](/channels/slack)
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