Files
openclaw/docs/platforms/linux.md
Peter Steinberger 0bab08510e feat: Linux desktop companion app with auto-install, Gateway lifecycle, and Control UI window (#106352)
* feat(linux): add Tauri desktop companion app and openclaw dashboard --json

* test(dashboard): assemble fake token fixture to satisfy secret scanners

* test(dashboard): avoid secret-scanner-shaped mock factory line

* fix(linux): actionable error when installed CLI predates dashboard --json

* docs: regenerate docs map for linux platform heading change
2026-07-13 05:17:27 -07:00

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---
summary: "Linux support + companion app status"
read_when:
- Looking for Linux companion app status
- Planning platform coverage or contributions
- Debugging Linux OOM kills or exit 137 on a VPS or container
title: "Linux app"
---
The Gateway is fully supported on Linux and requires Node. Bun can still be used
as a dependency installer or package-script runner, but it cannot run OpenClaw
because it does not provide `node:sqlite`.
## Desktop companion
The OpenClaw Linux companion is a Tauri desktop app for a local Gateway. It:
- installs the OpenClaw CLI and managed Node runtime when they are missing
- attaches to a healthy Gateway before attempting service changes
- delegates install, start, stop, and restart operations to the CLI-managed systemd user service
- opens the Gateway-served Control UI with its resolved authentication URL
- remains available from the system tray when its window is closed
Packaged releases are not available yet. Build the app from a source checkout:
```bash
cd apps/linux/src-tauri
cargo build
```
See `apps/linux/README.md` in the repository for Linux build dependencies and development commands.
## CLI and SSH alternative
The CLI remains the simplest option for a headless server, a VPS, or a remote Gateway:
1. Install Node 24.15+ (recommended), Node 22.22.3+ (LTS), or Node 25.9+.
2. `npm i -g openclaw@latest`
3. `openclaw onboard --install-daemon`
4. From your laptop: `ssh -N -L 18789:127.0.0.1:18789 <user>@<host>`
5. Open `http://127.0.0.1:18789/` and authenticate with the configured shared
secret (token by default; password if `gateway.auth.mode` is `"password"`).
Full server guide: [Linux Server](/vps). Step-by-step VPS example:
[exe.dev](/install/exe-dev).
## Install
- [Getting Started](/start/getting-started)
- [Install & updates](/install/updating)
- Optional: [Bun package workflow](/install/bun), [Nix](/install/nix), [Docker](/install/docker)
## Gateway service (systemd)
Install with one of:
```bash
openclaw onboard --install-daemon
openclaw gateway install
openclaw configure # select "Gateway service" when prompted
```
Repair or migrate an existing install:
```bash
openclaw doctor
```
`openclaw gateway install` renders a systemd **user** unit by default. Full
service guidance, including the **system**-level unit variant for shared or
always-on hosts, lives in the [Gateway runbook](/gateway#supervision-and-service-lifecycle).
Write a unit by hand only for a custom setup. Minimal user-unit example
(`~/.config/systemd/user/openclaw-gateway[-<profile>].service`):
```ini
[Unit]
Description=OpenClaw Gateway (profile: <profile>, v<version>)
After=network-online.target
Wants=network-online.target
StartLimitBurst=5
StartLimitIntervalSec=60
[Service]
ExecStart=/usr/local/bin/openclaw gateway --port 18789
Restart=always
RestartSec=5
RestartPreventExitStatus=78
TimeoutStopSec=30
TimeoutStartSec=30
SuccessExitStatus=0 143
OOMPolicy=continue
KillMode=control-group
[Install]
WantedBy=default.target
```
Enable it:
```bash
systemctl --user enable --now openclaw-gateway[-<profile>].service
```
## Memory pressure and OOM kills
On Linux, the kernel picks an OOM victim when a host, VM, or container cgroup
runs out of memory. The Gateway is a poor victim because it owns long-lived
sessions and channel connections, so OpenClaw biases transient child
processes to be killed first when possible.
For eligible Linux child spawns, OpenClaw wraps the command in a short
`/bin/sh` shim that raises the child's own `oom_score_adj` to `1000`, then
`exec`s the real command. This is unprivileged: a process may always raise
its own OOM score.
Covered child process surfaces:
- Supervisor-managed command children
- PTY shell children
- MCP stdio server children
- OpenClaw-launched browser/Chrome processes (via the plugin SDK process runtime)
The wrapper is Linux-only and skipped when `/bin/sh` is unavailable, or when
the child env sets `OPENCLAW_CHILD_OOM_SCORE_ADJ` to `0`, `false`, `no`, or
`off`.
Verify a child process:
```bash
cat /proc/<child-pid>/oom_score_adj
```
Expected value for covered children is `1000`; the Gateway process itself
keeps its normal score (usually `0`).
The systemd unit's `OOMPolicy=continue` keeps the Gateway service alive when
a transient child is selected by the OOM killer instead of marking the whole
unit failed and restarting all channels; the failed child/session reports its
own error.
This does not replace normal memory tuning. If a VPS or container repeatedly
kills children, raise the memory limit, reduce concurrency, or add stronger
resource controls (systemd `MemoryMax=`, container memory limits).
## Related
- [Install overview](/install)
- [Linux server](/vps)
- [Raspberry Pi](/platforms/raspberry-pi)
- [Gateway runbook](/gateway)
- [Gateway configuration](/gateway/configuration)