Exposing OpenClaw to Local Network interfaces | Generated by AI

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Question: How can I access the OpenClaw AI agent running on 192.168.1.36:18789 directly without using SSH tunneling?

Answer:Answer:

Root Cause

The problem is that OpenClaw is bound to 127.0.0.1:18789 on the remote server — meaning it only listens on localhost, not the network interface. That’s why you need the SSH tunnel in the first place.

The cleanest fix is to make OpenClaw listen on 0.0.0.0:18789 instead of 127.0.0.1:18789.

Solution 1: Change OpenClaw’s Bind Address (Best Solution)

On the remote server 192.168.1.36, find how OpenClaw is started and change the bind host.

Typically in a config file or startup command:

# Before (localhost only)
host = "127.0.0.1"
port = 18789

# After (all interfaces, accessible via LAN IP)
host = "0.0.0.0"
port = 18789

Or if it’s started via command line argument:

# Change from
openclaw --host 127.0.0.1 --port 18789

# To
openclaw --host 0.0.0.0 --port 18789

After this, you can access it directly at http://192.168.1.36:18789 from any machine on the same LAN.

Solution 2: Use a Reverse Proxy (nginx) on the Remote Server

If you cannot change OpenClaw’s config, set up nginx on 192.168.1.36 to proxy the port:

sudo apt install nginx

Create a config file /etc/nginx/sites-available/openclaw:

server {
    listen 18790;              # external port (or use 18789 if you change openclaw's port)
    server_name _;

    location / {
        proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:18789;
        proxy_http_version 1.1;
        proxy_set_header Upgrade $http_upgrade;
        proxy_set_header Connection "upgrade";
        proxy_set_header Host $host;
    }
}

Enable and restart:

sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/openclaw /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/
sudo nginx -t
sudo systemctl restart nginx

Then access via http://192.168.1.36:18790.

Solution 3: Use socat to Expose the Port Directly

A quick one-liner on 192.168.1.36:

socat TCP-LISTEN:18790,fork,reuseaddr TCP:127.0.0.1:18789

This forwards all connections on port 18790 (accessible by LAN IP) to the local 18789. Access it at http://192.168.1.36:18790.

To keep it running persistently, wrap it in a systemd service or use nohup:

nohup socat TCP-LISTEN:18790,fork,reuseaddr TCP:127.0.0.1:18789 &

Summary

Solution Effort Notes
Change OpenClaw bind address Low Best and cleanest
nginx reverse proxy Medium Good for production
socat Low Quick temporary fix

Solution 1 is recommended — changing the bind address to 0.0.0.0 is the most direct approach. Just make sure your firewall on the remote server allows port 18789 through: sudo ufw allow 18789.

References:

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