OpenClaw API Integration Guide - Build Custom AI Solutions

Introduction

OpenClaw provides a powerful REST API that allows you to integrate AI agents into any application or workflow. Whether you're building a chatbot, automation system, or custom AI solution, the OpenClaw API gives you full control over agent behavior, message routing, and data handling.

In this guide, you'll learn how to set up API authentication, send messages to agents, handle webhooks, and build production-ready integrations with OpenClaw.

Prerequisites

OpenClaw installed and running (see our installation guide)
Basic knowledge of REST APIs
Node.js, Python, or any programming language for API calls
An OpenClaw API token (generated from your gateway settings)

API Authentication

OpenClaw uses token-based authentication for all API requests.

Generating an API Token

Start your OpenClaw gateway: openclaw gateway start
Access the dashboard at http://localhost:3000
Navigate to Settings → API Tokens
Click "Generate New Token"
Copy the token (you won't see it again!)

Using the Token

Include your API token in the Authorization header:

Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_TOKEN

Core API Endpoints

1. Send Message to Agent

Send a message to an OpenClaw agent and receive a response:

POST /api/v1/messages
Content-Type: application/json
Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_TOKEN

{
  "agentId": "my-agent",
  "message": "Hello, how can you help me?",
  "sessionId": "user-session-123",
  "context": {
    "userId": "user-456",
    "metadata": {}
  }
}

2. Agent Status

Check the status and configuration of an agent:

GET /api/v1/agents/:agentId/status
Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_TOKEN

3. List Sessions

Retrieve all active sessions for an agent:

GET /api/v1/sessions?agentId=my-agent
Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_TOKEN

Implementation Examples

Node.js Example

const axios = require('axios');

const API_URL = 'http://localhost:3000/api/v1';
const API_TOKEN = 'YOUR_API_TOKEN';

async function sendMessage(agentId, message) {
  try {
    const response = await axios.post(`${API_URL}/messages`, {
      agentId,
      message,
      sessionId: 'session-' + Date.now()
    }, {
      headers: {
        'Authorization': `Bearer ${API_TOKEN}`,
        'Content-Type': 'application/json'
      }
    });
    
    console.log('Agent response:', response.data);
    return response.data;
  } catch (error) {
    console.error('Error sending message:', error.response?.data || error.message);
  }
}

// Usage
sendMessage('my-agent', 'What is OpenClaw?');

Python Example

import requests
import json

API_URL = 'http://localhost:3000/api/v1'
API_TOKEN = 'YOUR_API_TOKEN'

headers = {
    'Authorization': f'Bearer {API_TOKEN}',
    'Content-Type': 'application/json'
}

def send_message(agent_id, message):
    data = {
        'agentId': agent_id,
        'message': message,
        'sessionId': f'session-{int(time.time())}'
    }
    
    try:
        response = requests.post(
            f'{API_URL}/messages',
            json=data,
            headers=headers
        )
        response.raise_for_status()
        return response.json()
    except requests.exceptions.RequestException as e:
        print(f'Error: {e}')
        return None

# Usage
result = send_message('my-agent', 'Help me write code')
print(result)

Webhooks Integration

Configure webhooks to receive real-time notifications when agents process messages or complete tasks.

Setting Up a Webhook

Create an endpoint on your server to receive POST requests
Register the webhook URL with OpenClaw via the API or dashboard
Verify webhook signatures for security

Webhook Payload

{
  "event": "message.processed",
  "agentId": "my-agent",
  "sessionId": "user-session-123",
  "timestamp": "2026-02-25T10:30:00Z",
  "data": {
    "userMessage": "Hello",
    "agentResponse": "Hi! How can I help?",
    "toolCalls": [],
    "processingTime": 120
  },
  "signature": "sha256=abc123..."
}

Verifying Webhook Signatures

const crypto = require('crypto');

function verifyWebhookSignature(payload, signature, webhookSecret) {
  const hmac = crypto.createHmac('sha256', webhookSecret);
  const digest = hmac.update(JSON.stringify(payload)).digest('hex');
  
  return crypto.timingSafeEqual(
    Buffer.from(signature),
    Buffer.from(digest)
  );
}

Building Automation Workflows

Combine OpenClaw APIs with external services to create powerful automation workflows.

Example: Slack Bot Integration

const { App } = require('@slack/bolt');

const app = new App({
  token: process.env.SLACK_BOT_TOKEN,
  signingSecret: process.env.SLACK_SIGNING_SECRET
});

// Listen for messages in Slack
app.message(async ({ message, say }) => {
  // Forward to OpenClaw agent
  const response = await sendMessage('slack-agent', message.text);
  
  // Send agent response back to Slack
  await say(response.data.reply);
});

app.start(3000);

Example: Email Automation

// Process incoming emails via webhooks
app.post('/webhook/email', async (req, res) => {
  const { from, subject, body } = req.body;
  
  // Send to OpenClaw for processing
  const response = await sendMessage('email-agent', 
    `New email from ${from}: ${subject}\n${body}`
  );
  
  // Take action based on agent response
  if (response.data.action === 'reply') {
    await sendEmail(from, response.data.reply);
  }
  
  res.sendStatus(200);
});

Best Practices

Security: Never expose API tokens in client-side code. Use environment variables.
Rate Limiting: Implement client-side rate limiting to avoid API throttling.
Error Handling: Always handle API errors gracefully with retry logic.
Session Management: Maintain session IDs for conversation continuity.
Webhook Verification: Always verify webhook signatures to prevent spoofing.
Logging: Log API requests and responses for debugging and analytics.

Troubleshooting

401 Unauthorized: Check that your API token is correct and not expired.
404 Not Found: Verify the agent ID exists and the endpoint URL is correct.
429 Too Many Requests: Implement rate limiting and add exponential backoff.
500 Internal Server Error: Check the OpenClaw gateway logs for details.
Webhook Not Received: Ensure your endpoint is publicly accessible and returns 200 OK.

Next Steps

Learn about AI Skills development to extend agent capabilities
Explore advanced configuration for production deployments
Check out our tools directory for pre-built integrations
Join the Discord community to share your integrations