solution web-ui high macos linux windows

Control UI shows 'unauthorized' / keeps reconnecting

Fix OpenClaw dashboard/control UI auth errors (unauthorized, 1008, reconnect loop) by aligning gateway token/password and reachability.

By CoClaw Team •

Symptoms

  • The Control UI says “unauthorized”, or it connects then immediately disconnects / reconnects.
  • You open http://127.0.0.1:18789/ and see unauthorized.
  • You see close code 1008.

Cause

The gateway has auth enabled (gateway.auth.*), but the browser UI is not sending the same token/password that the gateway expects.

Common causes:

  • You opened the UI without the one-time ?token=... link.
  • Your browser cached an old token in localStorage.
  • Your gateway token is being overridden by an environment variable (e.g. OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKEN).
  • You are connecting to a remote host without an SSH tunnel / tailnet bind, so you are not actually reaching the gateway you think you are.

If you need the full trust model instead of the short fix, the primary companion pages are /guides/control-ui-auth-and-pairing, /guides/openclaw-remote-dashboard-access-playbook, and /channels/webchat.

Fix

openclaw dashboard

Open the URL it prints (it should include ?token=...).

2) Verify the gateway is reachable

openclaw status

If the gateway is remote, tunnel it first:

ssh -N -L 18789:127.0.0.1:18789 user@host

Then open:

  • http://127.0.0.1:18789/?token=...

3) Ensure gateway token matches what UI uses

  • The gateway token source is gateway.auth.token (or OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKEN).
  • In the Control UI settings, paste the exact same token.

If you suspect an env override, run:

openclaw doctor

Look for notes about launchd/systemd environment overrides.

Verify

  • Reload the Control UI; it should stay connected.
  • openclaw status --deep succeeds.

Verification & references

  • Reviewed by:CoClaw Code Team
  • Last reviewed:March 14, 2026
  • Verified on: macOS · Linux · Windows

References

Official docs

  1. OpenClaw docs: /help/faq
  2. OpenClaw docs: /web/dashboard
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