solution gateway high windows

Windows (WSL2): gateway service install fails (systemd not enabled)

Fix WSL2 gateway daemon install issues by enabling systemd in /etc/wsl.conf, shutting down WSL, and retrying openclaw gateway install.

By CoClaw Team •

Symptoms

  • On Windows you installed OpenClaw inside WSL2, but openclaw onboard --install-daemon (or openclaw gateway install) fails.
  • systemd user services aren’t available.

Cause

OpenClaw recommends Windows usage via WSL2, and gateway daemon install relies on systemd inside the WSL distro. systemd is not enabled by default on some installs.

Fix

Inside WSL:

sudo tee /etc/wsl.conf >/dev/null <<'EOF'
[boot]
systemd=true
EOF

Then from Windows PowerShell:

wsl --shutdown

Re-open your WSL distro and verify:

systemctl --user status

Now retry:

openclaw gateway install
# or
openclaw onboard --install-daemon

Verify

openclaw gateway status
openclaw status

Verification & references

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

References

Official docs

  1. OpenClaw docs: /platforms/windows
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