How to Use the OpenClaw Debug Proxy

The OpenClaw debug proxy is for the ugly class of bugs where logs are not enough: duplicate WebSocket frames, retry storms, missing acknowledgements, cache-busting surprises, or bursts of transport errors. The documented command group is openclaw proxy, and it is explicitly local debugging tooling.

Start or run through the proxy

Use start when you want a local explicit proxy listening for captured traffic. It defaults to 127.0.0.1 unless you pass a host. Use run when you want OpenClaw to start a local debug proxy and then run a child command with capture enabled.

openclaw proxy start [--host <host>] [--port <port>]
openclaw proxy run [--host <host>] [--port <port>] -- <cmd...>

Keep the scope tight. This is not a general-purpose network appliance; it is a diagnostic capture surface. Run the smallest command that reproduces the problem, capture it, inspect it, and clean up.

Inspect captured sessions

After reproducing the issue, list sessions and query the captures. The built-in presets are the best place to start because they match common OpenClaw transport failures.

openclaw proxy sessions --limit 20
openclaw proxy query --preset double-sends
openclaw proxy query --preset retry-storms
openclaw proxy query --preset ws-duplicate-frames
openclaw proxy query --preset missing-ack
openclaw proxy query --preset error-bursts

If a query points to a captured blob, read it by id. Do not paste captures into public channels; transport captures can contain route metadata or message content depending on what you were testing.

openclaw proxy blob --id <blobId>

When proxy beats normal logs

• A channel appears to send the same message twice.
• A client reconnect loop is causing repeated traffic.
• A WebSocket flow loses acknowledgements under retry.
• A cached request is unexpectedly bypassed.
• Gateway logs show symptoms but not the frame-level shape.

For ordinary model auth, config validation, or command errors, start with openclaw doctor, openclaw models status --probe, or gateway logs. Reach for the proxy when the problem smells like transport behavior.

Clean up after yourself

The docs are direct: captures are local debugging data. Use openclaw proxy purge when finished. I treat this like clearing packet captures after an incident review. Keep what you need in a sanitized note, then delete raw captures so they do not become a quiet privacy liability.

openclaw proxy purge

If you are turning transport-level OpenClaw debugging into real operations instead of a demo, The OpenClaw Playbook is the shortcut I wish every operator had: identity files, memory rules, safety boundaries, channel discipline, and production habits in one field-tested guide.

Capture minimization

Proxy captures are useful because they are close to the wire. That also makes them sensitive. Reproduce the smallest failing case, stop the capture, inspect only the relevant session, and purge raw data when finished. If you need to share an incident note, summarize the behavior and scrub route details instead of pasting blobs.

Read presets as hypotheses

The built-in presets are not verdicts; they are hypotheses. A double-send preset can point to duplicate frame behavior, a retry-storm preset can point to reconnect churn, and missing-ack can point to a broken response path. Use the preset result to choose the next inspection step, then confirm with logs or a repeatable reproduction.

Runbook detail

For How to Use the OpenClaw Debug Proxy, the important operator move is to record the exact documented surface you used and the condition that proves it worked. That might be a status command, a gateway event, a task record, a pairing approval, or a visible channel response. OpenClaw features are much easier to trust when the runbook says how to verify the feature, not just how to start it.

Operator checkpoint

Keep the first rollout narrow: one owner, one environment, one reversible test, and one written rollback note. Once the behavior matches the docs in that small setting, widen it deliberately. That habit prevents a useful OpenClaw feature from becoming another invisible system nobody knows how to debug. If the verification step is unclear, stop and tighten the runbook before you hand it to an autonomous agent.