Introducing WebClaw: A Browser‑Based Frontend for OpenClaw AI Assistant

WebClaw is the web client for OpenClaw, an open‑source AI programming assistant similar to Claude Code. It essentially adds a browser UI layer to OpenClaw, allowing users to interact with the service without installing command‑line tools.

Core highlights include:

Browser‑direct use : Open the web page and start working immediately.

WebSocket communication : Real‑time interaction with low latency.

Multiple authentication methods : Supports both token and password.

MIT license : Free to modify and use.

Installation requires a running OpenClaw Gateway and a local client. First, set environment variables in apps/webclaw/.env.local:

CLAWDBOT_GATEWAY_URL=ws://127.0.0.1:18789
CLAWDBOT_GATEWAY_TOKEN=your_token
# or use password
CLAWDBOT_GATEWAY_PASSWORD=your_password

Then start the service:

pnpm install
pnpm dev

After that, open a browser and navigate to the provided address.

OpenClaw Gateway is the core of the system. It runs as a resident process that manages connections and events, uses single‑port multiplexing (WebSocket and HTTP share the default port 18789), supports hot‑reload so configuration changes take effect without restarting, and is compatible with standard OpenAI API endpoints such as /v1/chat/completions. The gateway can be launched with:

openclaw gateway --port 18789
# development mode with auto‑reload
pnpm gateway:watch

Use cases (Beta stage) include:

Users who prefer not to use the command line, because the web UI lowers the entry barrier.

Teams that want to build or customize their own AI programming assistant, leveraging the open‑source nature.

Developers experimenting with OpenClaw, who benefit from a convenient web‑based debugging interface.

Conclusion : WebClaw addresses the "no‑CLI" pain point by providing a browser front‑end, but as a beta project its stability and feature completeness are still behind mature products. Researchers and developers interested in open‑source AI coding tools may want to follow its future development.