Deployment: Local (Same Machine)

Gateway and Nerve on the same host. This is the default setup and has the fewest moving parts.

Topology

Browser (localhost) → Nerve (127.0.0.1:3080) → Gateway (127.0.0.1:18789)

Prerequisites

Node.js 22+
OpenClaw installed and gateway running
Local shell access

Setup

1. Install Nerve

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/daggerhashimoto/openclaw-nerve/master/install.sh | bash

2. Run setup if needed

If .env is missing or wrong:

cd ~/nerve
npm run setup

Recommended choices:

Access mode: This machine only (localhost)
Authentication: optional for localhost-only usage

3. Start or restart

# systemd service
sudo systemctl restart nerve.service

# or run directly
npm run prod

Validation

openclaw gateway status
curl -sS http://127.0.0.1:18789/health
curl -sS http://127.0.0.1:3080/health

All three should succeed. Open http://localhost:3080 in your browser.

Common issues

Token mismatch after OpenClaw updates

After an OpenClaw update or re-onboard, the connect dialog may fail with auth errors.

Fix: Re-run npm run setup, restart both services, and open a fresh browser tab.

Missing scopes after first connect

Chat connects but actions fail with "missing scope" errors.

Fix: Re-run npm run setup, or manually approve the device:

openclaw devices list
openclaw devices approve <requestId>

Browser keeps old credentials

Fix: Clear site data or remove localStorage.oc-config. Nerve stores the gateway URL and any manually-entered token there for reconnects, so a stale manual token can override the official managed connection path.

Security notes

Keep HOST=127.0.0.1 for local-only deployments
If you expose Nerve (HOST=0.0.0.0), enable NERVE_AUTH=true
See Security for the full threat model

Recommendation

If you're choosing your first deployment, start here. It has the fewest moving parts and the best support.

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