---
summary: "Runbook for the Gateway service, lifecycle, and operations"
read_when:
  - Running or debugging the gateway process
title: "Gateway runbook"
---

Use this page for day-1 startup and day-2 operations of the Gateway service.

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Deep troubleshooting" icon="siren" href="/gateway/troubleshooting">
    Symptom-first diagnostics with exact command ladders and log signatures.
  </Card>
  <Card title="Configuration" icon="sliders" href="/gateway/configuration">
    Task-oriented setup guide + full configuration reference.
  </Card>
  <Card title="Secrets management" icon="key-round" href="/gateway/secrets">
    SecretRef contract, runtime snapshot behavior, and migrate/reload operations.
  </Card>
  <Card title="Secrets plan contract" icon="shield-check" href="/gateway/secrets-plan-contract">
    Exact `secrets apply` target/path rules and ref-only auth-profile behavior.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## 5-minute local startup

<Steps>
  <Step title="Start the Gateway">

```bash
klaw gateway --port 18789
# debug/trace mirrored to stdio
klaw gateway --port 18789 --verbose
# force-kill listener on selected port, then start
klaw gateway --force
```

  </Step>

  <Step title="Verify service health">

```bash
klaw gateway status
klaw status
klaw logs --follow
```

Healthy baseline: `Runtime: running`, `Connectivity probe: ok`, and `Capability: ...` that matches what you expect. Use `klaw gateway status --require-rpc` when you need read-scope RPC proof, not just reachability.

  </Step>

  <Step title="Validate channel readiness">

```bash
klaw channels status --probe
```

With a reachable gateway this runs live per-account channel probes and optional audits.
If the gateway is unreachable, the CLI falls back to config-only channel summaries instead
of live probe output.

  </Step>
</Steps>

<Note>
Gateway config reload watches the active config file path (resolved from profile/state defaults, or `KLAW_CONFIG_PATH` when set).
Default mode is `gateway.reload.mode="hybrid"`.
After the first successful load, the running process serves the active in-memory config snapshot; successful reload swaps that snapshot atomically.
</Note>

## Runtime model

- One always-on process for routing, control plane, and channel connections.
- Single multiplexed port for:
  - WebSocket control/RPC
  - HTTP APIs (`/v1/models`, `/v1/embeddings`, `/v1/chat/completions`, `/v1/responses`, `/tools/invoke`)
  - Plugin HTTP routes, such as optional `/api/v1/admin/rpc`
  - Control UI and hooks
- Default bind mode: `loopback`.
- Auth is required by default. Shared-secret setups use
  `gateway.auth.token` / `gateway.auth.password` (or
  `KLAW_GATEWAY_TOKEN` / `KLAW_GATEWAY_PASSWORD`), and non-loopback
  reverse-proxy setups can use `gateway.auth.mode: "trusted-proxy"`.

## OpenAI-compatible endpoints

Klaw's highest-leverage compatibility surface is now:

- `GET /v1/models`
- `GET /v1/models/{id}`
- `POST /v1/embeddings`
- `POST /v1/chat/completions`
- `POST /v1/responses`

Why this set matters:

- Most Open WebUI, LobeChat, and LibreChat integrations probe `/v1/models` first.
- Many RAG and memory pipelines expect `/v1/embeddings`.
- Agent-native clients increasingly prefer `/v1/responses`.

Planning note:

- `/v1/models` is agent-first: it returns `klaw`, `klaw/default`, and `klaw/<agentId>`.
- `klaw/default` is the stable alias that always maps to the configured default agent.
- Use `x-klaw-model` when you want a backend provider/model override; otherwise the selected agent's normal model and embedding setup stays in control.

All of these run on the main Gateway port and use the same trusted operator auth boundary as the rest of the Gateway HTTP API.

Admin HTTP RPC (`POST /api/v1/admin/rpc`) is a separate, default-off plugin route for host tooling that cannot use WebSocket RPC. See [Admin HTTP RPC](/plugins/admin-http-rpc).

### Port and bind precedence

| Setting      | Resolution order                                          |
| ------------ | --------------------------------------------------------- |
| Gateway port | `--port` → `KLAW_GATEWAY_PORT` → `gateway.port` → `18789` |
| Bind mode    | CLI/override → `gateway.bind` → `loopback`                |

Installed gateway services record the resolved `--port` in supervisor metadata. After changing `gateway.port`, run `klaw doctor --fix` or `klaw gateway install --force` so launchd/systemd/schtasks starts the process on the new port.

Gateway startup uses the same effective port and bind when it seeds local
Control UI origins for non-loopback binds. For example, `--bind lan --port 3000`
seeds `http://localhost:3000` and `http://127.0.0.1:3000` before runtime
validation runs. Add any remote browser origins, such as HTTPS proxy URLs, to
`gateway.controlUi.allowedOrigins` explicitly.

### Hot reload modes

| `gateway.reload.mode` | Behavior                                   |
| --------------------- | ------------------------------------------ |
| `off`                 | No config reload                           |
| `hot`                 | Apply only hot-safe changes                |
| `restart`             | Restart on reload-required changes         |
| `hybrid` (default)    | Hot-apply when safe, restart when required |

## Operator command set

```bash
klaw gateway status
klaw gateway status --deep   # adds a system-level service scan
klaw gateway status --json
klaw gateway install
klaw gateway restart
klaw gateway stop
klaw secrets reload
klaw logs --follow
klaw doctor
```

`gateway status --deep` is for extra service discovery (LaunchDaemons/systemd system
units/schtasks), not a deeper RPC health probe.

## Multiple gateways (same host)

Most installs should run one gateway per machine. A single gateway can host multiple
agents and channels.

You only need multiple gateways when you intentionally want isolation or a rescue bot.

Useful checks:

```bash
klaw gateway status --deep
klaw gateway probe
```

What to expect:

- `gateway status --deep` can report `Other gateway-like services detected (best effort)`
  and print cleanup hints when stale launchd/systemd/schtasks installs are still around.
- `gateway probe` can warn about `multiple reachable gateways` when more than one target
  answers.
- If that is intentional, isolate ports, config/state, and workspace roots per gateway.

Checklist per instance:

- Unique `gateway.port`
- Unique `KLAW_CONFIG_PATH`
- Unique `KLAW_STATE_DIR`
- Unique `agents.defaults.workspace`

Example:

```bash
KLAW_CONFIG_PATH=~/.klaw/a.json KLAW_STATE_DIR=~/.klaw-a klaw gateway --port 19001
KLAW_CONFIG_PATH=~/.klaw/b.json KLAW_STATE_DIR=~/.klaw-b klaw gateway --port 19002
```

Detailed setup: [/gateway/multiple-gateways](/gateway/multiple-gateways).

## Remote access

Preferred: Tailscale/VPN.
Fallback: SSH tunnel.

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

Then connect clients locally to `ws://127.0.0.1:18789`.

<Warning>
SSH tunnels do not bypass gateway auth. For shared-secret auth, clients still
must send `token`/`password` even over the tunnel. For identity-bearing modes,
the request still has to satisfy that auth path.
</Warning>

See: [Remote Gateway](/gateway/remote), [Authentication](/gateway/authentication), [Tailscale](/gateway/tailscale).

## Supervision and service lifecycle

Use supervised runs for production-like reliability.

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="macOS (launchd)">

```bash
klaw gateway install
klaw gateway status
klaw gateway restart
klaw gateway stop
```

Use `klaw gateway restart` for restarts. Do not chain `klaw gateway stop` and `klaw gateway start` as a restart substitute.

On macOS, `gateway stop` uses `launchctl bootout` by default — this removes the LaunchAgent from the current boot session without persisting a disable, so KeepAlive auto-recovery still works after unexpected crashes and `gateway start` re-enables cleanly. To persistently suppress auto-respawn across reboots, pass `--disable`: `klaw gateway stop --disable`.

LaunchAgent labels are `ai.klaw.gateway` (default) or `ai.klaw.<profile>` (named profile). `klaw doctor` audits and repairs service config drift.

  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Linux (systemd user)">

```bash
klaw gateway install
systemctl --user enable --now klaw-gateway[-<profile>].service
klaw gateway status
```

For persistence after logout, enable lingering:

```bash
sudo loginctl enable-linger <user>
```

Manual user-unit example when you need a custom install path:

```ini
[Unit]
Description=Klaw Gateway
After=network-online.target
Wants=network-online.target

[Service]
ExecStart=/usr/local/bin/klaw gateway --port 18789
Restart=always
RestartSec=5
TimeoutStopSec=30
TimeoutStartSec=30
SuccessExitStatus=0 143
KillMode=control-group

[Install]
WantedBy=default.target
```

  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Windows (native)">

```powershell
klaw gateway install
klaw gateway status --json
klaw gateway restart
klaw gateway stop
```

Native Windows managed startup uses a Scheduled Task named `Klaw Gateway`
(or `Klaw Gateway (<profile>)` for named profiles). If Scheduled Task
creation is denied, Klaw falls back to a per-user Startup-folder launcher
that points at `gateway.cmd` inside the state directory.

  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Linux (system service)">

Use a system unit for multi-user/always-on hosts.

```bash
sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable --now klaw-gateway[-<profile>].service
```

Use the same service body as the user unit, but install it under
`/etc/systemd/system/klaw-gateway[-<profile>].service` and adjust
`ExecStart=` if your `klaw` binary lives elsewhere.

Do not also let `klaw doctor --fix` install a user-level gateway service for the same profile/port. Doctor refuses that automatic install when it finds a system-level Klaw gateway service; use `KLAW_SERVICE_REPAIR_POLICY=external` when the system unit owns the lifecycle.

  </Tab>
</Tabs>

## Dev profile quick path

```bash
klaw --dev setup
klaw --dev gateway --allow-unconfigured
klaw --dev status
```

Defaults include isolated state/config and base gateway port `19001`.

## Protocol quick reference (operator view)

- First client frame must be `connect`.
- Gateway returns `hello-ok` snapshot (`presence`, `health`, `stateVersion`, `uptimeMs`, limits/policy).
- `hello-ok.features.methods` / `events` are a conservative discovery list, not
  a generated dump of every callable helper route.
- Requests: `req(method, params)` → `res(ok/payload|error)`.
- Common events include `connect.challenge`, `agent`, `chat`,
  `session.message`, `session.operation`, `session.tool`, `sessions.changed`,
  `presence`, `tick`, `health`, `heartbeat`, pairing/approval lifecycle events,
  and `shutdown`.

Agent runs are two-stage:

1. Immediate accepted ack (`status:"accepted"`)
2. Final completion response (`status:"ok"|"error"`), with streamed `agent` events in between.

See full protocol docs: [Gateway Protocol](/gateway/protocol).

## Operational checks

### Liveness

- Open WS and send `connect`.
- Expect `hello-ok` response with snapshot.

### Readiness

```bash
klaw gateway status
klaw channels status --probe
klaw health
```

### Gap recovery

Events are not replayed. On sequence gaps, refresh state (`health`, `system-presence`) before continuing.

## Common failure signatures

| Signature                                                      | Likely issue                                                                    |
| -------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `refusing to bind gateway ... without auth`                    | Non-loopback bind without a valid gateway auth path                             |
| `another gateway instance is already listening` / `EADDRINUSE` | Port conflict                                                                   |
| `Gateway start blocked: set gateway.mode=local`                | Config set to remote mode, or local-mode stamp is missing from a damaged config |
| `unauthorized` during connect                                  | Auth mismatch between client and gateway                                        |

For full diagnosis ladders, use [Gateway Troubleshooting](/gateway/troubleshooting).

## Safety guarantees

- Gateway protocol clients fail fast when Gateway is unavailable (no implicit direct-channel fallback).
- Invalid/non-connect first frames are rejected and closed.
- Graceful shutdown emits `shutdown` event before socket close.

---

Related:

- [Troubleshooting](/gateway/troubleshooting)
- [Background Process](/gateway/background-process)
- [Configuration](/gateway/configuration)
- [Health](/gateway/health)
- [Doctor](/gateway/doctor)
- [Authentication](/gateway/authentication)

## Related

- [Configuration](/gateway/configuration)
- [Gateway troubleshooting](/gateway/troubleshooting)
- [Remote access](/gateway/remote)
- [Secrets management](/gateway/secrets)