Linux Desktop Companion

v2026.8.2 shipped a Linux desktop companion. Official docs: it is a Tauri app for local and remote Gateways. It is not the VPS Gateway itself. Server install remains Linux installation.

Authoritative page: docs.openclaw.ai/platforms/linux. Published AMD64 AppImages are built on Ubuntu 22.04 and need glibc 2.35 or newer.

What the companion does

  • Sets up a local Gateway on a fresh desktop install, or attach to a discovered, URL, or SSH Gateway.
  • Installs the CLI for that desktop without requiring a global CLI first (release builds match the bundled stable version).
  • Delegates start/stop/restart to the CLI-managed systemd user service.
  • Opens the Control UI with the resolved authentication URL; can keep several Gateway dashboards in route-scoped windows.
  • Stays in the system tray when the window is closed.

Install

  1. Get the matching OpenClaw-<version>-amd64.deb or .AppImage from the official release assets (names as documented on the Linux platform page).
  2. For AppImage: mark executable and run. If the runtime cannot extract, APPIMAGE_EXTRACT_AND_RUN=1 is the documented workaround. Extracting the AppImage does not bypass the glibc requirement.
  3. v2026.9.5 notes: the Linux companion installer avoids a bundled OpenSSL conflict that could stop system download tools during AppImage setup.
  4. Pick local Gateway or add a remote under Gateways → Manage Gateways (token/password; SSH pins under Advanced).

On Windows, official docs recommend the native Windows Hub; this Tauri app is the backup there. On Linux, this is the desktop path.

Do not confuse with

  • A headless VPS Gateway you SSH into. Companion is the desktop shell around it.
  • Browser control, which can outlive a stopped Gateway on 8.2 but still must stay on loopback.

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