About This Guide: The OpenClaw Companion App is a native macOS application (currently in Beta) that puts your AI agent in the menubar — giving you instant one-click access without opening a terminal or browser. This guide covers downloading, installing, and getting the most out of this new interface. Requires macOS 14 Ventura or newer. Universal Binary (Apple Silicon + Intel).
The OpenClaw Companion App represents a significant leap in accessibility for the OpenClaw ecosystem. Until now, interacting with your personal AI agent required either opening a chat app (Telegram, WhatsApp, Discord) or accessing the web-based Control UI at http://localhost:18789. Both approaches require deliberate effort — you have to switch contexts to get to your AI.
The Companion App changes this with a macOS menubar icon — a tiny lobster icon that sits permanently in your top bar alongside Wi-Fi, battery, and clock. Click it at any moment and a floating panel drops down, letting you type a message to your agent, see recent activity, trigger quick actions, and monitor agent status — all without leaving your current workflow.
This is OpenClaw's answer to a longstanding user request: make the AI feel as natural and ever-present as Spotlight or Siri — but far more capable. In this guide, we'll cover the full setup from download to advanced configuration, along with tips to maximize how much your agent can do from the menubar interface.
What the OpenClaw Companion App Does
Menubar Access
A persistent lobster (🦞) icon in your macOS menubar. Click to open a floating panel with a chat interface, agent status, quick actions, and connection indicator.
Global Hotkey
Set a global keyboard shortcut (default: ⌘⇧Space) to summon the OpenClaw panel from anywhere — even when a different app is in focus.
Push Notifications
Receive native macOS push notifications when your agent completes long-running tasks, sends scheduled messages, or needs your input for an approval step.
Agent Status Monitor
See real-time agent status: online/offline, current task, API usage meter, last activity timestamp, and connection health — all in the compact panel.
Companion App vs. CLI vs. Control UI
The Companion App doesn't replace the CLI or Control UI — it complements them. The CLI is for configuration and advanced commands; the Control UI is for full dashboard access; the Companion App is for quick everyday interactions without context switching.
System Requirements
Required
- • macOS 14 Ventura or macOS 15 Sequoia
- • Universal Binary — works on Apple Silicon (M1–M4) and Intel
- • OpenClaw CLI installed and running (
openclaw gatewaymust be active) - • Gateway running on
localhost:18789(default)
Beta Limitations
- • Currently only available for macOS (Windows/Linux coming later)
- • Requires the CLI gateway to be running separately
- • Some features (voice input, file drag-and-drop) are pending
- • Occasional crashes reported on Intel Macs — workaround below
Step 1: Download the Companion App
The Companion App is distributed via GitHub Releases. Always download from the official OpenClaw GitHub to avoid unofficial builds:
Official Download
Visit: https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/releases/latest
Look for the file named: OpenClaw-Companion-x.x.x.dmg
arm64 variant for best performancex86_64 variant, or use the Universal Binary which works on bothGatekeeper Warning: "App is from an unidentified developer"
macOS Gatekeeper may block the app since it's not from the App Store. This is expected for open-source Beta software. To install safely:
# Method 1: Right-click the .app and choose "Open"
# Click "Open" in the security dialog
# Method 2: Remove quarantine attribute via Terminal
xattr -d com.apple.quarantine /Applications/OpenClaw\ Companion.app
Step 2: Install and First Launch
1 Mount and Install from DMG
- Double-click the downloaded
.dmgfile - Drag OpenClaw Companion.app to your Applications folder
- Eject the DMG disk image
- Open Applications → right-click OpenClaw Companion → Open
2 First Launch: Connect to Your Gateway
On first launch, the Companion App shows a Gateway Connection dialog. Make sure your OpenClaw gateway is running first:
# In Terminal, start your OpenClaw gateway:
openclaw gateway
# You should see: "Gateway ready on http://127.0.0.1:18789"
Back in the Companion App dialog, the gateway address should auto-detect as http://localhost:18789. Click Connect.
3 Grant macOS Permissions
The app will request several permissions. Grant all of them for full functionality:
Key Features: Getting the Most from the Companion App
Global Hotkey Configuration
The global hotkey is your primary power tool. Configure it in: Companion App → Preferences → Keyboard Shortcut. Popular choices:
⌘⇧Space — Default OpenClaw shortcut⌥Space — Quick access (Spotlight alternative)⌘⌥C — "C" for Claw⌃⌥⌘A — "A" for AIQuick Actions Bar
Customize the Quick Actions bar with your most-used commands. Access via Preferences → Quick Actions. Example quick actions to add:
Smart Notifications
Configure notification triggers in Preferences → Notifications:
Connection Health & Status
The menubar icon changes color to indicate status:
Auto-Start Setup: Companion App + Daemon on Login
For the best experience, configure both the OpenClaw daemon and the Companion App to start automatically when your Mac boots:
# Install OpenClaw as a Launch Agent (auto-starts on login)
openclaw gateway install --daemon
# Verify it's installed
openclaw gateway status
# Should show: "Gateway: running (pid XXXX)"
# In the Companion App:
# Preferences → General → "Launch at Login" ✓ (toggle on)
With both configured, your Mac login sequence becomes: macOS loads → OpenClaw daemon starts → Companion App starts → lobster icon appears in menubar. Your AI agent is ready within 10 seconds of login, every time.
💡 Pro Tip: Keep OpenClaw Gateway Fast
The Companion App's response time directly reflects your agent's network speed. If API calls to Claude or GPT-4 are slow (4–8 seconds), it's almost always ISP-level throttling, not AI model latency. VPN07's 1000Mbps dedicated channels eliminate this bottleneck — users consistently report sub-2-second response times in the Companion App panel when using VPN07, compared to 4–6 seconds on unoptimized connections.
Troubleshooting Common Companion App Issues
Menubar icon doesn't appear
Fix 1: Check if the app is running: pgrep -x "OpenClaw Companion"
Fix 2: macOS may hide menubar icons when the bar is full. Hold ⌘ and drag other icons left to make space for the lobster icon.
Fix 3: Restart the app: find it in Dock, Force Quit, then reopen from Applications.
"Cannot connect to gateway" error
Fix: The OpenClaw gateway must be running first. In Terminal: openclaw gateway. If using the daemon: openclaw gateway start
Global hotkey not working
Fix: Verify the Companion App has Accessibility permission in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility. After granting, quit and reopen the app. If another app uses the same hotkey (e.g., Alfred uses ⌘⌥Space), change one of them.
App crashes on Intel Mac
Known Beta issue. Workaround: defaults write ai.openclaw.companion use-rosetta YES, then relaunch. This forces Rosetta 2 translation for stability.
What's Coming: Companion App Roadmap
Voice Input
Speak to your agent directly from the menubar. Push-to-talk with automatic transcription via Whisper.
File Drop
Drag files onto the menubar icon to instantly analyze, summarize, or process them with your agent.
Windows Support
A Windows system tray version of the Companion App for Windows 11 users.
Make Your Companion App Lightning-Fast with VPN07
Instant AI responses from your macOS menubar
The OpenClaw Companion App puts your AI one keystroke away — but slow API responses break that feeling of instant access. VPN07 routes your Mac's AI traffic through 1000Mbps dedicated channels in 70+ countries, cutting response latency from 4–6 seconds to under 2 seconds in the Companion App panel. Users worldwide report noticeably snappier interactions when running VPN07 alongside OpenClaw. At just $1.5/month with a 30-day money-back guarantee and 10 years of proven reliability, VPN07 is the upgrade that makes your Companion App feel truly instant.
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