OpenClaw Connection Guide (tailnet setup)

Connect your phone app to an OpenClaw gateway running on your Tailnet.

1. 1) Join the same Tailnet

   Connect both devices to Tailscale : your phone (running Claw To Talk) and the machine running OpenClaw.

   

2. 2) Configure OpenClaw gateway

   In ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json, ensure your gateway has these values:

   "gateway": {
     "port": 18789,
     "mode": "local",
     "bind": "loopback",
     "auth": {
       "mode": "token",
       "token": "xxx"
     },
     "tailscale": {
       "mode": "serve"
     }
   }

3. 3) Enable Tailscale Serve (required)

   Run this on the OpenClaw host:

   tailscale serve --bg --yes 18789

   On first run, Tailscale will show a message that Serve is not enabled for your tailnet and give you a link to enable it.

   Serve is not enabled on your tailnet.
   To enable, visit:
   https://login.tailscale.com/f/serve?node=<your-node>

   Open that link and enable Tailscale Serve for your tailnet. Tailscale Funnel is not required for this setup.

   

4. 4) Restart and verify Serve

   Restart gateway, then verify the Serve mapping:

   openclaw gateway restart
   
   tailscale serve status
   https://claw.tail71eed9.ts.net (tailnet only)
   |-- / proxy http://127.0.0.1:18789

   In Claw To Talk, use your Tailscale domain over secure WebSocket (for example, wss://claw.tail71eed9.ts.net).

   You can copy your gateway token from ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json or ask your OpenClaw agent for it.

5. 5) Pair and approve the device

   On first connect, the app requests pairing. Approve the request from your OpenClaw host:

   openclaw devices list
   openclaw devices approve <device-id>

   

   After approval, retry connect in the app.

6. 6) Add ElevenLabs API key (recommended)

   For better voice quality and lip sync, add an ElevenLabs API key in Settings -> ElevenLabs API Key.

   Claw To Talk still supports native device TTS without this key, but ElevenLabs is strongly recommended for the best result.