Architecture

OpenClaw's system architecture overview.

System Components

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                        Gateway                          │
│  ┌─────────┐  ┌─────────┐  ┌─────────┐  ┌─────────┐   │
│  │ Channel │  │ Channel │  │  Agent  │  │  Tools  │   │
│  │ Manager │  │ Handler │  │ Manager │  │ Manager │   │
│  └─────────┘  └─────────┘  └─────────┘  └─────────┘   │
│                                                         │
│  ┌─────────┐  ┌─────────┐  ┌─────────┐  ┌─────────┐   │
│  │ Session │  │ Memory  │  │  Model  │  │  Cron   │   │
│  │  Store  │  │  Store  │  │ Router  │  │ Scheduler│   │
│  └─────────┘  └─────────┘  └─────────┘  └─────────┘   │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
          │                                    │
          ▼                                    ▼
    ┌───────────┐                      ┌───────────┐
    │  Channels │                      │   Models  │
    │ WhatsApp  │                      │ Anthropic │
    │ Telegram  │                      │  OpenAI   │
    │  Discord  │                      │ OpenRouter│
    └───────────┘                      └───────────┘

Components

Gateway

The Gateway is the central hub that:

• Manages all channel connections
• Routes messages to agents
• Handles authentication
• Coordinates tools and skills
• Manages sessions and memory

Channels

Channels are messaging platform integrations:

• WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord, etc.
• Each channel has its own authentication
• Messages are normalized to a common format

Agents

Agents are AI entities that:

• Process incoming messages
• Use configured AI models
• Have access to tools and skills
• Maintain conversation context

Sessions

Sessions track conversation state:

• Message history
• Context windows
• User preferences
• Active tools

Memory

Long-term storage for:

• User facts and preferences
• Important information
• Cross-session context

Data Flow

1. Incoming Message

   • Channel receives message
   • Gateway identifies/creates session
   • Agent processes message

2. Processing

   • Agent retrieves relevant memory
   • Model generates response
   • Tools executed if needed

3. Response

   • Response formatted for channel
   • Sent back to user
   • Session/memory updated

Configuration

All components are configured via ~/.config/openclaw/config.json5

See Also

• Gateway Configuration
• Agent