Persistent Browser Tool Failure on Ubuntu 24.04 VM
Issue: browser tool consistently fails with "Can't reach the openclaw browser control service (timed out after 15000ms)" despite extensive troubleshooting.
Environment:
• OpenClaw version: 2026.1.30 (from openclaw.json)
• Host OS: Ubuntu 24.04.3 LTS (headless VM)
• Chromium (chromium-browser) and Google Chrome (google-chrome-stable) installed via apt.
• xvfb installed.
Troubleshooting Steps Taken:
1. Brave API Key: Initially failed, but web_search now works (key set in openclaw.json). web_fetch also works.
2. openclaw.json: Manually edited and fully replaced ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json to include correct browser configuration (enabled: true, headless: true, browserPath: "/usr/bin/google-chrome-stable", args for headless mode). Confirmed JSON validity.
3. systemd service file: Edited /etc/systemd/system/openclaw.service to correctly place Environment="BRAVE_API_KEY=..." within [Service] section (initially caused "bad unit file setting" but now loads).
4. apt install: Installed chromium-browser, xvfb, then google-chrome-stable (and fixed its dependencies via sudo apt --fix-broken install).
5. Restarted OpenClaw Gateway (sudo systemctl restart openclaw) multiple times after each significant change.
6. systemctl status openclaw* output: Shows openclaw.service as active (running) but still shows openclaw.service:1: Assignment outside of sectio> even after fixing the file, which is puzzling.
Current State:
• web_search and web_fetch are fully functional.
• browser(action="start", profile="openclaw") consistently returns the "Can't reach browser control service (timed out)" error.
Request: Seeking guidance on diagnosing why the OpenClaw browser control service is failing to launch/connect in this headless Ubuntu 24.04 VM environment, given the detailed steps taken. Could there be missing systemd dependencies for the browser control component, or another environmental factor?
Environment:
• OpenClaw version: 2026.1.30 (from openclaw.json)
• Host OS: Ubuntu 24.04.3 LTS (headless VM)
• Chromium (chromium-browser) and Google Chrome (google-chrome-stable) installed via apt.
• xvfb installed.
Troubleshooting Steps Taken:
1. Brave API Key: Initially failed, but web_search now works (key set in openclaw.json). web_fetch also works.
2. openclaw.json: Manually edited and fully replaced ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json to include correct browser configuration (enabled: true, headless: true, browserPath: "/usr/bin/google-chrome-stable", args for headless mode). Confirmed JSON validity.
3. systemd service file: Edited /etc/systemd/system/openclaw.service to correctly place Environment="BRAVE_API_KEY=..." within [Service] section (initially caused "bad unit file setting" but now loads).
4. apt install: Installed chromium-browser, xvfb, then google-chrome-stable (and fixed its dependencies via sudo apt --fix-broken install).
5. Restarted OpenClaw Gateway (sudo systemctl restart openclaw) multiple times after each significant change.
6. systemctl status openclaw* output: Shows openclaw.service as active (running) but still shows openclaw.service:1: Assignment outside of sectio> even after fixing the file, which is puzzling.
Current State:
• web_search and web_fetch are fully functional.
• browser(action="start", profile="openclaw") consistently returns the "Can't reach browser control service (timed out)" error.
Request: Seeking guidance on diagnosing why the OpenClaw browser control service is failing to launch/connect in this headless Ubuntu 24.04 VM environment, given the detailed steps taken. Could there be missing systemd dependencies for the browser control component, or another environmental factor?
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