12 replies

remote gateway with tailscale

✅Solved

I have a gateway in local and want a remote host connect to the local gateway as a node.
I want to use tailnet, and tailscale is already setup and work.
On the remote host( with the following config ) run

openclaw node run

openclaw node run

, I get:

node host gateway connect failed: connect ECONNREFUSED IP:18789
node host gateway closed (1006):

node host gateway connect failed: connect ECONNREFUSED IP:18789
node host gateway closed (1006):

from docs

https://docs.openclaw.ai/gateway/tailscale

https://docs.openclaw.ai/gateway/tailscale

Serve/Funnel only expose the Gateway control UI + WS. Nodes connect over the same Gateway WS endpoint, so Serve can work for node access.

Serve/Funnel only expose the Gateway control UI + WS. Nodes connect over the same Gateway WS endpoint, so Serve can work for node access.

help please.
openclaw version:
- gateway: 2026.2.13
- node: 2026.2.14

gateway config:

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

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

remote node config:

{
  "gateway": {
    "mode": "remote",
    "remote": {
      "url": "ws://gateway.tailxxx.ts.net:18789",
      "token": "__REDACTED__"
    }
  }
}

{
  "gateway": {
    "mode": "remote",
    "remote": {
      "url": "ws://gateway.tailxxx.ts.net:18789",
      "token": "__REDACTED__"
    }
  }
}

Solution

No — a node host does not need a gateway installed. It’s just a client that connects to your existing gateway over the Gateway WebSocket.

What you’re hitting is a systemd install bug:

openclaw node install

openclaw node install

writes an

openclaw-node.service

openclaw-node.service

, but then tries to

systemctl enable openclaw-gateway.service

systemctl enable openclaw-gateway.service

(which doesn’t exist on that machine) → hence the error.

Workarounds

#### A) Just run it in the foreground (quickest to verify)

export OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKEN="…"
openclaw node run --host gateway.tailxxx.ts.net --port 443 --tls --display-name "xxxclaw"

export OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKEN="…"
openclaw node run --host gateway.tailxxx.ts.net --port 443 --tls --display-name "xxxclaw"

#### B) If you want it as a systemd user service (manual enable)
After you run

openclaw node install ...

openclaw node install ...

(even if it errors), check whether the unit file exists:

bash

bash

Jump to solution

FotC�

Friends of the Crustacean 🦞🤝•3w ago•

12 replies

inVains

remote gateway with tailscale

✅Solved

openclaw node run

openclaw node run

, I get:

node host gateway connect failed: connect ECONNREFUSED IP:18789
node host gateway closed (1006):

node host gateway connect failed: connect ECONNREFUSED IP:18789
node host gateway closed (1006):

from docs

https://docs.openclaw.ai/gateway/tailscale

https://docs.openclaw.ai/gateway/tailscale

Serve/Funnel only expose the Gateway control UI + WS. Nodes connect over the same Gateway WS endpoint, so Serve can work for node access.

Serve/Funnel only expose the Gateway control UI + WS. Nodes connect over the same Gateway WS endpoint, so Serve can work for node access.

help please.
openclaw version:
- gateway: 2026.2.13
- node: 2026.2.14

gateway config:

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

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

remote node config:

{
  "gateway": {
    "mode": "remote",
    "remote": {
      "url": "ws://gateway.tailxxx.ts.net:18789",
      "token": "__REDACTED__"
    }
  }
}

{
  "gateway": {
    "mode": "remote",
    "remote": {
      "url": "ws://gateway.tailxxx.ts.net:18789",
      "token": "__REDACTED__"
    }
  }
}

Solution

No — a node host does not need a gateway installed. It’s just a client that connects to your existing gateway over the Gateway WebSocket.

What you’re hitting is a systemd install bug:

openclaw node install

openclaw node install

writes an

openclaw-node.service

openclaw-node.service

, but then tries to

systemctl enable openclaw-gateway.service

systemctl enable openclaw-gateway.service

(which doesn’t exist on that machine) → hence the error.

Workarounds

#### A) Just run it in the foreground (quickest to verify)

export OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKEN="…"
openclaw node run --host gateway.tailxxx.ts.net --port 443 --tls --display-name "xxxclaw"

export OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKEN="…"
openclaw node run --host gateway.tailxxx.ts.net --port 443 --tls --display-name "xxxclaw"

#### B) If you want it as a systemd user service (manual enable)
After you run

openclaw node install ...

openclaw node install ...

(even if it errors), check whether the unit file exists:

bash

bash

Jump to solution

remote gateway with tailscale

Workarounds

remote gateway with tailscale

Workarounds

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