Adapted community discussion: Paraphrased and condensed from an anonymized public OpenClaw Discord support conversation from August 2026. Technical guidance was reviewed for OpenClaw 2026.9.3.
I updated the OpenClaw desktop app this morning and everything stopped working afterward. The macOS LaunchAgent is installed and loaded, but the Gateway exits before opening its port. Status says the runtime is stopped and the local connection is refused.
The service command points to a global OpenClaw installation. I have not deleted or reinstalled my state.
That narrows it down. The service exists, but the Gateway exits before it listens. Since this began immediately after an update, first check whether the shell and LaunchAgent are using different OpenClaw installations or versions.
openclaw --version
which -a openclaw
openclaw gateway status --deep
openclaw update status --json
openclaw logs --limit 120 --plain
Save the first startup error before repairing anything. If those checks show an older installation or an incomplete update, run the updater from the same installation the LaunchAgent should use, then verify the service again:
openclaw update
openclaw gateway status --deep
Do not delete your OpenClaw state directory or reinstall blindly.
That was it. Running the OpenClaw update from the active installation resolved the version mismatch, and the Gateway is working again.
Good, that confirmation fits the LaunchAgent behavior. The important part was bringing the interactive CLI and managed Gateway back onto one installation before changing configuration or state.