Novita OpenClaw CLI - Documentation

Deploy a persistent OpenClaw agent on Novita Agent Sandbox with one command, then manage it from CLI, Web UI, or automation scripts. No session cap — your instance runs 24/7 for as long as you need it.

What’s New

The latest release adds Telegram and Slack as messaging channels with CLI-based configuration, and improves install reliability:

Telegram Channel (CLI) — Polling and Webhook modes for connecting your agent to Telegram
Slack Channel — Socket and HTTP modes for connecting your agent to Slack
Install Script Improvements — Install directory changed to ~/.novitaclaw-cli, improved update command with PEP 668 support and symlink recovery

Previous Release

Web Terminal — Browser-based terminal access to your sandbox, no SSH required
File Manager — Browse and manage workspace files directly from the browser
systemd Service Management — Gateway, Web Terminal, and File Manager are fully managed by systemd with automatic restart on failure, replacing the previous nohup-based background processes
Crash Auto-Recovery — When the Gateway crashes repeatedly, it automatically runs diagnostics, repairs configuration, and restores service without manual intervention
Config Auto-Backup — Every config write creates an automatic backup; crash recovery can restore from the latest known-good backup

If you have a previous version installed, upgrade to get these features:

Bash

pip3 install novitaclaw --upgrade

If the upgrade fails, try a force reinstall:

Bash

pip3 install novitaclaw --upgrade --force-reinstall

Getting Started

Prerequisites

Python installed
A Novita API key (create/manage keys in Key Management)

How to install Python

WindowsDownload the Python installer and run it. Check “Add Python to PATH” before clicking Install Now — skipping this is the most common reason beginners hit errors later.macOSOpen Terminal and run:

Bash

python3 --version

If you see Python 3.10 or higher, you’re good. If Terminal prompts you to install Command Line Developer Tools, click Install and wait a few minutes.Linux (Ubuntu / Debian)

Bash

sudo apt update && sudo apt install python3 python3-pip -y

Step 1: Install NovitaClaw

sudo pip3 install novitaclaw

pip install novitaclaw

After installation, verify by running novitaclaw --help. If you see a list of commands, you’re all set.

Mac users: If you get zsh: command not found: novitaclaw after installation, run:

Bash

echo 'export PATH="'$(python3 -m site --user-base)'/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.zshrc
source ~/.zshrc

Step 2: Set your API key

export NOVITA_API_KEY=sk_your_api_key

$env:NOVITA_API_KEY = "sk_your_api_key"

Step 3: Launch your instance

Bash

novitaclaw launch

On success, the CLI returns:

Web UI URL — Chat with your agent
Gateway WebSocket URL & Token — For programmatic access
Web Terminal URL — Terminal access to the sandbox in your browser
File Manager URL — Browse and manage workspace files
Login credentials — Username and password for Web Terminal & File Manager

Open the returned Web UI URL and go to the Chat tab to start using your agent.

Web Terminal

The Web Terminal provides browser-based terminal access to your sandbox environment. Open the Web Terminal URL returned by the launch command and log in with the provided credentials. This gives you a full shell session — install packages, inspect logs, or debug your agent directly.

File Manager

The File Manager lets you browse, upload, download, and manage files in the sandbox workspace through a web interface. Open the File Manager URL and log in with the same credentials. Use it to view agent workspace files, edit configurations, or transfer files without needing CLI access.

For existing sandboxes launched before these services were available, you can add them retroactively:

Bash

novitaclaw services setup <SANDBOX_ID> --api-key YOUR_API_KEY

Configuring Models

Your instance is pre-configured with a Novita-hosted model out of the box. To change the models your agent uses, navigate to Settings → Config, click Raw to switch to Raw JSON5 view, then click the reveal button next to “secrets redacted” to show the full config. Update the following two sections:

Step 1: Register the model under your provider

Add a new object to the models array inside models.providers.novita:

{
  "models": {
    "providers": {
      "novita": {
        "models": [
          {
            "id": "model-id",
            "name": "display name",
            "reasoning": true,
            "input": ["text"],
            "contextWindow": 200000,
            "maxTokens": 50000
          }
        ]
      }
    }
  }
}

Step 2: Set it as primary or fallback

Update the model field under agents.defaults to reference your model using the provider/model-id format:

{
  "agents": {
    "defaults": {
      "model": {
        "primary": "novita/model-id",
        "fallbacks": ["novita/fallback-model-id"]
      }
    }
  }
}

Click Update to save. Every LLM available on the Novita platform is supported. Third-party providers can also be configured — when you bring your own LLM, you pay only for sandbox runtime, not Novita model usage.

Connecting Channels

OpenClaw supports external messaging channels so your agent is reachable outside the Web UI. Channels are disabled by default and must be configured.

Connect your agent to Telegram as a messaging channel. Two connection modes are supported: Polling (default, long-poll — no public URL needed) and Webhook (HTTP push — best for on-demand sandboxes). Step 1: Create a Telegram Bot

Open Telegram and find @BotFather.
Send /newbot and follow the prompts to name your bot.
Copy the bot token BotFather provides.

Step 2: Configure via CLI

Bash

# Polling mode (simplest)
novitaclaw pair telegram <SANDBOX_ID> \
  --bot-token <BOT_TOKEN>

# Webhook mode (supports on-demand auto-resume)
novitaclaw pair telegram <SANDBOX_ID> \
  --bot-token <BOT_TOKEN> \
  --mode webhook \
  --webhook-url https://example.com/webhook/telegram \
  --webhook-secret <SECRET>

Step 3: Pair your bot In Telegram, open the bot you created and send /start. The bot replies with a pairing code. Approve it via CLI:

Bash

novitaclaw pair list <SANDBOX_ID> --channel telegram
novitaclaw pair approve <SANDBOX_ID> --channel telegram --code <CODE>

Once connected, messages sent to your Telegram bot are routed directly to your OpenClaw agent.

Slack

Connect your agent to Slack as a messaging channel. Two connection modes are supported: Socket (default, WebSocket — no public URL needed) and HTTP (Events API webhook — best for on-demand sandboxes).

Bash

# Socket mode (simplest)
novitaclaw pair slack <SANDBOX_ID> \
  --bot-token xoxb-... \
  --app-token xapp-...

# HTTP mode (supports on-demand auto-resume)
novitaclaw pair slack <SANDBOX_ID> \
  --bot-token xoxb-... \
  --mode http \
  --signing-secret <SECRET>

On first conversation, the bot replies with a pairing code. Approve via CLI:

Bash

novitaclaw pair list <SANDBOX_ID> --channel slack
novitaclaw pair approve <SANDBOX_ID> --channel slack --code <CODE>

More channel integrations are supported — see the Configuration guide for detailed setup instructions for all channels including Feishu.

Service Reliability

All core services in the sandbox are managed by systemd for production-grade reliability:

Service	Description	Auto-Restart
OpenClaw Gateway	Agent runtime and WebSocket server	✅
Web Terminal (ttyd)	Browser-based terminal access	✅
File Manager (gohttpserver)	Web-based file management	✅

Crash auto-recovery: If the Gateway crashes repeatedly, the system automatically runs diagnostics, attempts repair, and restores the last known-good configuration from backup — no manual intervention required. Config auto-backup: Every configuration write creates an automatic backup. If a bad config causes a crash, the recovery process restores from the most recent valid backup.

Command Reference

`launch`

Create a new sandbox instance.

Bash

novitaclaw launch [OPTIONS]

Option	Description
`--api-key`	Novita API key
`--gateway-token`	Custom gateway token (optional, auto-generated by default)
`--timeout`	Creation timeout in seconds (default: `60`)

`list`

List active sandbox instances.

Bash

novitaclaw list --api-key YOUR_API_KEY

Option	Description
`--api-key`	Novita API key
`--quiet`, `-q`	Only print sandbox IDs, one per line (useful for scripting)

`status`

Check a sandbox instance status. Displays webhook URLs for all configured channels.

Bash

novitaclaw status <SANDBOX_ID> --api-key YOUR_API_KEY

Option	Description
`--api-key`	Novita API key
`--json`	Output in JSON format (useful for extracting webhook URLs)

`stop`

Terminate a sandbox instance.

Bash

novitaclaw stop <SANDBOX_ID> --api-key YOUR_API_KEY

Option	Description
`--api-key`	Novita API key
`--yes`, `-y`	Skip confirmation prompt

`tui`

Connect to a sandbox via terminal UI.

Bash

novitaclaw tui <SANDBOX_ID> --token <GATEWAY_TOKEN>

`doctor`

Run diagnostics and repair checks on a sandbox instance.

Bash

novitaclaw doctor <SANDBOX_ID> --api-key YOUR_API_KEY

Option	Description
`--api-key`	Novita API key
`--deep`	Scan system services for extra gateway installs
`--fix`	Apply recommended repairs (alias for `--repair`)
`--force`	Apply aggressive repairs (overwrites custom service config)
`--generate-gateway-token`	Generate and configure a gateway token
`--no-workspace-suggestions`	Disable workspace memory system suggestions
`--repair`	Apply recommended repairs without prompting
`--yes`	Accept defaults without prompting

`gateway update`

Update OpenClaw to the latest version inside a sandbox.

Bash

novitaclaw gateway update <SANDBOX_ID> --api-key YOUR_API_KEY

Option	Description
`--api-key`	Novita API key
`--restart`	Restart gateway after update

`gateway restart`

Restart the OpenClaw Gateway in a sandbox.

Bash

novitaclaw gateway restart <SANDBOX_ID> --api-key YOUR_API_KEY

`services setup`

Install and start Web Terminal and File Manager on an existing sandbox. Use this to add services to older sandboxes that were launched before these services were included.

Bash

novitaclaw services setup <SANDBOX_ID> --api-key YOUR_API_KEY

`pair list`

List pending pairing requests for a channel.

Bash

novitaclaw pair list <SANDBOX_ID> --channel <CHANNEL_NAME> --api-key YOUR_API_KEY

`pair approve`

Approve a pairing request for a channel.

Bash

novitaclaw pair approve <SANDBOX_ID> --channel <CHANNEL_NAME> --code <PAIRING_CODE> --api-key YOUR_API_KEY

`pair telegram`

Configure Telegram as a messaging channel.

Bash

novitaclaw pair telegram <SANDBOX_ID> --bot-token <BOT_TOKEN>

Option	Description
`--bot-token`	Telegram bot token from BotFather
`--mode`	`polling` (default) or `webhook`
`--webhook-url`	Public webhook URL (webhook mode only)
`--webhook-secret`	Webhook secret (webhook mode only)
`--webhook-host`	Webhook bind address (default: `0.0.0.0`)
`--webhook-port`	Webhook listen port (default: `8787`)
`--webhook-path`	Webhook URL path (default: `/webhook/telegram`)
`--dm-policy`	DM policy (default: `pairing`)

`pair slack`

Configure Slack as a messaging channel.

Bash

novitaclaw pair slack <SANDBOX_ID> --bot-token xoxb-... --app-token xapp-...

Option	Description
`--bot-token`	Slack bot token (`xoxb-...`)
`--app-token`	Slack app token (`xapp-...`, socket mode only)
`--mode`	`socket` (default) or `http`
`--signing-secret`	Slack signing secret (HTTP mode only)
`--webhook-host`	Webhook bind address (default: `0.0.0.0`)
`--webhook-port`	Webhook listen port (default: `8788`)
`--webhook-path`	Webhook URL path (default: `/webhook/slack`)

`update`

Check for CLI updates and upgrade to the latest version.

Bash

novitaclaw update

Programmatic Usage

Use JSON output for automation:

Bash

novitaclaw -j launch --api-key YOUR_API_KEY

Example response:

{
  "success": true,
  "data": {
    "sandbox_id": "xxx",
    "webui": "https://xxx.sandbox.novita.ai?token=xxx",
    "gateway_ws": "wss://xxx.sandbox.novita.ai",
    "gateway_token": "xxx",
    "terminal_url": "https://7681-xxx.sandbox.novita.ai",
    "filemanager_url": "https://7682-xxx.sandbox.novita.ai",
    "services_username": "admin",
    "services_password": "xxx"
  }
}

Environment Variables

Variable	Description
`NOVITA_API_KEY`	API key, eliminates the need for `--api-key` flag
`OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKEN`	Preset gateway token

Pricing

What you use	What you pay
Sandbox runtime	Sandbox rates
Novita-hosted LLMs	Model rates
Third-party LLMs	Sandbox runtime only

Troubleshooting

Command not found

Try one of these:

Bash

# Use full path (Linux)
~/.local/bin/novitaclaw launch

# Typical macOS user path
~/Library/Python/3.x/bin/novitaclaw launch

Connection timeout

Increase launch timeout:

Bash

novitaclaw launch --timeout 180 --api-key YOUR_API_KEY

Frequently Asked Questions

Problem	Why it happens	What to do
”Command not found” / “Not recognized”	Python PATH not configured during install	Reinstall Python and check “Add to PATH”, or add the bin directory manually
”Permission Denied”	Insufficient permissions	Windows: Run Terminal as Administrator. Mac/Linux: prefix with `sudo`
”Invalid API Key”	Key copied incorrectly	Check for extra spaces around the `sk_` string, or generate a new key
Sandbox won’t stop	Requires confirmation to prevent accidental deletion	Type `y` when prompted, or use `--yes` to skip confirmation
Mac: `pip` command not found	macOS uses `pip3` by default	Use `pip3 install novitaclaw` instead of `pip`

​What’s New

​Previous Release

​Getting Started

​Prerequisites

​Step 1: Install NovitaClaw

​Step 2: Set your API key

​Step 3: Launch your instance

​Web Terminal

​File Manager

​Configuring Models

​Step 1: Register the model under your provider

​Step 2: Set it as primary or fallback

​Connecting Channels

​Telegram

​Slack

​Service Reliability

​Command Reference

​launch

​list

​status

​stop

​tui

​doctor

​gateway update

​gateway restart

​services setup

​pair list

​pair approve

​pair telegram

​pair slack

​update

​Programmatic Usage

​Environment Variables

​Pricing

​Troubleshooting

​Command not found

​Connection timeout

​Frequently Asked Questions

What’s New

Previous Release

Getting Started

Prerequisites

Step 1: Install NovitaClaw

Step 2: Set your API key

Step 3: Launch your instance

Web Terminal

File Manager

Configuring Models

Step 1: Register the model under your provider

Step 2: Set it as primary or fallback

Connecting Channels

Telegram

Slack

Service Reliability

Command Reference

`launch`

`list`

`status`

`stop`

`tui`

`doctor`

`gateway update`

`gateway restart`

`services setup`

`pair list`

`pair approve`

`pair telegram`

`pair slack`

`update`

Programmatic Usage

Environment Variables

Pricing

Troubleshooting

Command not found

Connection timeout

Frequently Asked Questions