Web Terminal

Clawdy includes a browser-based terminal that gives you full shell access to your OpenClaw instance. No SSH keys to manage, no terminal app to install - just click and connect.

Accessing the Terminal

There are three ways to open the web terminal:

From the Dashboard

Go to your Clawdy dashboard
Find your instance
Click the Terminal button

Direct URL

Navigate directly to:

https://your-slug.clawdy.app/_clawdy/terminal

Replace your-slug with your instance's slug.

From OpenClaw

Within OpenClaw, you can ask the AI to open a terminal, or use the built-in terminal panel.

Terminal Features

Full Shell Access

The web terminal provides a complete bash shell with:

Full TTY support (colors, cursor positioning, etc.)
Tab completion for commands and paths
Command history (up/down arrows)
Copy/paste support
Unicode and emoji support

Pre-installed Tools

Your instance comes with common development tools:

# Version control
git --version

# Package managers
npm --version
bun --version
pip --version

# Editors
nano, vim, code (VS Code Server)

# Utilities
curl, wget, htop, tmux, screen

Persistent Sessions

Terminal sessions persist across page refreshes. If you close the browser and come back:

Your shell history is preserved
Running processes continue in the background
Use tmux or screen for long-running tasks

Working with the Terminal

# Check where you are
pwd

# List files
ls -la

# Navigate to OpenClaw workspace
cd ~/workspace

# View system resources
htop

Running Development Servers

Start a development server and access it via auth-protected apps:

# Start a Next.js app
cd my-project
npm run dev
# Access at https://3000--your-slug.clawdy.app

Pro tip: Avoid port conflicts across projects by using path-to-port:

# Get a unique port based on your project path
PORT=$(bunx path-to-port `pwd`)
npm run dev -- --port $PORT
# Each project gets a consistent, unique port!

Using tmux for Persistent Sessions

This is essential for serious development work. tmux lets you:

Keep dev servers running after closing your browser
Manage multiple terminal windows in one session
Switch between projects instantly
Never lose work if your connection drops

Basic tmux Workflow

# Start a new session named after your project
tmux new -s my-app

# Start your dev server
npm run dev

# Detach from session (server keeps running!)
# Press: Ctrl+b, then d

# List all running sessions
tmux ls

# Reattach to your session
tmux attach -t my-app

Multi-Project Setup

For a typical full-stack project, create separate sessions:

# Terminal 1: Frontend
tmux new -s frontend
cd ~/projects/frontend && npm run dev
# Ctrl+b, d to detach

# Terminal 2: Backend  
tmux new -s backend
cd ~/projects/backend && npm run dev
# Ctrl+b, d to detach

# Terminal 3: Database/services
tmux new -s services
docker-compose up
# Ctrl+b, d to detach

Now you can switch between them anytime:

tmux attach -t frontend  # Check frontend logs
tmux attach -t backend   # Debug backend issues

tmux Cheat Sheet

Command	Action
`tmux new -s name`	Create named session
`tmux ls`	List all sessions
`tmux attach -t name`	Attach to session
`tmux kill-session -t name`	Kill a session
`Ctrl+b, d`	Detach from session
`Ctrl+b, c`	Create new window
`Ctrl+b, n`	Next window
`Ctrl+b, p`	Previous window
`Ctrl+b, %`	Split pane vertically
`Ctrl+b, "`	Split pane horizontally

Tell OpenClaw about tmux: When starting a new project, say:

"Start the dev server in a tmux session called 'project-name' so it persists in the background."

File Transfers

Upload and download files using the terminal:

# Download a file from the internet
curl -O https://example.com/file.zip

# Or use wget
wget https://example.com/file.zip

For uploading files from your computer, use the file upload feature in the terminal header, or use scp from your local machine.

Keyboard Shortcuts

Shortcut	Action
`Ctrl+C`	Cancel current command
`Ctrl+D`	Exit shell / EOF
`Ctrl+L`	Clear screen
`Ctrl+R`	Search command history
`Ctrl+A`	Move cursor to start of line
`Ctrl+E`	Move cursor to end of line
`Ctrl+U`	Clear line before cursor
`Ctrl+K`	Clear line after cursor
`Tab`	Auto-complete
`Up/Down`	Navigate command history

Terminal-Specific Shortcuts

Shortcut	Action
`Ctrl+Shift+C`	Copy selected text
`Ctrl+Shift+V`	Paste from clipboard
`Ctrl++`	Increase font size
`Ctrl+-`	Decrease font size

Customization

Shell Configuration

Customize your bash environment by editing ~/.bashrc:

# Open bashrc
nano ~/.bashrc

# Add your aliases
alias ll='ls -la'
alias gs='git status'
alias gp='git push'

# Apply changes
source ~/.bashrc

Terminal Theme

The terminal uses a dark theme optimized for code. Colors follow the standard ANSI 256-color palette.

Troubleshooting

Terminal Not Connecting

If the terminal shows "Connecting..." indefinitely:

Check that your instance is running (green status in dashboard)
Try refreshing the page
Clear browser cache and try again
Check if your instance needs to be restarted

Slow Response

If the terminal feels laggy:

Check your internet connection
Try a region closer to your location
Check instance CPU usage with htop

Copy/Paste Not Working

Browser security may block clipboard access:

Allow clipboard permissions when prompted
Use Ctrl+Shift+C / Ctrl+Shift+V instead of Ctrl+C / Ctrl+V
Right-click for context menu copy/paste

Security

The web terminal is protected by multiple layers:

Authentication: Only you can access your terminal
Encryption: All traffic is encrypted via HTTPS/WSS
Session tokens: Validated on every connection
No root access: You're logged in as the clawdy user

See Security Layers for complete security details.

Next Steps

Auth-Protected Apps - Access dev servers from the browser
Security Layers - Understand Clawdy's security model
Dashboard Overview - Navigate the dashboard