Openclaw ACP Command List Complete Guide
Quick Start with ACP Commands
The ACP (Agent Communication Protocol) in OpenClaw lets you manage external harness runtimes like Claude Code, Codex, or Gemini CLI directly from your chat or terminal. Whether you are spawning new sessions or debugging existing ones, these commands put you in control.
For developers looking to streamline their workflow, ACP bridges the gap between chat-based interactions and powerful IDE integrations. If you are new to Openclaw advanced features, you might also want to explore Elevated Mode for handling permission-sensitive operations.
Chat Slash Commands (/acp)
Use these in WhatsApp, Slack, Discord, or any connected channel to manage ACP sessions:
/acp spawn — Creates a new ACP session. Bind it to a thread with /acp spawn codex --mode persistent --thread auto --cwd /repo
/acp cancel — Cancels the in-flight turn for a target session.
/acp steer — Nudges a running session without replacing context. Example: /acp steer --session support inbox prioritize failing tests
/acp close — Closes the session and unbinds thread targets.
/acp status — Shows active backend, mode, state, and capabilities.
/acp sessions — Lists recent ACP sessions from the store.
/acp doctor — Checks backend health and provides actionable fixes.
/acp install — Prints installation steps for the backend.
Runtime Option Modifiers
/acp set-mode — Sets runtime mode (e.g., /acp set-mode plan)
/acp cwd — Sets working directory override (e.g., /acp cwd /Users/user/Projects/repo)
/acp permissions — Sets approval policy (e.g., /acp permissions strict)
/acp timeout — Sets runtime timeout in seconds (e.g., /acp timeout 120)
/acp model — Overrides the model (e.g., /acp model anthropic/claude-opus-4-5)
/acp reset-options — Clears all runtime option overrides.
CLI Commands (openclaw acp)
Run these in your terminal to connect IDEs like Zed to the OpenClaw Gateway:
openclaw acp — Runs the ACP bridge, mapping sessions to Gateway keys.
openclaw acp --url wss://host --token TOKEN — Connect to a remote Gateway.
openclaw acp --session KEY — Attach to a specific session (e.g., agent:main:main).
openclaw acp client — Spawns a debug client for interactive terminal testing.
Example: Spawning a Persistent Session
Here is a complete workflow for creating a persistent ACP session bound to a project directory:
1. In your chat, run:
/acp spawn codex --mode persistent --thread auto --cwd /home/user/my-project
2. The agent confirms:
ACP session created: codex-abc123 | Mode: persistent | Thread: auto-bound | CWD: /home/user/my-project
3. Send tasks to the session:
/acp steer --session codex-abc123 refactor the auth module to use JWT
4. Check status anytime:
/acp status
For more on managing external integrations, check out our guide on Exec Tool for running commands securely.
Troubleshooting & Best Practices
Session not responding? Use /acp doctor to diagnose backend health and connection issues.
Need to switch models mid-session? /acp model lets you override without restarting.
Working with multiple projects? Use /acp cwd to set per-session working directories.
Clean slate: /acp reset-options clears all overrides when you want default behavior.
