OpenClaw Windows Companion App: Setup Guide

What the Windows Companion Is (and What It Is Not)

The OpenClaw Windows Companion is the official openclaw/openclaw-windows-node project on GitHub. It is a WinUI 3 system-tray application bundled with a shared library and a PowerToys Command Palette extension. Together they give you:

• A pixel-art tray icon that changes color to reflect your agent's live status — green when the agent is active, amber when busy, grey when offline.
• A global hotkey (Ctrl+Alt+Shift+C) for “Quick Send” — send a message to your agent from anywhere on the desktop without switching windows.
• Windows node registration so the agent can use Windows-native capabilities (file system access, clipboard, shell commands) through the registered node.
• A local OpenClaw Gateway provisioned inside WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux), so the agent runtime runs in a stable Linux environment while still integrating with your Windows desktop.
• A PowerToys Command Palette extension for quick agent interactions straight from the PowerToys launcher.

The Companion complements a running OpenClaw agent — it is not a standalone agent and does not replace the agent itself. If you haven't installed OpenClaw on Windows yet, start with the general OpenClaw Windows install guide first, then return here to layer the Companion on top.

Prerequisites

Before installing the Windows Companion, confirm you have:

• Windows 10 (22H2+) or Windows 11 — WinUI 3 requires a modern Windows build. Windows 11 is recommended for the best PowerToys integration.
• WSL 2 installed and running — the Companion provisions your OpenClaw Gateway inside WSL. Run wsl --install in an elevated PowerShell if WSL is not set up yet, then reboot.
• An OpenClaw Gateway — the Companion can provision a local gateway inside WSL for you, or connect to an existing gateway if you already run one elsewhere. See the gateway setup guide to learn how the gateway works.
• PowerToys (optional) — required only if you want the Command Palette extension. Install from the Microsoft Store or winget install Microsoft.PowerToys.

Installing the Windows Companion

The Companion is distributed from the openclaw/openclaw-windows-node GitHub repository. Head to the Releases page and download the latest .msix installer bundle.

# Optional: install via winget once the package is published
winget install openclaw.windows-node

If the winget package is not yet available, download the .msix directly from the GitHub Releases page and double-click to install. Windows may show a SmartScreen prompt — click More info → Run anyway if the publisher certificate is not yet widely trusted.

After installation, launch OpenClaw Companion from the Start menu. The tray icon will appear in your system notification area within a few seconds.

Registering Your Windows Node

Node registration tells your OpenClaw gateway that a Windows-native node is available for tool calls that require desktop access (clipboard, shell, file system). Open the Companion's tray menu and choose Register Windows Node.

# You can also register from the WSL terminal:
openclaw node register --type windows --name "my-pc"

Once registered, the gateway's node list will include your Windows machine. Confirm registration by opening your gateway's web UI at http://localhost:<port> and navigating to Settings → Nodes.

Using the Tray Icon and Quick Send Hotkey

The pixel-art tray icon gives you an at-a-glance view of agent health without opening a browser tab:

• Green — gateway is reachable and the agent is idle.
• Amber / pulsing — the agent is processing a request.
• Red — gateway unreachable or agent error.
• Grey — Companion is running but no gateway URL is configured.

Right-click the tray icon to access Open Dashboard, Quick Send, Register Windows Node, and Settings.

Press Ctrl+Alt+Shift+C from any application to open the Quick Send overlay. Type your message and press Enter — the Companion forwards it to your agent and shows the reply in a small toast notification. The hotkey can be changed in Tray → Settings → Hotkey.

PowerToys Command Palette Extension

If PowerToys is installed, the Companion registers an extension for the PowerToys Command Palette (Win+Alt+Space by default). Type oc  followed by your message to send it directly to your agent. Results appear inline in the palette.

# Example palette input
oc summarize my clipboard

Enable or disable the extension under PowerToys → Command Palette → Extensions. If the extension does not appear, restart PowerToys after installing the Companion.

Troubleshooting

Tray icon is grey / gateway unreachable

Open Companion Settings and verify the Gateway URL matches your running gateway (e.g. http://localhost:3080). Check that the WSL gateway process is running:

wsl -- openclaw gateway status

If the gateway is stopped, start it with wsl -- openclaw gateway start.

Quick Send hotkey not working

Another application may have claimed the same hotkey combination. Open Tray → Settings → Hotkey and assign a different chord, then restart the Companion.

PowerToys extension missing

Fully quit PowerToys (System Tray → Exit), then relaunch it. If still missing, re-run the Companion installer in repair mode.

Node registration fails

Ensure your WSL distro and the Companion share the same gateway token. Check ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json inside WSL and confirm gateway.auth.token matches what is shown in Companion → Settings → Gateway Token.

# Inside WSL
cat ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json | grep -A2 '"auth"'

Skip the Setup: Use OpenClaw Launch