macos-launchdaemon

What This Skill Does

The macos-launchdaemon skill allows you to run your OpenClaw agent as a system-level LaunchDaemon on macOS. Unlike standard user-level processes, a LaunchDaemon starts automatically when the system boots, regardless of whether a user is logged in. By leveraging the macOS caffeinate utility within the configuration, the agent effectively prevents the host machine from entering sleep mode, ensuring the bot remains active and responsive 24/7. This configuration is specifically hardened to survive complex macOS scenarios, including user switching, long-term screen locking, and logout events.

Installation

You can install the skill via the CLI using the command: clawhub install openclaw/skills/skills/happydog-intj/openclaw-macos-always-on. For those preferring a manual approach, you can create a plist file in /Library/LaunchDaemons/ai.openclaw.gateway.plist (note: system-level Daemons require elevated privileges). Ensure you replace the YOUR_USERNAME placeholders in the plist configuration with your actual macOS short username to ensure correct file path resolution for logging and process execution. After creating the file, load it into the system via sudo launchctl load -w /Library/LaunchDaemons/ai.openclaw.gateway.plist.

Use Cases

This skill is ideal for professional and home-server environments. Use this when you require constant bot availability, such as managing incoming messages for a business, monitoring home automation tasks via OpenClaw, or maintaining an always-on gateway for remote API requests. It is particularly useful for shared workstations where multiple users might rotate access, as the daemon runs independently of specific user sessions.

Example Prompts

1. "OpenClaw, verify my current system uptime and check if the background gateway daemon is still reporting active heartbeat status."
2. "Can you confirm if the LaunchDaemon has write access to the standard error logs after the last system sleep cycle?"
3. "Transition my current session to the background daemon and ensure the caffeinate flag is successfully preventing system standby."

Tips & Limitations

Security awareness is critical when using LaunchDaemons, as they run with higher privileges than standard applications. Always audit the path of the executables being called to ensure they are pointing to trusted locations. Furthermore, while the daemon ensures the system stays awake, be mindful that it will consume power and potentially affect battery life on MacBook devices. For most users, this should be paired with a physical power source to avoid unexpected shutdowns.