How to Uninstall OpenClaw Without Leaving a Trace

OpenClaw installs far more than a single executable. The gateway service, launch agents, state directories, cached credentials, and optional desktop apps all linger until you explicitly remove them. That’s why a clean uninstall requires more than deleting the CLI binary.

This practical teardown walks through backing up, running the supported openclaw uninstall flow, platform-specific service removal, and the “leftover files cleanup” that ensures no profile folders or API secrets stay behind.

TL;DR

Create a backup and map every profile

• This creates a restorable archive of agent workspaces, cron logs, and memory files. (Source: OpenClaw CLI uninstall docs)
• List state directories: check for ~/.openclaw, ~/.openclaw-<profile>, and custom OPENCLAW_STATE_DIR locations. Write them down—you’ll delete each later.
• Catalog connectors: note which Slack workspaces, Google accounts, custom webhooks, or personal API keys were paired so you can revoke them post-removal.

Run the official uninstall flow

With the CLI still present, let OpenClaw remove its own services:

• This command stops the gateway, unregisters launchd/systemd/schtasks entries, deletes the default state directory, and removes cached credentials.
• Use openclaw uninstall --dry-run first if you need a preview of what will be removed.

If the CLI is already gone, skip ahead to the manual service removal section.

Stop and unregister OS services

macOS (launchd)

Replace ai.openclaw.gateway with ai.openclaw.<profile> for every profile you created.

Linux (systemd user unit)

Legacy units use openclaw-gateway-<profile>.service; remove each before moving on.

Windows (Scheduled Task)

Open PowerShell as the same user that installed OpenClaw:

Then delete %USERPROFILE%\.openclaw\gateway.cmd (or the profiled variant) so Windows can’t relaunch it.

Delete leftover files and profiles

This is where the secondary keyword—openclaw leftover files cleanup—comes into play.

• Profile-specific directories: for every profile you noted earlier:

• Custom config path: if you set OPENCLAW_CONFIG_PATH, delete that file as well.
• Docker or VM sandboxes: run docker rm / docker rmi (or podman rm / podman rmi) for any images tagged with OpenClaw to keep registries clean.

Remove the CLI + desktop apps

Depending on your installer:

If you used install.sh / install.ps1, the CLI was added via npm install -g openclaw@latest, so npm rm -g openclaw is sufficient.

Revoke API keys and webhooks

Uninstalling locally does not invalidate external tokens. Visit each connected service (Google Cloud Console, Slack App dashboard, Discord Developer Portal, Notion integrations, GitHub tokens) and revoke the credentials generated for OpenClaw. Rotate shared secrets anywhere they were reused.

Verify the cleanup and plan your next install

• Processes & services:macOS: launchctl list | grep openclaw
• Linux: systemctl --user status openclaw-gateway.service
• Windows: Get-Process OpenClaw* and schtasks /Query /TN "OpenClaw Gateway"
• Binary check: which openclaw (macOS/Linux) or Get-Command openclaw (PowerShell) should return “not found.”
• File system check: ls ~/.openclaw and ls ~/.openclaw-* should raise “No such file or directory.”
• Future path: if you’re uninstalling to move into a managed host or fresh machine, document whether you’ll reinstall locally, spin up a remote gateway, or migrate to a hosted control plane before wiping backups.

FAQ

Can I reinstall immediately after running openclaw uninstall?

Yes. The command removes state and services but leaves global package managers intact. Once the cleanup checks pass, rerun npm install -g openclaw (or the installer script) and onboard as if it were a new machine.

What if the service keeps restarting after I delete files?

You likely missed the launchd/systemd/schtasks entry. Re-run the platform-specific commands above, then delete any lingering gateway.cmd or .service files referenced by your OS scheduler.

Do I have to delete the workspace?

No, but leaving ~/.openclaw/workspace behind defeats the purpose of a clean uninstall. Archive it elsewhere if you want historical transcripts, then remove it from the machine you’re wiping.

How do I handle remote gateways?

Repeat the uninstall steps on the remote host that runs the gateway service. The openclaw uninstall command only removes the local machine’s state, so remote hosts must be cleaned separately.