Uninstall OpenClaw on Linux Without Stray systemd Units

Linux runs the OpenClaw gateway as a user-level systemd service, which means uninstalling it requires more than just removing the binary. Units, sockets, and profile directories can persist and continue affecting your system.

This guide walks you through a clean removal process to ensure no leftover services, files, or configurations remain.

TL;DR

Prep Linux for uninstall

• Saves workspaces, cron logs, and secrets for future restores.
• List profiles: run ls -d ~/.openclaw* to see every default and profiled state directory.
• Find remote gateways: note any remote hosts where the gateway also runs—you’ll repeat the cleanup there later.

Stop and uninstall the gateway unit

• gateway uninstall removes the systemd unit + socket through the CLI.
• The unified openclaw uninstall command performs these steps automatically.

Remove systemd user units and sockets

Double-check that no units remain:

If you used profiles, repeat with openclaw-gateway-<profile>.service. Use systemctl --user list-units | grep openclaw to confirm nothing is active. (Reference: systemd systemctl man page)

OpenClaw leftover files cleanup on Linux

• Workspace + logs: remove ~/.openclaw/workspace, ~/.openclaw/logs, and any custom workspace paths (/srv/agents/...).
• Cache directories: if you stored cache files under /var/tmp/openclaw or similar, delete those as well.
• Editors/terminals: clear shell history entries that include secrets (history -d or sed -i on .bash_history) if needed.

Remove the CLI and shell artifacts

If you cloned the repo instead of installing globally, delete the clone after shutting down the gateway. Remove any custom shell completions or aliases referencing OpenClaw from ~/.bashrc, ~/.zshrc, or ~/.config/fish/config.fish.

Revoke API keys and remote hosts

• Revoke OAuth tokens (Slack, Google, Notion, GitHub, Discord, etc.) that were tied to this Linux box.
• Remove SSH keys or deploy tokens if you granted OpenClaw access to private Git repos.
• If you ran remote gateways, repeat the gateway uninstall steps on each host so no background service remains.

Verify the uninstall and next steps

• should respond “Unit openclaw-gateway.service could not be found.”
• Binary check: which openclaw should return nothing.
• Filesystem check: ls ~/.openclaw ~/.openclaw-* should raise “No such file or directory.”
• Journal scan: journalctl --user -u openclaw-gateway.service should show older entries only—no new ones.

Once everything is clear, reinstall on the same machine or migrate to a new host.

FAQ

Do I need sudo for any command?

No. OpenClaw uses user-level systemd units. Run the commands as the same user that installed the gateway.

How do I clean Docker or Podman sandboxes?

Stop and remove any containers/images referencing OpenClaw: docker rm <container> → docker rmi <image> (or the Podman equivalents) to keep registries clean.

Can I skip deleting the workspace?

Only if you want to keep local transcripts. Otherwise, move the files elsewhere and delete the originals to guarantee a clean uninstall.

What if systemctl --user says the service is masked?

Run systemctl --user unmask openclaw-gateway.service first, then re-run the disable/remove commands.