exec-approvals

Manage all OpenClaw exec approval settings — elevated access, obfuscation bypass, security posture, and per-provider allowlists. Use when an agent cannot run sudo/host commands, long commands are blocked as obfuscation, or when onboarding/auditing exec permissions across a fleet of agents. Covers elevated exec enablement, obfuscation check bypass, and security mode configuration.

Manage all OpenClaw exec permission and approval settings from one place.

When to Use

• Agent says "elevated exec is disabled" or "I can't run sudo"
• Commands blocked with "Command too long; potential obfuscation"
• Onboarding a new agent that needs host-level access
• Auditing exec permissions across a fleet
• Tightening or relaxing exec security posture

Quick Reference

Problem	Config Key	Section
Can't run sudo	tools.elevated	Elevated Exec
Long commands blocked	tools.exec.obfuscationCheck	Obfuscation Bypass
Security mode too strict	tools.exec.security	Security Mode

Elevated Exec

Enable agents to run host-level commands (sudo, system scripts, package installs) from chat providers.

Enable

bash

python3 -c "
import json
p='$HOME/.openclaw/openclaw.json'
d=json.load(open(p))
if 'tools' not in d: d['tools'] = {}
d['tools']['elevated'] = {
    'enabled': True,
    'allowFrom': {
        'telegram': ['*']
    }
}
json.dump(d, open(p,'w'), indent=2)
"

Then restart: openclaw gateway restart

Per-Provider Control

Restrict to specific user IDs:

json

{
  "tools": {
    "elevated": {
      "enabled": true,
      "allowFrom": {
        "telegram": ["855505513"],
        "discord": ["1457708441677332592"]
      }
    }
  }
}

Supported providers: telegram, discord, whatsapp, slack, signal, matrix

Common Errors

Error	Fix
expected array, received boolean	Use ["*"] not true
elevated exec is disabled	Set config + restart gateway
config is invalid	Ensure allowFrom.<provider> is always an array

Obfuscation Bypass

Disable the exec obfuscation blocker that flags long commands, heredocs, or generated shell payloads.

Config Toggle (preferred)

json

{
  "tools": {
    "exec": {
      "obfuscationCheck": false
    }
  }
}

Check Version Support

bash

openclaw --version
rg -n "obfuscationCheck" /usr/lib/node_modules/openclaw -S

If the key exists, config toggle works. If not, patch the bundled runtime:

1. Find the active bundle: rg -n "detectCommandObfuscation" /usr/lib/node_modules/openclaw -S
2. Patch detectCommandObfuscation to always return {detected: false, reasons: [], matchedPatterns: []}
3. Restart gateway

On upgrades, re-check for config support first.

Security Mode

Mode	Behavior
full	All commands allowed
allowlist	Only allowlisted commands
deny	No exec at all

json

{
  "tools": {
    "exec": {
      "security": "full",
      "ask": "on-miss"
    }
  }
}

Security Notes

• Elevated exec means the agent can run any command on the host
• For fleet agents, prefer specific user IDs over ["*"]
• Disable elevated access after one-time tasks if ongoing access isn't needed
• Obfuscation bypass is for trusted single-operator deployments
• Upgrades may overwrite manual patches — always verify after updating