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How to uninstall OpenClaw on a Mac, including the gateway that keeps starting at login

OpenClaw leaves a 1.6 GB workspace, a browser profile and login agents. On our Mac its gateway was still loaded while the CLI itself refused to run.

6 min read

How do I completely uninstall OpenClaw on a Mac?

  1. Stop and unload the gateway (and the menu bar helper if you installed it):
  2. Remove the package with npm, using the Node version you installed it with.
  3. Move the LaunchAgent files to the Trash.
  4. Move ~/.openclaw to the Trash, after copying anything in workspace you want to keep.
launchctl bootout gui/$(id -u) ~/Library/LaunchAgents/ai.openclaw.gateway.plist
launchctl bootout gui/$(id -u) ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.openclaw.menubar.plist
npm uninstall -g openclaw
mv ~/Library/LaunchAgents/ai.openclaw.gateway.plist ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.openclaw.menubar.plist ~/.Trash/

What does OpenClaw keep on a Mac?

WhereSize hereWhat it is
~/.openclaw/workspace1.3 GBFiles your agents created and worked on
~/.openclaw/browser125 MBThe browser profile agents use, with its sign ins
~/.openclaw/logs76 MBGateway and agent logs
~/.openclaw/agents, memory, skills, cron52 MBAgent definitions, memory, skills and schedules
~/.openclaw/credentials34 MBStored keys and tokens for the services you connected
~/Library/LaunchAgents2 or more filesai.openclaw.gateway, com.openclaw.menubar, and any job you scheduled
~/Library/Application Support/openclaw-menubar2.1 MBThe menu bar helper

Why does the gateway still run after an update broke OpenClaw?

On our Mac launchctl list showed ai.openclaw.gateway loaded, while running openclaw answered that it needs a newer Node.js than the one nvm had active. The LaunchAgent does not care whether the command works; launchd keeps trying it. That is why step one is launchctl bootout, not the npm command.

Should I revoke the keys it stored?

Yes, if you are done with it. Deleting ~/.openclaw/credentials removes the copies on this Mac but not the keys themselves. Revoke any API keys or tokens you gave OpenClaw at each provider.

Find what is left in one look

Free Mac shows ~/.openclaw with its workspace and browser profile to scale, and moves what you pick to the Trash. See AI coding tools taking up space for similar tools and global npm packages for the install itself.

Related: uninstall Devin and uninstall Oh My Zsh.

Common questions

Does npm uninstall stop the OpenClaw gateway?

No. The gateway is started by a LaunchAgent in ~/Library/LaunchAgents. Unload it with launchctl bootout and move the plist to the Trash, or it keeps starting at login.

How much space does OpenClaw use on a Mac?

On our Mac, 1.6 GB in ~/.openclaw, 1.3 GB of it the workspace your agents worked in, plus a 125 MB browser profile.

Is it safe to delete ~/.openclaw?

Yes, once the gateway is stopped. Copy anything in workspace you want first, and revoke the keys stored in credentials at each provider.

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