Policy
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openclaw policy
Section titled “openclaw policy”openclaw policy is provided by the bundled Policy plugin. Policy is an
enterprise conformance layer over existing OpenClaw settings. It does not add a
second configuration system. policy.jsonc defines authored requirements,
OpenClaw observes the active workspace as evidence, and policy health checks
report drift through doctor --lint. The final conformance signal is a clean
doctor --lint run; policy contributes findings to that shared lint surface
instead of creating a separate health gate.
Policy currently manages configured channels, MCP servers, model providers,
network SSRF posture, Gateway exposure posture, agent workspace posture,
OpenClaw config secret provider/auth profile posture, and governed tool
declarations. For example, IT or a workspace operator can record that Telegram
is not an approved channel provider, restrict MCP servers and model refs to
approved entries, require private-network fetch/browser access to remain
disabled, require Gateway bind/auth/HTTP exposure to stay within reviewed
bounds, require agent workspace access and tool denies to stay in a reviewed
posture, require OpenClaw config SecretRefs to use managed providers, require
config auth profiles to carry provider/mode metadata, require governed tools to
carry risk and sensitivity metadata, then use doctor --lint as the shared
conformance gate.
Use policy when a workspace needs a durable statement such as “these channels must not be enabled” or “governed tools must declare approval metadata” and a repeatable way to prove that OpenClaw still conforms to that statement. Use regular config and workspace docs alone when you only need local behavior and do not need policy findings or attestation output.
Quick start
Section titled “Quick start”Enable the bundled Policy plugin before first use:
openclaw plugins enable policyWhen policy is enabled, doctor can load policy health checks without activating
arbitrary plugins. The plugin remains enabled if policy.jsonc is missing, so
doctor can report the missing artifact.
Policy is authored, not generated from the user’s current settings. A minimal policy for channels, MCP servers, model providers, network posture, Gateway exposure, agent workspace posture, OpenClaw config secret provider/auth profile posture, and tool metadata looks like this:
{ "channels": { "denyRules": [ { "id": "no-telegram", "when": { "provider": "telegram" }, "reason": "Telegram is not approved for this workspace.", }, ], }, "mcp": { "servers": { "allow": ["docs"], "deny": ["untrusted"], }, }, "models": { "providers": { "allow": ["openai", "anthropic"], "deny": ["openrouter"], }, }, "network": { "privateNetwork": { "allow": false, }, }, "gateway": { "exposure": { "allowNonLoopbackBind": false, "allowTailscaleFunnel": false, }, "auth": { "requireAuth": true, "requireExplicitRateLimit": true, }, "controlUi": { "allowInsecure": false, }, "remote": { "allow": false, }, "http": { "denyEndpoints": ["chatCompletions", "responses"], "requireUrlAllowlists": true, }, }, "agents": { "workspace": { "allowedAccess": ["none", "ro"], "denyTools": ["exec", "process", "write", "edit", "apply_patch"], }, }, "secrets": { "requireManagedProviders": true, "denySources": ["exec"], "allowInsecureProviders": false, }, "auth": { "profiles": { "requireMetadata": ["provider", "mode"], "allowModes": ["api_key", "token"], }, }, "tools": { "requireMetadata": ["risk", "sensitivity", "owner"], "profiles": { "allow": ["messaging", "minimal"], }, "fs": { "requireWorkspaceOnly": true, }, "exec": { "allowSecurity": ["deny", "allowlist"], "requireAsk": ["always"], "allowHosts": ["sandbox"], }, "elevated": { "allow": false, }, "denyTools": ["group:runtime", "group:fs"], },}The rules are the authority. A category block is only a namespace; checks run
when a concrete rule is present. OpenClaw reads current channels.* settings
mcp.servers.*, models.providers.*, selected agent model refs, network SSRF
settings, Gateway bind/auth/Control UI/Tailscale/remote/HTTP posture, OpenClaw
config agent sandbox workspace access and tool deny posture, config secret
provider and SecretRef provenance, config auth profile metadata, configured
global/per-agent tool posture, and TOOLS.md declarations as evidence, then
reports observed state that does not conform. If a policy denies non-loopback
Gateway binds, omit gateway.bind only when you
are willing to review the runtime default; set gateway.bind=loopback for
strict config conformance. For read-only agent posture, configure sandbox mode
on the applicable defaults or agent and set workspaceAccess to none or
ro; omitted or off sandbox mode does not satisfy a read-only/no-write
policy. agents.workspace.denyTools supports exec, process, write,
edit, and apply_patch; OpenClaw config group:fs covers file mutation tools
and group:runtime covers shell/process tools. Tool posture policy observes
tools.profile, tools.allow, tools.alsoAllow, tools.deny,
tools.fs.workspaceOnly, tools.exec.security, tools.exec.ask,
tools.exec.host, tools.elevated.enabled, and the same per-agent
agents.list[].tools.* overrides. It does not read runtime/operator approval
state such as exec-approvals.json, and it does not enforce tool calls at
runtime. Secret evidence records
provider/source posture and SecretRef metadata, never raw secret values. Policy
does not read or attest per-agent credential stores such as auth-profiles.json;
those stores remain owned by the existing auth and credential flows.
Policy rule reference
Section titled “Policy rule reference”Each policy field below is optional. A check runs only when the matching rule is
present in policy.jsonc. The observed state is existing OpenClaw config or
workspace metadata; policy reports drift but does not rewrite runtime behavior
unless a repair path is explicitly available and enabled.
Channels
Section titled “Channels”| Policy field | Observed state | Use when |
|---|---|---|
channels.denyRules[].when.provider | channels.* provider and enabled state | Deny configured channels from a provider such as telegram. |
channels.denyRules[].reason | Finding message and repair hint context | Explain why the provider is denied. |
MCP servers
Section titled “MCP servers”| Policy field | Observed state | Use when |
|---|---|---|
mcp.servers.allow | mcp.servers.* ids | Require every configured MCP server to be in an allowlist. |
mcp.servers.deny | mcp.servers.* ids | Deny specific configured MCP server ids. |
Model providers
Section titled “Model providers”| Policy field | Observed state | Use when |
|---|---|---|
models.providers.allow | models.providers.* ids and selected model refs | Require configured providers and selected model refs to use approved providers. |
models.providers.deny | models.providers.* ids and selected model refs | Deny configured providers and selected model refs by provider id. |
Network
Section titled “Network”| Policy field | Observed state | Use when |
|---|---|---|
network.privateNetwork.allow | Private-network SSRF escape hatches | Set to false to require private-network access to stay disabled. |
Gateway
Section titled “Gateway”| Policy field | Observed state | Use when |
|---|---|---|
gateway.exposure.allowNonLoopbackBind | gateway.bind | Set to false to require loopback Gateway binding. |
gateway.exposure.allowTailscaleFunnel | Tailscale serve/funnel Gateway posture | Set to false to deny Tailscale Funnel exposure. |
gateway.auth.requireAuth | gateway.auth.mode | Set to true to reject disabled Gateway auth. |
gateway.auth.requireExplicitRateLimit | gateway.auth.rateLimit | Set to true to require explicit auth rate-limit config. |
gateway.controlUi.allowInsecure | Control UI insecure auth/device/origin toggles | Set to false to deny insecure Control UI exposure toggles. |
gateway.remote.allow | Remote Gateway mode/config | Set to false to deny remote Gateway mode. |
gateway.http.denyEndpoints | Gateway HTTP API endpoints | Deny endpoint ids such as chatCompletions or responses. |
gateway.http.requireUrlAllowlists | Gateway HTTP URL-fetch inputs | Set to true to require URL allowlists on URL-fetch inputs. |
Agent workspace
Section titled “Agent workspace”| Policy field | Observed state | Use when |
|---|---|---|
agents.workspace.allowedAccess | agents.defaults.sandbox.workspaceAccess and agents.list[].sandbox.workspaceAccess | Allow only sandbox workspace access values such as none or ro. |
agents.workspace.denyTools | Global and per-agent tool deny config | Require workspace/runtime mutation tools such as exec, process, write, edit, or apply_patch to be denied. |
Secrets
Section titled “Secrets”| Policy field | Observed state | Use when |
|---|---|---|
secrets.requireManagedProviders | Config SecretRefs and secrets.providers.* declarations | Set to true to require SecretRefs to point at declared providers. |
secrets.denySources | Secret provider sources and SecretRef sources | Deny sources such as exec, file, or another configured source name. |
secrets.allowInsecureProviders | Insecure secret-provider posture flags | Set to false to reject providers that opt into insecure posture. |
Auth profiles
Section titled “Auth profiles”| Policy field | Observed state | Use when |
|---|---|---|
auth.profiles.requireMetadata | auth.profiles.* provider and mode metadata | Require metadata keys such as provider and mode on config auth profiles. |
auth.profiles.allowModes | auth.profiles.*.mode | Allow only supported auth profile modes such as api_key, aws-sdk, oauth, or token. |
Tool metadata
Section titled “Tool metadata”| Policy field | Observed state | Use when |
|---|---|---|
tools.requireMetadata | Governed TOOLS.md declarations | Require governed tools to declare metadata keys such as risk, sensitivity, or owner. |
Tool posture
Section titled “Tool posture”| Policy field | Observed state | Use when |
|---|---|---|
tools.profiles.allow | tools.profile and agents.list[].tools.profile | Allow only tool profile ids such as minimal, messaging, or coding. |
tools.fs.requireWorkspaceOnly | tools.fs.workspaceOnly and per-agent tools.fs overrides | Set to true to require workspace-only filesystem tool posture. |
tools.exec.allowSecurity | tools.exec.security and per-agent exec security | Allow only exec security modes such as deny or allowlist. |
tools.exec.requireAsk | tools.exec.ask and per-agent exec ask mode | Require approval posture such as always. |
tools.exec.allowHosts | tools.exec.host and per-agent exec host routing | Allow only exec host routing modes such as sandbox. |
tools.elevated.allow | tools.elevated.enabled and per-agent elevated posture | Set to false to require elevated tool mode to stay disabled. |
tools.denyTools | tools.deny and agents.list[].tools.deny | Require configured tool deny lists to include tool ids or groups such as group:runtime and group:fs. |
Run policy-only checks during authoring:
openclaw policy checkopenclaw policy check --jsonopenclaw policy check --severity-min errorpolicy check runs only the policy check set and emits evidence, findings, and
attestation hashes. The same findings also appear in openclaw doctor --lint
when the Policy plugin is enabled.
Example clean JSON output includes stable hashes that can be recorded by an operator or supervisor:
{ "ok": true, "attestation": { "policy": { "path": "policy.jsonc", "hash": "sha256:..." }, "workspace": { "scope": "policy", "hash": "sha256:..." }, "findingsHash": "sha256:...", "attestationHash": "sha256:..." }, "checksRun": 5, "checksSkipped": 0, "findings": []}Configure policy
Section titled “Configure policy”Policy config lives under plugins.entries.policy.config.
{ "plugins": { "entries": { "policy": { "enabled": true, "config": { "enabled": true, "path": "policy.jsonc", "workspaceRepairs": false, "expectedHash": "sha256:...", "expectedAttestationHash": "sha256:...", }, }, }, },}| Setting | Purpose |
|---|---|
enabled | Enable policy checks even before policy.jsonc exists. |
workspaceRepairs | Allow doctor --fix to edit policy-managed workspace settings. |
expectedHash | Optional hash-lock for the approved policy artifact. |
expectedAttestationHash | Optional hash-lock for the last accepted clean policy check. |
path | Workspace-relative location of the policy artifact. |
Set plugins.entries.policy.config.enabled to false to disable policy checks
for a workspace while leaving the plugin installed.
Tool metadata requirements are authored in policy.jsonc with
tools.requireMetadata, for example ["risk", "sensitivity", "owner"].
Accept policy state
Section titled “Accept policy state”Example JSON output:
{ "ok": true, "attestation": { "checkedAt": "2026-05-10T20:00:00.000Z", "policy": { "path": "policy.jsonc", "hash": "sha256:..." }, "workspace": { "scope": "policy", "hash": "sha256:..." }, "findingsHash": "sha256:...", "attestationHash": "sha256:..." }, "evidence": { "channels": [ { "id": "telegram", "provider": "telegram", "source": "oc://openclaw.config/channels/telegram", "enabled": false } ], "mcpServers": [ { "id": "docs", "transport": "stdio", "source": "oc://openclaw.config/mcp/servers/docs", "command": "npx" } ], "modelProviders": [ { "id": "openai", "source": "oc://openclaw.config/models/providers/openai" } ], "modelRefs": [ { "ref": "openai/gpt-5.5", "provider": "openai", "model": "gpt-5.5", "source": "oc://openclaw.config/agents/defaults/model" } ], "network": [ { "id": "browser-private-network", "source": "oc://openclaw.config/browser/ssrfPolicy/dangerouslyAllowPrivateNetwork", "value": false } ], "gatewayExposure": [ { "id": "gateway-bind", "kind": "bind", "source": "oc://openclaw.config/gateway/bind", "value": "loopback", "nonLoopback": false, "explicit": true } ], "agentWorkspace": [ { "id": "agents-defaults-workspace-access", "kind": "workspaceAccess", "source": "oc://openclaw.config/agents/defaults/sandbox/workspaceAccess", "scope": "defaults", "value": "ro", "sandboxMode": "all", "sandboxModeSource": "oc://openclaw.config/agents/defaults/sandbox/mode", "sandboxEnabled": true, "explicit": true }, { "id": "agents-defaults-tool-exec", "kind": "toolDeny", "source": "oc://openclaw.config/tools/deny", "scope": "defaults", "tool": "exec", "denied": true, "explicit": true } ], "secrets": [ { "id": "vault", "kind": "provider", "source": "oc://openclaw.config/secrets/providers/vault", "providerSource": "env" }, { "id": "oc://openclaw.config/models/providers/openai/apiKey", "kind": "input", "source": "oc://openclaw.config/models/providers/openai/apiKey", "provenance": "secretRef", "refSource": "env", "refProvider": "vault" } ], "authProfiles": [ { "id": "github", "source": "oc://openclaw.config/auth/profiles/github", "validMetadata": true, "provider": "github", "mode": "token" } ], "tools": [ { "id": "deploy", "source": "oc://TOOLS.md/tools/deploy", "line": 12, "risk": "critical", "sensitivity": "restricted", "capabilities": ["IRREVERSIBLE_EXTERNAL"] } ] }, "checksRun": 30, "checksSkipped": 0, "findings": []}The policy hash identifies the authored rule artifact. The evidence block
records the observed OpenClaw state used by the policy checks. The
workspace.hash value identifies that evidence payload for the checked scope.
The findings hash identifies the exact finding set returned by the check.
checkedAt records when the evaluation ran. The attestation hash identifies
the stable claim: policy hash, evidence hash, findings hash, and whether the
result was clean. It intentionally does not include checkedAt, so the same
policy state produces the same attestation across repeated checks. Together,
these form the audit tuple for this policy check.
If a later gateway or supervisor uses policy to block, approve, or annotate a
runtime action, it should record the attestation hash from the last clean policy
check. checkedAt stays in JSON output for audit logs, but is not part of the
stable attestation hash.
Use this lifecycle when accepting policy state:
- Author or review
policy.jsonc. - Run
openclaw policy check --json. - If the result is clean, record
attestation.policy.hashasexpectedHash. - Record
attestation.attestationHashasexpectedAttestationHash. - Re-run
openclaw doctor --lintin CI or release gates.
If policy rules change intentionally, update both accepted hashes from a clean
check. If workspace settings change intentionally but policy stays the same,
only expectedAttestationHash usually changes.
Enabling or upgrading agents.workspace rules adds agentWorkspace evidence to
the workspace hash and attestation hash. Operators should review the new
evidence and refresh accepted attestation hashes after enabling these rules.
Enabling or upgrading tool posture rules adds toolPosture evidence in the
same way.
openclaw policy watch runs the same check repeatedly and reports when the
current evidence no longer matches expectedAttestationHash:
openclaw policy watch --jsonUse --once in CI or scripts that only need one drift evaluation. Without
--once, the command polls every two seconds by default; use --interval-ms to
choose a different interval.
Findings
Section titled “Findings”Policy currently verifies:
| Check id | Finding |
|---|---|
policy/policy-jsonc-missing | Policy is enabled but policy.jsonc is missing. |
policy/policy-jsonc-invalid | Policy cannot be parsed or contains malformed rule entries. |
policy/policy-hash-mismatch | Policy does not match configured expectedHash. |
policy/attestation-hash-mismatch | Current policy evidence no longer matches the accepted attestation. |
policy/channels-denied-provider | An enabled channel matches a channel deny rule. |
policy/mcp-denied-server | A configured MCP server is denied by policy. |
policy/mcp-unapproved-server | A configured MCP server is outside the allowlist. |
policy/models-denied-provider | A configured model provider or model ref uses a denied provider. |
policy/models-unapproved-provider | A configured model provider or model ref is outside the allowlist. |
policy/network-private-access-enabled | A private-network SSRF escape hatch is enabled when policy denies it. |
policy/gateway-non-loopback-bind | Gateway bind posture permits non-loopback exposure when policy denies it. |
policy/gateway-auth-disabled | Gateway authentication is disabled when policy requires auth. |
policy/gateway-rate-limit-missing | Gateway auth rate-limit posture is not explicit when policy requires it. |
policy/gateway-control-ui-insecure | Gateway Control UI insecure exposure toggles are enabled. |
policy/gateway-tailscale-funnel | Gateway Tailscale Funnel exposure is enabled when policy denies it. |
policy/gateway-remote-enabled | Gateway remote mode is active when policy denies it. |
policy/gateway-http-endpoint-enabled | A Gateway HTTP API endpoint is enabled while denied by policy. |
policy/gateway-http-url-fetch-unrestricted | Gateway HTTP URL-fetch input lacks a required URL allowlist. |
policy/agents-workspace-access-denied | Agent sandbox mode or workspace access is outside the policy allowlist. |
policy/agents-tool-not-denied | An agent or default config does not deny a tool required by policy. |
policy/tools-profile-unapproved | A configured global or per-agent tool profile is outside the allowlist. |
policy/tools-fs-workspace-only-required | Filesystem tools are not configured with workspace-only path posture. |
policy/tools-exec-security-unapproved | Exec security mode is outside the policy allowlist. |
policy/tools-exec-ask-unapproved | Exec ask mode is outside the policy allowlist. |
policy/tools-exec-host-unapproved | Exec host routing is outside the policy allowlist. |
policy/tools-elevated-enabled | Elevated tool mode is enabled when policy denies it. |
policy/tools-required-deny-missing | A global or per-agent tool deny list does not include a required denied tool. |
policy/secrets-unmanaged-provider | A config SecretRef references a provider not declared under secrets.providers. |
policy/secrets-denied-provider-source | A config secret provider or SecretRef uses a source denied by policy. |
policy/secrets-insecure-provider | A secret provider opts into insecure posture when policy denies it. |
policy/auth-profile-invalid-metadata | A config auth profile is missing valid provider or mode metadata. |
policy/auth-profile-unapproved-mode | A config auth profile mode is outside the policy allowlist. |
policy/tools-missing-risk-level | A governed tool declaration is missing risk metadata. |
policy/tools-unknown-risk-level | A governed tool declaration uses an unknown risk value. |
policy/tools-missing-sensitivity-token | A governed tool declaration is missing sensitivity metadata. |
policy/tools-missing-owner | A governed tool declaration is missing owner metadata. |
policy/tools-unknown-sensitivity-token | A governed tool declaration uses an unknown sensitivity value. |
Policy findings can include both target and requirement. target is the
observed workspace thing that does not conform. requirement is the authored
policy rule that made it a finding. Both values are addresses today, usually
oc:// paths, but the field names describe their policy role rather than the
address format.
Example JSON finding:
{ "checkId": "policy/channels-denied-provider", "severity": "error", "message": "Channel 'telegram' uses denied provider 'telegram'.", "source": "policy", "path": "openclaw config", "ocPath": "oc://openclaw.config/channels/telegram", "target": "oc://openclaw.config/channels/telegram", "requirement": "oc://policy.jsonc/channels/denyRules/#0", "fixHint": "Telegram is not approved for this workspace."}Example tool finding:
{ "checkId": "policy/tools-missing-risk-level", "severity": "error", "message": "TOOLS.md tool 'deploy' has no explicit risk classification.", "source": "policy", "path": "TOOLS.md", "line": 12, "ocPath": "oc://TOOLS.md/tools/deploy", "target": "oc://TOOLS.md/tools/deploy", "requirement": "oc://policy.jsonc/tools/requireMetadata"}Example MCP finding:
{ "checkId": "policy/mcp-unapproved-server", "severity": "error", "message": "MCP server 'remote' is not in the policy allowlist.", "source": "policy", "path": "openclaw config", "ocPath": "oc://openclaw.config/mcp/servers/remote", "target": "oc://openclaw.config/mcp/servers/remote", "requirement": "oc://policy.jsonc/mcp/servers/allow"}Example model-provider finding:
{ "checkId": "policy/models-unapproved-provider", "severity": "error", "message": "Model ref 'anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.7' uses unapproved provider 'anthropic'.", "source": "policy", "path": "openclaw config", "ocPath": "oc://openclaw.config/agents/defaults/model/fallbacks/#0", "target": "oc://openclaw.config/agents/defaults/model/fallbacks/#0", "requirement": "oc://policy.jsonc/models/providers/allow"}Example network finding:
{ "checkId": "policy/network-private-access-enabled", "severity": "error", "message": "Network setting 'browser-private-network' allows private-network access.", "source": "policy", "path": "openclaw config", "ocPath": "oc://openclaw.config/browser/ssrfPolicy/dangerouslyAllowPrivateNetwork", "target": "oc://openclaw.config/browser/ssrfPolicy/dangerouslyAllowPrivateNetwork", "requirement": "oc://policy.jsonc/network/privateNetwork/allow"}Example Gateway exposure finding:
{ "checkId": "policy/gateway-non-loopback-bind", "severity": "error", "message": "Gateway bind setting 'gateway-bind' permits non-loopback exposure.", "source": "policy", "path": "openclaw config", "ocPath": "oc://openclaw.config/gateway/bind", "target": "oc://openclaw.config/gateway/bind", "requirement": "oc://policy.jsonc/gateway/exposure/allowNonLoopbackBind"}Example agent workspace finding:
{ "checkId": "policy/agents-workspace-access-denied", "severity": "error", "message": "agents.defaults sandbox workspaceAccess 'rw' is not allowed by policy.", "source": "policy", "path": "openclaw config", "ocPath": "oc://openclaw.config/agents/defaults/sandbox/workspaceAccess", "target": "oc://openclaw.config/agents/defaults/sandbox/workspaceAccess", "requirement": "oc://policy.jsonc/agents/workspace/allowedAccess"}Repair
Section titled “Repair”doctor --lint and policy check are read-only.
doctor --fix only edits policy-managed workspace settings when
workspaceRepairs is explicitly enabled. Without that opt-in, policy checks
report what they would repair and leave settings unchanged.
In this version, repair can disable channels that are enabled in OpenClaw config
but denied by channels.denyRules. Enable workspaceRepairs only after the
policy file has been reviewed, because a valid deny rule can turn off a
configured channel:
{ "plugins": { "entries": { "policy": { "config": { "workspaceRepairs": true, }, }, }, },}Exit codes
Section titled “Exit codes”| Command | 0 | 1 | 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
policy check | No findings at the threshold. | One or more findings met the threshold. | Argument or runtime failure. |
policy watch | No findings and accepted hash is current. | Findings exist or accepted attestation is stale. | Argument or runtime failure. |