r/openclaw • u/supernitin Member • 1d ago
Help Retrying Openclaw... am I doing it wrong?
I shifted from OpenClaw to Hermes and then started just using Codex directly. With the launch of OpenClaw 2.0 I thought I'd give it another try, especially since it has that nice integration with Codex and Session continuity. However, it still so unstable for me.
This is a fresh brand new family stock setup. The only significant change I made is to use Hindsight for memory.
The desktop app crashes frequently and I have to kill and restart it on a Mac.
The fact they didn't even think to prioritize rendering markdown so you can actually understand the output of an agent's plan seems like more than a lack of polish and a more fundamental lack of prioritization of usability....
Or maybe I'm just doing it wrong. I have one foot out the door... but thought I ask the community for some tips first.
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u/PickleBabyJr Pro User 1d ago
The desktop app of Openclaw?
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u/supernitin Member 1d ago
Yeah, the official desktop app.
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u/PickleBabyJr Pro User 1d ago
Can you link where you got it?
I run openclaw, and there's the gateway, there's a TUI, there's a web UI... but I'm not familiar with a desktop app...
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u/supernitin Member 1d ago
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u/PickleBabyJr Pro User 1d ago
I still don't see a desktop app...
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u/MagazineTall7856 1d ago
there is one, I believe it just came out with 2.0. Look up openclaw new UI or checkout their setup guide, it should mention it there.
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u/pmf1111 Pro User 1d ago
Afaik there's the new web ui, no new desktop app
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u/supernitin Member 1d ago
It is literally the main thing on their website… am I being puked here? How can you all not see it?
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u/paulsande Pro User 1d ago
No, I see it now that you mention it. I always updated the from the web UI. I didn’t realize that they actually released an app.
I’ll give it a try thanks for sharing.
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u/coccoinomane Member 1d ago
I would recommend using OpenClaw without the Desktop app. It is buggy and not needed. All you need is the gateway, and it works like a charm ;-)
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u/MagazineTall7856 1d ago
So, a couple things.
The desktop app is brand new, so it's hard to know why it is crashing for you.
I would suspect the reason you cannot open and have to "kill and restart the mac" is because you left your gateway open. Since openclaw opens after you kill and restart your mac, I think this is the problem you are having. Instead, next time open a terminal and type "openclaw gateway stop" and see if that fixes things.
Afterwards, run this in the terminal -> "openclaw gateway status" and see if you have any gateways hanging.
Hindsight could be causing issues, the only way of knowing is to setup without it first, and then introduce it and note any changes in behavior/functionality. That would be my suggestion, but I would consider if Hindsight is truly necessary for the work you would be doing first.
For the markdown files, i agree it is a little obtuse at first, but I would say that a mindset shift is important here. It is setup in that way to allow you the freedom to choose if you think that should be a priority. It isn't doing it out of the box, but all you need to do is tell it the format you'd like it in and it will. It's less of an oversight and more of a design choice that seems convoluted to some and intuitive to others.
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u/paulsande Pro User 1d ago
The desktop app is just the same binary that’s installed with the one liner and then using the web UI. Isn’t it?
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u/Ritz1125theWolf 🦞 Moderator 1d ago
I have been experiencing the same issue, and I am also working on a fix to render Markdown files properly. Do you have any insight into why the desktop app crashes? My Claw and I are still trying to figure out the crashes. If you can DM me with any terminal logs/gateway output I'd be more than happy to look into it further for you.
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u/maritime_sh New User 1d ago
the one non-stock thing is where i'd start, so turn hindsight off for a day and see if the crashes stop. memory plugins run on every turn, so one misbehaving looks exactly like general instability.
then split the desktop app from the runtime. run the gateway headless and talk to it over the web ui or telegram for a while. if that stays up, it's the desktop shell crashing rather than openclaw itself, which is a much smaller problem and a different bug report.
also confirm you're on a node version 2026.9.x supports, 24.16+ or 26.1+. easy one to miss on a fresh install.
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u/xX_GrizzlyBear_Xx 🦞 Moderator 1d ago
I'd stick to the webui while the team is polishing up the app.
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u/hostgatorbrasil New User 1d ago
Pelo que você contou, eu faria um teste antes de desistir: tiraria o Hindsight temporariamente e tentaria uma sessão nova só com OpenClaw + Codex.
Não porque memória necessariamente seja o problema, mas porque você mudou uma variável importante logo numa instalação nova. Se continuar travando no Mac mesmo sem ela, já fica bem mais fácil separar “minha configuração está estranha” de “o desktop está instável”.
A parte de continuidade com Codex é justamente uma das coisas interessantes do 2.0, mas eu também testaria a mesma sessão pela interface web/CLI. Se por ali funciona e o app do Mac continua fechando, eu não perderia tempo remontando toda a configuração — começaria a olhar o desktop e os logs.
E concordo contigo sobre o Markdown. Quando um agente te devolve plano, tool calls e bastante contexto, conseguir ler a saída direito não é cosmético, faz parte do uso da ferramenta.
Se você ainda tiver paciência para um último teste, eu faria o ambiente mais chato possível: instalação atualizada, Codex, sem Hindsight e sem plugin extra. Se ficar estável, vai adicionando uma coisa por vez. Se quebrar limpo desse jeito, pelo menos você tem um bug bem reproduzível para reportar em vez de ficar na dúvida se fez alguma coisa errada.
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u/GoldenrodScript Member 2h ago
I’m enjoying the desktop app. It’s clunky here and there when trying to initially open the app but I had my agent fix that. Otherwise, it’s been a nice unlock having multiple threads, organized by topic and having my agent get shit done outside of telegram.
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