OpenClaw Gateway Connection Refused

“Connection refused” means the network path reached the host but nothing accepted the connection at that address and port. First prove where the Gateway is listening.

Check the managed service

openclaw gateway status
openclaw gateway probe
openclaw logs --follow

If runtime is stopped, use the Gateway not running path first.

Confirm the endpoint

Compare the configured target with the dashboard or endpoint printed by Gateway status. A native Windows Gateway and a WSL2 Gateway may use different network boundaries. A container’s localhost also refers to the container itself, not automatically to the host.

Check bind and authentication together

Do not change a loopback bind to a public interface simply to make the error disappear. Remote access needs a deliberate authenticated route. If a non-loopback bind is refused without auth, keep the guardrail and configure access correctly.

Eliminate a stale process

Logs may report that another Gateway instance already owns the port. Stop the duplicate through its service manager; do not assign random ports to multiple forgotten instances.

Expected result

openclaw gateway probe reports Reachable: yes, and the client uses the same authenticated endpoint printed by Gateway status.