Uninstall ManualmacOS / Linux / WindowsDocker / Podman / Nix / Ansible

Complete OpenClaw Uninstall Guide

It's not just 'deleting an app': you need to handle background gateway services, state/config directories, containerized deployment residues, and (strongly recommended) revoke third-party permissions and keys you've granted.

Recommended Order

First openclaw uninstall or stop service → then uninstall CLI.

One-click Copy

Copy button on the top right of each command block.

Security Polish

Don't forget to revoke OAuth / rotate API Keys after uninstalling.

Step 0

Locate: How did you install it?

Different installation methods have different uninstall paths. Locate yours in 10 seconds.

A. Standard Local

openclaw command works, UI/service may be in background.

Go to section

B. CLI is missing

openclaw command is gone, but service/process remains.

Go to section

C/D. Containers

You used docker-setup.sh or setup-podman.sh.

Go to section

E/F. Nix / Ansible

Deployed via nix-openclaw or openclaw-ansible.

Go to section

Step 1

Official Uninstall (CLI exists)

If the openclaw command still works, use its built-in uninstaller first.

1.1 One command (Recommended)

For most users: interactive uninstall, follow the prompts.

bash

openclaw uninstall

1.2 Automation / Unattended

For automated environments, skip interactive prompts.

bash

openclaw uninstall --all --yes --non-interactive

# 或者 npx 直接跑
npx -y openclaw uninstall --all --yes --non-interactive

Step 2

CLI is gone but service is still running

When the openclaw command is missing but background services are still running.

macOS (launchd)

Default label: ai.openclaw.gateway (legacy names may exist). Stop service then remove plist.

bash

launchctl bootout gui/$UID/ai.openclaw.gateway
rm -f ~/Library/LaunchAgents/ai.openclaw.gateway.plist

Check legacy names:

bash

ls -1 ~/Library/LaunchAgents | grep -Ei 'openclaw|clawd|clawdbot|molt'
launchctl list | grep -Ei 'openclaw|clawd|clawdbot|molt'

Linux (systemd user)

Default unit: openclaw-gateway.service (profile adds suffix).

bash

systemctl --user disable --now openclaw-gateway.service
rm -f ~/.config/systemd/user/openclaw-gateway.service
systemctl --user daemon-reload

Check:

bash

systemctl --user list-unit-files | grep -i openclaw
systemctl --user status openclaw-gateway.service

Windows (Scheduled Task)

Default task name: OpenClaw Gateway (profile adds suffix).

powershell

schtasks /Delete /F /TN "OpenClaw Gateway"
Remove-Item -Force "$env:USERPROFILE\.openclaw\gateway.cmd"

Step 3

Remove residual files

Clean state/config/workspace and legacy directories.

Default paths

State/config and workspace default to ~/.openclaw

bash

rm -rf ~/.openclaw

Legacy directories (optional)

If you used older versions, check these directories.

bash

rm -rf ~/.clawdbot
rm -rf ~/clawdbot

Step 4

Docker / Podman

Remove containerized gateway and clean host data.

Docker Compose

Run in the repo directory to stop and remove containers.

bash

docker compose down

docker compose down -v

Remove host persistent directory:

bash

rm -rf ~/.openclaw

Podman (rootless)

Stop Quadlet service if used, then remove container and data.

bash

sudo systemctl --machine openclaw@ --user stop openclaw.service
sudo -u openclaw podman rm -f openclaw

Remove Podman host data:

bash

sudo rm -rf /home/openclaw/.openclaw
sudo rm -f /home/openclaw/.config/containers/systemd/openclaw.container
sudo systemctl --machine openclaw@ --user daemon-reload

Step 5

Nix / Ansible

For Nix / Ansible based deployments.

Nix / Home Manager

Remove nix-openclaw module or disable it, then re-apply.

bash

home-manager switch

home-manager switch --rollback

If needed, remove your state directory (may be customized).

Ansible (openclaw-ansible)

Stop and disable service, then remove install paths and data.

bash

sudo systemctl stop openclaw
sudo systemctl disable openclaw

sudo rm -rf /opt/openclaw
sudo rm -rf /home/openclaw/openclaw
sudo rm -rf /home/openclaw/.openclaw

Remove openclaw user only if you are sure.

bash

sudo userdel -r openclaw

Step 6

Post-uninstall self-check

Confirm services, ports, and local directories are clean.

Step 7

Revoke access and rotate keys

Uninstalling is not revoking access; complete minimal security actions.

At minimum, do these three actions:

Rotate all API keys granted to OpenClaw (invalidate old keys).
Log out/remove suspicious sessions (chat apps, email, cloud consoles).
Revoke OAuth/App grants (Google/Microsoft/GitHub, etc.).

Each platform differs; follow each platform’s security center guidance.