OpenClaw Docker: Connection Refused Fix

The Problem

You deployed OpenClaw in Docker (or Docker Compose), the container is running, but you can’t connect to the gateway. Or worse — it starts but messaging channels can’t reach it.

This guide covers the most common Docker networking issues with OpenClaw.

Issue 1: Connection Refused on Gateway Port

Symptom: curl http://localhost:18789 returns “Connection refused”

Cause: The gateway is binding to 127.0.0.1 inside the container, but Docker port mapping needs it on 0.0.0.0.

Fix: Set the bind address to 0.0.0.0:

{
  "gateway": {
    "bind": "0.0.0.0:18789"
  }
}

Or via environment variable:

# docker-compose.yml
services:
  openclaw:
    image: openclaw/openclaw:latest
    ports:
      - "18789:18789"
    environment:
      - OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_BIND=0.0.0.0:18789

Why: Inside a Docker container, 127.0.0.1 means “this container only.” Port mapping (-p 18789:18789) forwards from the host to the container’s 0.0.0.0, not 127.0.0.1. This is the #1 Docker networking gotcha for any service, not just OpenClaw.

Issue 2: WebSocket Connection Drops

Symptom: The Control UI loads but shows “disconnected” or “reconnecting.” Messaging channels connect briefly then drop.

Cause: Your reverse proxy isn’t forwarding WebSocket upgrade headers.

Fix for nginx:

location / {
    proxy_pass http://openclaw:18789;
    proxy_http_version 1.1;
    proxy_set_header Upgrade $http_upgrade;
    proxy_set_header Connection "upgrade";
    proxy_set_header Host $host;
    proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
    proxy_read_timeout 86400s;  # Keep WS connections alive
    proxy_send_timeout 86400s;
}

Fix for Caddy:

openclaw.example.com {
    reverse_proxy openclaw:18789
}

Caddy handles WebSocket upgrades automatically — one reason I recommend it for simple setups.

Fix for Traefik:

# docker-compose.yml labels
labels:
  - "traefik.http.routers.openclaw.rule=Host(`openclaw.example.com`)"
  - "traefik.http.services.openclaw.loadbalancer.server.port=18789"

Traefik also handles WebSocket upgrades automatically.

Issue 3: DNS Resolution Failures

Symptom: OpenClaw can’t reach external APIs (OpenAI, Anthropic, etc.) from inside the container. Errors like getaddrinfo ENOTFOUND api.openai.com.

Fix: Check Docker’s DNS configuration:

# docker-compose.yml
services:
  openclaw:
    dns:
      - 1.1.1.1
      - 8.8.8.8

Or check if your Docker daemon has DNS configured:

docker exec openclaw cat /etc/resolv.conf

If it shows 127.0.0.53 (systemd-resolved), Docker may not be forwarding DNS correctly. Add explicit DNS servers.

Issue 4: Volume Permissions

Symptom: OpenClaw starts but can’t write config files, memory files, or workspace data.

Fix: Ensure the mounted volume has correct ownership:

# docker-compose.yml
services:
  openclaw:
    image: openclaw/openclaw:latest
    user: "1000:1000"
    volumes:
      - ./openclaw-data:/home/node/.openclaw

# Set ownership on the host
sudo chown -R 1000:1000 ./openclaw-data

Issue 5: Container Can’t Reach Host Services

Symptom: OpenClaw needs to reach a service running on the Docker host (like Ollama on localhost:11434), but gets “Connection refused.”

Fix: Use the special Docker DNS name for the host:

{
  "models": {
    "ollama": {
      "baseUrl": "http://host.docker.internal:11434"
    }
  }
}

On Linux, you may need to add this to your Docker Compose:

services:
  openclaw:
    extra_hosts:
      - "host.docker.internal:host-gateway"

Full Working Docker Compose

version: "3.8"

services:
  openclaw:
    image: openclaw/openclaw:latest
    container_name: openclaw
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "18789:18789"
    volumes:
      - ./openclaw-data:/home/node/.openclaw
      - ./workspace:/home/node/.openclaw/workspace
    environment:
      - OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_BIND=0.0.0.0:18789
    dns:
      - 1.1.1.1
      - 8.8.8.8
    extra_hosts:
      - "host.docker.internal:host-gateway"
    healthcheck:
      test: ["CMD", "curl", "-f", "http://localhost:18789/health"]
      interval: 30s
      timeout: 10s
      retries: 3

Debugging Checklist

# 1. Is the container running?
docker ps | grep openclaw

# 2. Check container logs
docker logs openclaw --tail 50

# 3. Check gateway status from inside the container
docker exec openclaw openclaw status

# 4. Test connectivity from inside
docker exec openclaw curl -s http://localhost:18789/health

# 5. Test from host
curl -s http://localhost:18789/health

# 6. Check port mapping
docker port openclaw

Related

• OpenClaw VPS deployment guide
• Gateway origin configuration
• OpenClaw hardware guide