Chapter 19: iOS Node

OpenClaw can run directly on an iPhone or iPad. This means you can keep a personal AI gateway online from your iOS device — no server required. The iOS Node uses Apple's native runtime and integrates with iOS-specific features like Shortcuts, Notifications, and on-device Whisper transcription. This chapter walks you through installing and running an iOS Node.

What Is an iOS Node?

An iOS Node is a lightweight version of the OpenClaw gateway packaged as an iOS app. It connects to your configured messaging channels, routes messages to the AI, and returns responses — all from your phone.

Why run on iOS?

Always-on gateway without a VPS or cloud server
Privacy: all data stays on your device
Apple Silicon is fast enough for local AI inference
Integrates with iOS Shortcuts for automation
Free to run (no hosting costs)

Limitations compared to server OpenClaw:

Suspends when the app is backgrounded (mitigated by background fetch)
Battery usage increases when actively processing messages
Local skill execution is sandboxed by iOS

Installation

From the App Store

Search for OpenClaw in the App Store, or use the direct link from openclaw.dev/ios.

Minimum requirements:

iOS 17.0 or later
iPhone 12 or newer (for on-device AI features)
iPad (any model with A14 or later chip)

Via TestFlight (Beta)

Join the beta program at openclaw.dev/testflight to get early access to new features before App Store release.

Initial Setup

1. Import Your Config

On first launch, the app asks you to provide your openclaw.json. Three options:

Paste: Copy your config and paste it into the app
Scan QR code: Generate a QR code from your desktop gateway and scan it with the iOS app
iCloud Sync: If you have OpenClaw Desktop, the config syncs automatically via iCloud

2. Set Environment Variables

The app has a secure vault for environment variables. Tap Settings → Secrets and add each key:

ANTHROPIC_API_KEY = sk-ant-...
TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN = 1234567890:ABC...

Secrets are stored in the iOS Keychain and never written to disk in plaintext.

3. Start the Node

Tap Start Gateway. The status indicator turns green and shows connected channels.

Background Operation

iOS suspends apps when they move to the background. OpenClaw uses several mechanisms to stay responsive:

Background Fetch

Registered with iOS for periodic background wake-ups (approximately every 15 minutes). When woken, the app checks for pending messages and processes them.

Push Notifications via Webhook

For Telegram and other webhook-based channels, incoming messages trigger a push notification that wakes the app immediately:

{
  "ios": {
    "backgroundMode": "push",
    "apnsKey": "${APNS_KEY}",
    "apnsKeyId": "${APNS_KEY_ID}",
    "apnsTeamId": "${APNS_TEAM_ID}"
  }
}

This provides near-instant response times even when the app is backgrounded.

Always-On Mode

On iPad with the app pinned to the foreground (using Guided Access or Stage Manager), the gateway runs continuously with no interruptions.

On-Device AI

iOS Node supports running local models directly on the device — no API key, no internet connection, complete privacy.

{
  "agents": {
    "local": {
      "provider": "mlx",
      "model": "mlx-community/Llama-3.2-3B-Instruct-4bit",
      "maxTokens": 2048
    }
  }
}

OpenClaw iOS uses the MLX framework (Apple's machine learning library) to run quantized models on the Neural Engine. Supported model sizes:

Model Size	iPhone 15 Pro	iPad Pro M4
1B–3B	Excellent	Excellent
7B	Good	Excellent
13B	Slow	Good
70B	Not recommended	Not recommended

Download models from the in-app model browser, which curates compatible MLX models.

iOS Shortcuts Integration

OpenClaw iOS exposes Shortcuts actions, letting you automate the gateway from iOS Automation:

Action	Description
Ask OpenClaw	Send a message and get a response in Shortcuts
Start/Stop Gateway	Toggle the gateway programmatically
Get Stats	Retrieve token usage and session counts
Clear Sessions	Force-expire all active sessions

Example Shortcuts automation: when you connect to your home Wi-Fi, automatically start the gateway; when you leave home, stop it to save battery.

Monitoring

The iOS app includes a built-in dashboard:

Live feed: See messages arrive and responses go out in real time
Stats: Requests per hour, tokens used today, active sessions
Logs: Tap any message to see the full request/response cycle
Errors: Failed messages are highlighted with error details

Pairing iOS Node with Desktop

If you run both a desktop OpenClaw and an iOS Node, you can link them so the iOS node acts as a backup:

{
  "cluster": {
    "enabled": true,
    "peers": [
      "http://192.168.1.100:3000"
    ],
    "failoverEnabled": true
  }
}

When the desktop gateway is unreachable, traffic automatically routes to the iOS Node.

Next: Chapter 20 — Android Node — How to run OpenClaw on an Android device for an always-on mobile gateway.