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By default, IronClaw provides two local interfaces for chatting with your agent:
  • Terminal UI (TUI): chat directly in your terminal
  • Web Gateway: chat in your browser over a local HTTP server
If you haven’t set up your agent yet, follow our Quickstart guide

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Terminal UI

Simply run ironclaw and the TUI will launch in your terminal. Use the keyboard shortcuts below to navigate and chat with your agent.
KeyAction
EnterSend message
Shift+EnterNew line in composer
Ctrl+CQuit
Ctrl+LClear screen
TabFocus next element
EscCancel or back
Up/DownScroll history

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Configuration

OptionDefaultDescription
CLI_ENABLEDtrueEnable or disable the Terminal UI

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Web Gateway

OptionDefaultDescription
GATEWAY_HOST127.0.0.1Host interface for the Web Gateway
GATEWAY_PORT3000Port used by the Web Gateway
GATEWAY_ENABLEDtrueEnable or disable the Web Gateway
GATEWAY_AUTH_TOKENauto-generatedAuth token required to open the Web UI

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Authentication

By default, IronClaw generates an auth token at startup and prints it in logs. To use a stable token across restarts: 
export GATEWAY_AUTH_TOKEN="your-secure-token-here"
Generate one: 
openssl rand -hex 32

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API endpoints

The Web Gateway also exposes local endpoints:
EndpointDescription
GET /api/statusServer status
POST /api/chatSend message
GET /api/jobsList jobs
GET /api/memorySearch memory

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Network access

Use localhost-only access (recommended): 
export GATEWAY_HOST=127.0.0.1
Use LAN access: 
export GATEWAY_HOST=0.0.0.0
When using 0.0.0.0, use a strong auth token and place the service behind HTTPS/reverse proxy before exposing it outside your local network.

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Troubleshooting

  • Ensure your terminal supports Unicode and 256 colors
  • Set TERM=xterm-256color
  • Restart the terminal session
  • Check terminal focus
  • Run reset
  • Disable conflicting terminal mouse mode
  • Verify ironclaw run is active
  • Check GATEWAY_PORT value
  • Confirm host and firewall settings
  • Copy token exactly from startup logs
  • Remove trailing spaces
  • Set a persistent GATEWAY_AUTH_TOKEN
  • Check local network/proxy stability
  • Verify reverse proxy supports WebSocket upgrades
  • Inspect browser console logs