OpenClaw

OpenClaw is the notification and event-dispatch bridge built into OMX. When OMX reaches a hook point — session start, idle, user question, stop, or session end — OpenClaw packages the context into a structured envelope and delivers it to a configured gateway: an HTTP endpoint, a CLI command, or a clawdbot agent turn.

What it is

OpenClaw is not a separate service you install. It is a dispatch pipeline inside OMX that activates when OMX_OPENCLAW=1 is set. A gateway definition in .codex/.omx-config.json tells OpenClaw where and how to send each event. Gateways can be HTTP endpoints (for webhooks) or command strings (for local CLIs and agent launchers like clawdbot).

How OMX uses it

• Session lifecycle hooks — OpenClaw fires on session-start, session-idle, ask-user-question, stop, and session-end, injecting template variables like {{sessionId}}, {{tmuxSession}}, {{projectName}}, and {{question}}.
• Instruction templates — Each hook carries a configurable instruction string rendered at fire time. The instruction is the message body delivered to the gateway.
• Gateway routing — Each hook references a named gateway (local, remote, etc.) defined once in the gateways block. HTTP gateways use bearer-token auth; command gateways interpolate the instruction into a shell command.
• Precedence — When both notifications.openclaw and generic aliases (custom_webhook_command, custom_cli_command) are present, notifications.openclaw wins and OMX emits a warning.

Example

Minimal HTTP gateway that fires on session end and user questions:

{
  "notifications": {
    "enabled": true,
    "openclaw": {
      "enabled": true,
      "gateways": {
        "local": {
          "type": "http",
          "url": "http://127.0.0.1:18789/hooks/agent",
          "headers": { "Authorization": "Bearer ${HOOKS_TOKEN}" }
        }
      },
      "hooks": {
        "session-end": {
          "enabled": true,
          "gateway": "local",
          "instruction": "OMX task completed for {{projectPath}} (session {{sessionId}})"
        },
        "ask-user-question": {
          "enabled": true,
          "gateway": "local",
          "instruction": "OMX needs input: {{question}}"
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Enable the pipeline before launching OMX:

export OMX_OPENCLAW=1
export HOOKS_TOKEN="your-token-here"

For command gateways (clawdbot agent mode), also set OMX_OPENCLAW_COMMAND=1 and use type: "command" with a timeout of at least 120000 ms.

Related

• Clawhip — event-contract layer that multiplexes OMX events for downstream consumers
• CLI Bridges — $ask-claude, $ask-gemini, and $ccg cross-CLI workflows
• Trace — evidence-driven tracing that surfaces session events