2026 Complete Guide: OpenClaw ACP - Bridge Your IDE to AI Agents

🎯 Key Takeaways (TL;DR)

OpenClaw ACP (Agent Client Protocol) is a bridge that connects your IDE directly to an OpenClaw Gateway session, enabling AI agents to drive development workflows from your editor
The OpenClaw ACP bridge maintains session continuity, allowing you to reconnect to the same conversation transcript or start fresh sessions on demand
Setting up OpenClaw ACP takes less than 5 minutes and works with popular editors like Zed, with support for custom IDE integrations

What is OpenClaw ACP?
How the OpenClaw ACP Bridge Works
Installation and Setup
Connecting to Remote Gateways
Session Management Deep Dive
Zed Editor Integration
Security Best Practices
FAQ
Summary & Recommendations

What is OpenClaw ACP?

OpenClaw ACP is a command-line tool that implements the Agent Client Protocol (ACP), serving as a bridge between your IDE and an OpenClaw Gateway instance. Think of it as a communication tunnel that allows your code editor to send prompts directly to an AI agent and receive responses back—all without leaving your development environment.

The OpenClaw ACP bridge speaks ACP over stdio (standard input/output), making it compatible with any IDE or tooling that supports the protocol. It forwards prompts to the OpenClaw Gateway over WebSocket and maintains session mappings, so your AI conversations persist across editor restarts.

Why Use OpenClaw ACP?

Traditional AI coding assistants often work in isolation—you paste code, get a response, and start over. OpenClaw ACP changes this by:

Maintaining Context: Your OpenClaw ACP agent remembers previous conversations, decisions, and code changes
Enabling Persistent Workflows: Work on a feature across multiple OpenClaw ACP sessions without losing progress
Integrating Natively: No need to copy-paste between chat interfaces and your IDE
Supporting Multiple Agents: Route different tasks to different specialized agents via OpenClaw ACP session keys

How the OpenClaw ACP Bridge Works

At its core, the OpenClaw ACP bridge performs three critical functions:

1. Protocol Translation

The OpenClaw ACP bridge translates between ACP (used by IDEs) and OpenClaw's internal Gateway protocol (WebSocket-based). This allows any ACP-compatible client to interact with OpenClaw agents seamlessly.

2. Session Management

Each OpenClaw ACP session maps to a single Gateway session key. The OpenClaw ACP bridge maintains this mapping, enabling:

Reconnection to existing OpenClaw ACP sessions
Session reset when needed
Label-based session resolution

3. Authentication Handling

The OpenClaw ACP bridge manages authentication with the Gateway, supporting multiple methods:

Token-based authentication
Password-based authentication
Token/password file reading for enhanced security

Installation and Setup

Prerequisites

Before setting up OpenClaw ACP, ensure you have:

OpenClaw installed on your system
A running Gateway instance (local or remote)
An ACP-compatible IDE (like Zed)

Basic Local Setup

For a local Gateway, the setup is straightforward:

openclaw acp

This starts the OpenClaw ACP bridge using your local Gateway configuration. The OpenClaw ACP bridge will listen for ACP messages over stdio.

Verifying Your Setup

You can test the OpenClaw ACP bridge without an IDE using the built-in ACP client:

openclaw acp client

This spawns an interactive OpenClaw ACP session where you can type prompts directly. It's perfect for debugging or quick experiments.

Connecting to Remote Gateways

One of ACP's most powerful features is its ability to connect to remote Gateway instances—enabling teams to share agent resources or work with cloud-hosted AI assistants.

Using URL and Token

openclaw acp --url wss://gateway-host:18789 --token <your-token>

Using Token File (More Secure)

openclaw acp --url wss://gateway-host:18789 --token-file ~/.openclaw/gateway.token

💡 Pro Tip
Always prefer --token-file over --token to avoid exposing credentials in process listings or shell history.

Persisting Remote Configuration

If you frequently connect to a remote Gateway, save the configuration:

openclaw config set gateway.remote.url wss://gateway-host:18789
openclaw config set gateway.remote.token <your-token>

Then simply run:

openclaw acp

Session Management Deep Dive

Understanding session management is crucial for leveraging OpenClaw ACP effectively.

Default Behavior

By default, each OpenClaw ACP session gets an isolated Gateway session key with an acp: prefix. This means:

New OpenClaw ACP connections start fresh
No session history is shared between connections
You can have multiple independent OpenClaw ACP sessions simultaneously

Targeting Specific Sessions

Use the --session flag to connect to existing OpenClaw ACP sessions:

# Connect to main agent session
openclaw acp --session agent:main:main

# Connect to design agent
openclaw acp --session agent:design:main

# Connect to a specific bug fix session
openclaw acp --session agent:qa:bug-123

Session Labels

For more readable session references, use labels:

openclaw acp --session-label "support inbox"

Resetting Sessions

Need a fresh start without losing your session key? Use --reset-session:

openclaw acp --session agent:main:main --reset-session

This creates a new OpenClaw ACP transcript while keeping the same session identifier.

Advanced: Metadata Overrides

If your ACP client supports metadata, you can override OpenClaw ACP session settings per-request:

{
  "_meta": {
    "sessionKey": "agent:main:main",
    "sessionLabel": "support inbox",
    "resetSession": true
  }
}

Zed Editor Integration

Zed editor provides first-class support for ACP agents. Here's how to set it up:

Basic Configuration

Add this to your ~/.config/zed/settings.json:

{
  "agent_servers": {
    "OpenClaw ACP": {
      "type": "custom",
      "command": "openclaw",
      "args": ["acp"],
      "env": {}
    }
  }
}

Connecting to a Specific Gateway

For remote or specific agent targeting:

{
  "agent_servers": {
    "OpenClaw ACP": {
      "type": "custom",
      "command": "openclaw",
      "args": [
        "acp",
        "--url",
        "wss://gateway-host:18789",
        "--token",
        "<token>",
        "--session",
        "agent:design:main"
      ],
      "env": {}
    }
  }
}

Once configured, open the Agent panel in Zed and select "OpenClaw ACP" to start a thread.

Security Best Practices

When using ACP, security should be a top priority:

1. Prefer File-Based Credentials

# Instead of
openclaw acp --token my-secret-token

# Use
openclaw acp --token-file ~/.openclaw/gateway.token

2. Environment Variables

You can also use environment variables for authentication:

export OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKEN=your-token
openclaw acp --url wss://gateway-host:18789

3. Shell-Specific Rules

ACP sets OPENCLAW_SHELL=acp for runtime backend processes. You can use this in your shell profile to apply context-specific rules:

if [ "$OPENCLAW_SHELL" = "acp" ]; then
    # Apply restricted settings for ACP sessions
    set -e
fi

4. Client Debug Mode Permissions

When using openclaw acp client for testing:

Auto-approval only applies to trusted core tool IDs
Read operations are scoped to the current working directory
Unknown tools and dangerous operations always require explicit approval

🤔 FAQ

Q: Do I need to install anything extra for OpenClaw ACP?

A: No. OpenClaw ACP comes bundled with OpenClaw. Just ensure you have OpenClaw installed and a Gateway running.

Q: Can I use OpenClaw ACP with VS Code or JetBrains IDEs?

A: OpenClaw ACP requires an IDE that supports the Agent Client Protocol. Zed has native support. For other IDEs, you may need to use the OpenClaw ACP bridge with a plugin or extension that supports custom agent servers.

Q: What happens if my Gateway goes offline?

A: The OpenClaw ACP bridge will attempt to reconnect. If you're using session persistence, reconnection will restore your conversation context (if supported by your ACP client).

Q: How is OpenClaw ACP different from OpenClaw's built-in agent command?

A: The openclaw agent command starts an interactive session in your terminal. OpenClaw ACP is designed for IDE integration, speaking the standardized ACP protocol over stdio for seamless editor integration.

Q: Can multiple IDE instances connect to the same OpenClaw ACP session?

A: Yes, if they use the same session key. However, this may lead to conflicts if both send prompts simultaneously.

Summary & Recommendations

OpenClaw ACP bridges the gap between your IDE and AI agents, enabling a seamless development workflow where context persists and conversations flow naturally between you and your AI assistant.

Key Recommendations:

Start Local: Begin with a local Gateway to understand the OpenClaw ACP mechanics
Use Session Keys: Leverage OpenClaw ACP session keys to organize different projects or agents
Secure Your Setup: Always prefer token files over inline tokens for OpenClaw ACP
Try Zed: The OpenClaw ACP Zed integration provides the smoothest experience currently
Experiment with Labels: Use OpenClaw ACP session labels for human-readable session management

Next Steps:

Read the official OpenClaw ACP documentation for advanced usage
Explore ACP protocol specification for deeper understanding
Join the OpenClaw community to share OpenClaw ACP workflows and tips

Originally published at: OpenClaw ACP Guide 2026

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