- [Configuration](/gateway/configuration)

- [Doctor](/gateway/doctor)

## Gateway restored last-known-good config

## Gateway rejected invalid config

Use this when the Gateway starts, but logs say it restored `openclaw.json`.

Use this when Gateway startup fails with `Invalid config` or hot reload logs say

it skipped an invalid edit.

```bash

openclaw logs --follow

Look for:

- `Config auto-restored from last-known-good`

- `gateway: invalid config was restored from last-known-good backup`

- `config reload restored last-known-good config after invalid-config`

- A timestamped `openclaw.json.clobbered.*` file beside the active config

- A main-agent system event that starts with `Config recovery warning`

- `Invalid config at ...`

- `config reload skipped (invalid config): ...`

- `Config write rejected: ...`

- A timestamped `openclaw.json.rejected.*` file beside the active config

- A timestamped `openclaw.json.clobbered.*` file if `doctor --fix` repaired a broken direct edit

<AccordionGroup>

<Accordion title="What happened">

- The rejected config did not validate during startup or hot reload.

- OpenClaw preserved the rejected payload as `.clobbered.*`.

- The active config was restored from the last validated last-known-good copy.

- The next main-agent turn is warned not to blindly rewrite the rejected config.

- If all validation issues were under `plugins.entries.<id>...`, OpenClaw would not restore the whole file. Plugin-local failures stay loud while unrelated user settings remain in the active config.

- The config did not validate during startup, hot reload, or an OpenClaw-owned write.

- Gateway startup fails closed instead of rewriting `openclaw.json`.

- Hot reload skips invalid external edits and keeps the current runtime config active.

- OpenClaw-owned writes reject invalid/destructive payloads before commit and save `.rejected.*`.

- `openclaw doctor --fix` owns repair. It can remove non-JSON prefixes or restore the last-known-good copy while preserving the rejected payload as `.clobbered.*`.

</Accordion>

<Accordion title="Inspect and repair">

```

</Accordion>

<Accordion title="Common signatures">

- `.clobbered.*` exists → an external direct edit or startup read was restored.

- `.clobbered.*` exists → doctor preserved a broken external edit while repairing the active config.

- `.rejected.*` exists → an OpenClaw-owned config write failed schema or clobber checks before commit.

- `Config write rejected:` → the write tried to drop required shape, shrink the file sharply, or persist invalid config.

- `Rejected validation details:` → the recovery log or main-agent notice includes the schema path that caused the restore, such as `agents.defaults.execution` or `gateway.auth.password.source`.

- `missing-meta-vs-last-good`, `gateway-mode-missing-vs-last-good`, or `size-drop-vs-last-good:*` → startup treated the current file as clobbered because it lost fields or size compared with the last-known-good backup.

- `config reload skipped (invalid config):` → a direct edit failed validation and was ignored by the running Gateway.

- `Invalid config at ...` → startup failed before Gateway services booted.

- `missing-meta-vs-last-good`, `gateway-mode-missing-vs-last-good`, or `size-drop-vs-last-good:*` → an OpenClaw-owned write was rejected because it lost fields or size compared with the last-known-good backup.

- `Config last-known-good promotion skipped` → the candidate contained redacted secret placeholders such as `***`.

</Accordion>

<Accordion title="Fix options">

1. Keep the restored active config if it is correct.

1. Run `openclaw doctor --fix` to let doctor repair prefixed/clobbered config or restore last-known-good.

2. Copy only the intended keys from `.clobbered.*` or `.rejected.*`, then apply them with `openclaw config set` or `config.patch`.

3. Run `openclaw config validate` before restarting.

4. If you edit by hand, keep the full JSON5 config, not just the partial object you wanted to change.