OpenClaw Gateway Startup Flow Explained: A Developer's Source Code Walkthrough

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A developer has published a detailed walkthrough of OpenClaw's startup flow, focusing on the entry.ts source file and how the gateway initializes from the command line. The analysis covers key mechanisms such as compile cache respawning, process title setup, environment variable normalization, and argument parsing for flags like --container, --profile, and --dev. The walkthrough clarifies that the actual gateway execution begins only when runCli(argv) is called after dynamic module loading via run-main.js. It also corrects common misconceptions, noting that the --version and --help flags are handled at separate fast-path stages before the main startup branch runs. This is the fourth installment in an ongoing series breaking down the OpenClaw codebase for developers.

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