---
title: "Reach a remote OpenClaw gateway safely · DotsAgent"
description: "Reach a remote OpenClaw dashboard without opening port 18789: an SSH tunnel, Tailscale Serve for your tailnet, or Tailscale Funnel with password auth required."
url: https://dotsagent.io/openclaw/remote-access
---

OpenClaw guide · 3 steps

# Remote access to OpenClaw

Reach the dashboard of a gateway on another machine with an SSH tunnel or Tailscale, without changing the loopback bind.

Start from a gateway bound to loopback with token auth, as set out in the hardening guide.

1. Use an SSH tunnel Run this on the machine you are sitting at. It maps local port 18789 to 127.0.0.1:18789 on the gateway host, so http://127.0.0.1:18789/ opens the remote dashboard. It needs only SSH access and ends when you close the terminal. shell`ssh -N -L 18789:127.0.0.1:18789 user@gateway-host`
2. Use Tailscale Serve Serve makes the gateway reachable from devices on your tailnet only; the public internet cannot reach it. It suits access from a phone or several machines without keeping an SSH session open. shell`openclaw gateway --tailscale serve`
3. Tailscale Funnel, public with a password Funnel publishes the gateway on the public internet, which is why OpenClaw requires password auth for it. Anyone who finds the URL can try that password, so use a long random one, and prefer Serve or SSH unless you truly need public access. shell`openclaw gateway --tailscale funnel --auth password`

Funnel is the only one of these three methods that makes the gateway public. Run openclaw security audit --deep after you enable it, and turn it off when you no longer need it.

## More OpenClaw guides

[Install OpenClaw](https://dotsagent.io/openclaw/install)

[Run OpenClaw on a VPS](https://dotsagent.io/openclaw/vps)

[Run OpenClaw in Docker](https://dotsagent.io/openclaw/docker)

[Run OpenClaw on a Raspberry Pi](https://dotsagent.io/openclaw/raspberry-pi)

[Connect models to OpenClaw](https://dotsagent.io/openclaw/models)

[Connect OpenClaw to Telegram](https://dotsagent.io/openclaw/telegram)

[Harden your OpenClaw gateway](https://dotsagent.io/openclaw/hardening)

## Sources

1. [docs.openclaw.ai](https://docs.openclaw.ai/gateway/remote)/gateway/remote
2. [docs.openclaw.ai](https://docs.openclaw.ai/gateway/tailscale)/gateway/tailscale
3. [docs.openclaw.ai](https://docs.openclaw.ai/gateway/security/network-exposure)/gateway/security/network-exposure

Independent reference for people who build AI agents. Not affiliated with any vendor named here.

© 2026 DotsAgent · Facts checked October 1, 2026