Use MCP servers in OpenClaw with Toolport
Toolport is a free, open source local MCP gateway. Add your servers to Toolport once, flip the OpenClaw toggle, and OpenClaw gets all of them through a single gateway entry. Toolport picks a full tool list or search for each client, and you can change it in Clients.
Setup
- Download Toolport for Windows, macOS or Linux, and add your MCP servers to it (or import the ones your other AI agents already have; secrets go to your OS keychain).
- Open the Clients tab and toggle OpenClaw on. Toolport writes its gateway entry into OpenClaw's config, next to anything already there.
- Restart or reload OpenClaw. Your full server set is available through Toolport, and any server you add later shows up without touching OpenClaw again.
Where OpenClaw keeps its MCP config
OpenClaw MCP config
All platforms ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json (or OPENCLAW_CONFIG_PATH, OPENCLAW_STATE_DIR)
JSON5, servers under mcp.servers; comments and unquoted keys are kept.
Good to know
- OpenClaw's Tool Search defers MCP schemas and refreshes when the list changes, so Toolport gives it the full tool list.
- Check the connection with openclaw mcp doctor toolport --probe.
Why a gateway instead of OpenClaw's own server list?
- One setup, every agent. The same servers work in OpenClaw and every other AI agent on your machine; add a server once and they all get it.
- Secrets in the OS keychain. API keys are injected at runtime and never sit in OpenClaw's config file.
- Watched by default. Rug-pull and tool-poisoning detection on every tool, plus per-tool governance and a destructive-tool kill switch. How the security works.
Free on this machine. Pro puts it on every machine. Team gives it to everyone.