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Overview

The ironclaw service command manages IronClaw as a system service, allowing it to run automatically in the background and start on boot.
  • macOS: Uses launchd (Launch Agent)
  • Linux: Uses systemd (user service)
  • Windows: Not currently supported

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Subcommands

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install

Install IronClaw as an OS service: 
ironclaw service install
This command:
  1. Creates a service unit file (launchd plist or systemd unit)
  2. Configures the service to start on boot
  3. Sets up logging to system journal
  4. Installs the service for the current user
macOS output: 
✓ Created Launch Agent: ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.ironclaw.agent.plist
✓ Service installed successfully

To start now: ironclaw service start
To enable on boot: launchctl load ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.ironclaw.agent.plist
Linux output: 
✓ Created systemd unit: ~/.config/systemd/user/ironclaw.service
✓ Service installed successfully

To start now: ironclaw service start
To enable on boot: systemctl --user enable ironclaw.service

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start

Start the installed service: 
ironclaw service start
Output: 
✓ Service started successfully

To view logs:
  macOS: log show --predicate 'processImagePath contains "ironclaw"'
  Linux: journalctl --user -u ironclaw.service -f

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stop

Stop the running service: 
ironclaw service stop
Output: 
✓ Service stopped

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status

Check service status: 
ironclaw service status
Output (running): 
IronClaw Service Status

Status:       running
PID:          12345
Uptime:       2 hours 34 minutes
Memory:       145 MB

Enabled:      yes (starts on boot)
Unit file:    ~/.config/systemd/user/ironclaw.service

Logs:
  journalctl --user -u ironclaw.service
Output (stopped): 
IronClaw Service Status

Status:       stopped
Enabled:      yes (will start on boot)
Unit file:    ~/.config/systemd/user/ironclaw.service

To start: ironclaw service start
Output (not installed): 
IronClaw Service Status

Status:       not installed

To install: ironclaw service install

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uninstall

Remove the OS service: 
ironclaw service uninstall
Output: 
✓ Service stopped
✓ Service uninstalled
✓ Removed unit file
This removes the service configuration but does not delete your data or configuration files.

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Service Configuration

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macOS (launchd)

The Launch Agent plist is created at: 
~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.ironclaw.agent.plist
Example plist: 
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0">
<dict>
    <key>Label</key>
    <string>com.ironclaw.agent</string>
    <key>ProgramArguments</key>
    <array>
        <string>/usr/local/bin/ironclaw</string>
        <string>run</string>
    </array>
    <key>RunAtLoad</key>
    <true/>
    <key>KeepAlive</key>
    <true/>
    <key>StandardOutPath</key>
    <string>/tmp/ironclaw.log</string>
    <key>StandardErrorPath</key>
    <string>/tmp/ironclaw.err</string>
    <key>EnvironmentVariables</key>
    <dict>
        <key>PATH</key>
        <string>/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/bin</string>
    </dict>
</dict>
</plist>
Manual launchd commands: 
# Load (enable and start)
launchctl load ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.ironclaw.agent.plist

# Unload (disable and stop)
launchctl unload ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.ironclaw.agent.plist

# Start
launchctl start com.ironclaw.agent

# Stop
launchctl stop com.ironclaw.agent

# View status
launchctl list | grep ironclaw

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Linux (systemd)

The systemd unit is created at: 
~/.config/systemd/user/ironclaw.service
Example unit file: 
[Unit]
Description=IronClaw AI Agent
After=network.target

[Service]
Type=simple
ExecStart=/usr/local/bin/ironclaw run
Restart=on-failure
RestartSec=10
StandardOutput=journal
StandardError=journal

[Install]
WantedBy=default.target
Manual systemd commands: 
# Reload systemd configuration
systemctl --user daemon-reload

# Enable (start on boot)
systemctl --user enable ironclaw.service

# Disable (don't start on boot)
systemctl --user disable ironclaw.service

# Start
systemctl --user start ironclaw.service

# Stop
systemctl --user stop ironclaw.service

# Restart
systemctl --user restart ironclaw.service

# View status
systemctl --user status ironclaw.service

# View logs
journalctl --user -u ironclaw.service -f

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Environment Variables

The service reads environment variables from:
  • ~/.ironclaw/.env (loaded automatically)
  • System environment (for systemd: EnvironmentFile= directive)
  • Service configuration (for launchd: EnvironmentVariables dict)
Ensure your .env file contains all required variables like DATABASE_URL, NEARAI_API_KEY, and SECRETS_MASTER_KEY.

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Logging

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macOS Logs

View logs using the log command: 
# Real-time logs
log stream --predicate 'processImagePath contains "ironclaw"'

# Historical logs
log show --predicate 'processImagePath contains "ironclaw"' --last 1h

# Errors only
log show --predicate 'processImagePath contains "ironclaw" and messageType == error' --last 1h
Or check the log files directly: 
tail -f /tmp/ironclaw.log
tail -f /tmp/ironclaw.err

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Linux Logs

View logs using journalctl: 
# Real-time logs
journalctl --user -u ironclaw.service -f

# Last 100 lines
journalctl --user -u ironclaw.service -n 100

# Logs since boot
journalctl --user -u ironclaw.service -b

# Errors only
journalctl --user -u ironclaw.service -p err

# Logs from the last hour
journalctl --user -u ironclaw.service --since "1 hour ago"

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Auto-start on Boot

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macOS

To enable auto-start: 
launchctl load ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.ironclaw.agent.plist
To disable auto-start: 
launchctl unload ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.ironclaw.agent.plist

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Linux

To enable auto-start: 
systemctl --user enable ironclaw.service
To disable auto-start: 
systemctl --user disable ironclaw.service

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Troubleshooting

Check logs for errors:macOS:
cat /tmp/ironclaw.err
log show --predicate 'processImagePath contains "ironclaw"' --last 10m
Linux:
journalctl --user -u ironclaw.service -n 50
Common issues:
  • Missing environment variables in .env
  • Database connection failure
  • Invalid configuration
The service will automatically restart on failure. Check logs for crash reasons:Linux:
systemctl --user status ironclaw.service
journalctl --user -u ironclaw.service -p err
If the service crashes repeatedly, it may be disabled by systemd. Re-enable:
systemctl --user reset-failed ironclaw.service
systemctl --user start ironclaw.service
macOS: Ensure the plist is loaded:
launchctl load ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.ironclaw.agent.plist
Linux: Ensure the service is enabled:
systemctl --user enable ironclaw.service
You may also need to enable user lingering:
sudo loginctl enable-linger $USER
Ensure ironclaw is in your PATH and the service unit has the correct path:Find binary location:
which ironclaw
Update service unit (Linux): Edit ~/.config/systemd/user/ironclaw.service and update ExecStart=Update service unit (macOS): Edit ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.ironclaw.agent.plist and update ProgramArguments

ironclaw run

Run the agent directly (foreground)

ironclaw status

Check system health

ironclaw doctor

Diagnose issues