Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

Migrating from Claude

OpenClaw imports local Claude state through the bundled Claude migration provider. The provider previews every item before changing state, redacts secrets in plans and reports, and creates a verified backup before apply.

note

Onboarding imports require a fresh OpenClaw setup. If you already have local OpenClaw state, reset config, credentials, sessions, and the workspace first, or use `openclaw migrate` directly with `--overwrite` after reviewing the plan.

Two ways to import

The wizard offers Claude when it detects local Claude state.


text
```bash}
openclaw onboard --flow import
```

Or point at a specific source:

```bash}
openclaw onboard --import-from claude --import-source ~/.claude
```

Use `openclaw migrate` for scripted or repeatable runs. See [`openclaw migrate`](/cli/migrate) for the full reference.


text
```bash}
openclaw migrate claude --dry-run
openclaw migrate apply claude --yes
```

Add `--from <path>` to import a specific Claude Code home or project root.

What gets imported

What stays archive-only

The provider copies these into the migration report for manual review, but does not load them into live OpenClaw config:

Claude hooks
Claude permissions and broad tool allowlists
Claude environment defaults
text
CLAUDE.local.md
text
.claude/rules/
Claude subagents under
text
.claude/agents/
or
text
~/.claude/agents/
Claude Code caches, plans, and project history directories
Claude Desktop extensions and OS-stored credentials

OpenClaw refuses to execute hooks, trust permission allowlists, or decode opaque OAuth and Desktop credential state automatically. Move what you need by hand after reviewing the archive.

Source selection

Without

text

--from

, OpenClaw inspects the default Claude Code home at

text

~/.claude

, the sampled Claude Code

text

~/.claude.json

state file, and the Claude Desktop MCP config on macOS.

When

text

--from

points at a project root, OpenClaw imports only that project's Claude files such as

text

CLAUDE.md

text

.claude/settings.json

text

.claude/commands/

text

.claude/skills/

, and

text

.mcp.json

. It does not read your global Claude home during a project-root import.

Recommended flow

Preview the plan

```bash} openclaw migrate claude --dry-run ```


text
The plan lists everything that will change, including conflicts, skipped items, and sensitive values redacted from nested MCP `env` or `headers` fields.

Apply with backup

```bash} openclaw migrate apply claude --yes ```


text
OpenClaw creates and verifies a backup before applying.

Run doctor

```bash} openclaw doctor ```


text
[Doctor](/gateway/doctor) checks for config or state issues after the import.

Restart and verify

```bash} openclaw gateway restart openclaw status ```


text
Confirm the gateway is healthy and your imported instructions, MCP servers, and skills are loaded.

Conflict handling

Apply refuses to continue when the plan reports conflicts (a file or config value already exists at the target).

warning

Rerun with `--overwrite` only when replacing the existing target is intentional. Providers may still write item-level backups for overwritten files in the migration report directory.

For a fresh OpenClaw install, conflicts are unusual. They typically appear when you re-run the import on a setup that already has user edits.

JSON output for automation


bash
openclaw migrate claude --dry-run --json
openclaw migrate apply claude --json --yes

With

text

--json

and no

text

--yes

, apply prints the plan and does not mutate state. This is the safest mode for CI and shared scripts.

Troubleshooting

text
openclaw migrate
: full CLI reference, plugin contract, and JSON shapes.
Migration guide: all migration paths.
Migrating from Hermes: the other cross-system import path.
Onboarding: wizard flow and non-interactive flags.
Doctor: post-migration health check.
Agent workspace: where
text
AGENTS.md
,
text
USER.md
, and skills live.

OpenClaw Docs

Migrating from Claude

note

Two ways to import

What gets imported

What stays archive-only

Source selection

Recommended flow

Preview the plan

Apply with backup

Run doctor

Restart and verify

Conflict handling

warning

JSON output for automation

Troubleshooting

Related