OpenClaw's trusted proxy auth mode removes the need to paste a token for WebSocket connections and pair devices when a proxy already controls access.
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Nick Taylor uses OpenClaw through Discord to build and edit workspace tools from his phone, including Clawspace, a browser-based file explorer and editor.
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A trusted proxy can expose local OpenClaw-backed applications to services such as ChatGPT while keeping access behind identity and policy checks.
Summary
Nick Taylor explains how he secured his OpenClaw instance with the trusted proxy auth mode he contributed to the project. Before this mode, users still had to enter an auth token for the WebSocket connection and pair each device, even when a proxy protected the control plane. The new configuration trusts specified proxy addresses and reads identity from headers. Taylor uses Pomerium as the identity-aware proxy in his own setup. He then demonstrates how he builds web tools through OpenClaw and Discord. Clawspace lets him read and edit workspace files without SSH. In the live demo, he updates an MCP app connected to ChatGPT, changing an echo widget, adding speaker search, and creating a button that asks the language model for more information about a speaker. He is enthusiastic about the workflow, while warning that giving an agent broad permissions or exposing an unsecured instance can lead to serious mistakes.
Trusted proxy auth removes repeated token entry and device pairing
Taylor contributed trusted proxy auth mode to harden access to OpenClaw's control plane. Previously, even an instance protected by a proxy still required a token in the UI for the WebSocket connection, and users had to pair each device. The token was placed in the query string, which Taylor says made more sense for local mode. The new mode lets the proxy establish trust before the connection reaches OpenClaw. For Taylor, this improves both the security setup and the user experience because he can use a newly configured device without returning to another device to pair it.
The configuration trusts proxy addresses and identity headers
The trusted proxy configuration adds a gateway mode called "trusted proxy" and a list of trusted proxy IP addresses. It also adds a trusted proxy section with a user header and optional required headers. Taylor's user header contains a JWT. Allowed users are available, although he does not need that setting because Pomerium's identity-aware proxy policies decide who can access the application. The configuration can be set during onboarding or later through OpenClaw's terminal user interface.
The feature came from a practical problem and community review
Taylor proposed the feature after finding that proxy protection did not remove the token and pairing steps. Another user running Caddy supported the idea, and Peter Stipe laid out criteria for the implementation. After the feature merged, Anthony reported a bug and Sid fixed it. Taylor had missed the problem because his local test environment already had a paired device. He also describes the project's rapid growth: an issue number around 1560 became a pull request in the 1700s, and after a two-week vacation the project had reached almost 16,000 issues, which forced him to rebase his work.
Taylor prefers Discord because Telegram channels are not encrypted
Taylor runs his OpenClaw mainly through Discord, with WhatsApp also available. He initially used Telegram, but changed because its channels are not encrypted and the contents remain in clear text. Since he works at a security company, his CEO told him not to use that setup. He also used OpenClaw while making his trusted proxy contribution. That experiment exposed a permissions mistake: he gave the GitHub CLI full access, and the agent opened a pull request before he had finished reviewing the changes. Taylor moved the pull request back to draft mode.
Clawspace lets him work with OpenClaw files from a phone
After trusted proxy auth mode merged, Taylor started building Clawspace with OpenClaw through Discord. Clawspace is a browser-based file explorer and editor for an OpenClaw workspace. It gives him a way to read and edit workspace files without SSH access. He built it from his phone and describes it as a personal tool that he finds useful, rather than something everyone needs to adopt. The project fits his broader interest in building small software for his own workflow through conversation.
OpenClaw can update an MCP app while the app is running
Taylor's live demo starts with an MCP server that also has a user interface. He registers it as an application in ChatGPT using a template, then shows that it exposes an echo tool and a speaker search tool. After an echo call displays the widget, he asks OpenClaw to change the echo message to "AIEU". The app uses web technology with Vite, React Refresh, and Vite hot module reloading, so the change appears while he works from Discord. He is editing the MCP workspace in OpenClaw while viewing the public application in ChatGPT.
A proxy makes it possible to build a publicly reachable local tool
Taylor uses Pomerium to protect a public URL for the MCP application and other workspace services. The trusted proxy auth mode protects OpenClaw itself, while Pomerium gates the application that ChatGPT needs to reach. He says Caddy with OAuth can provide a similar pattern. In the demo, he asks OpenClaw to use the conference's speaker.json file as the source for a speaker search interface. He then adds a more button that calls ChatGPT through the MCP app's send message function, producing a response about why a user might check out a speaker's talk.
Agent permissions and exposed services need deliberate limits
Taylor closes with a warning to consider security when building with OpenClaw. He mentions people exposing services by accident and users having actions such as all their emails deleted. His own GitHub CLI mistake shows the same risk in a smaller form: broad access allowed OpenClaw to create a pull request before he was ready. He still finds trusted proxy auth mode useful because it lets him gate local services and avoid repeated device setup, but the convenience depends on controlling who can reach the proxy and what the agent can do.
"So, not only are you getting a better security posture potentially, to me it's like a UX win as well."05:03
Who should watch
You run OpenClaw behind a reverse proxy and want to remove the extra token and device-pairing steps without dropping access controls.
You are building small web tools through an agent and want a concrete example of connecting an OpenClaw workspace to an MCP app in ChatGPT.
You are deciding how much access to give an agent that can edit files, use the GitHub CLI, or expose a local service publicly.
