# OpenClaw Emergency Stop Use this if [[OpenClaw]] is behaving strangely, sending unwanted Telegram messages, burning tokens, or you simply want it offline. This stops the OpenClaw gateway on the VPS. Once stopped, the Telegram bot will stop responding because Telegram runs through the same gateway. ## Stop OpenClaw ```bash ssh -i ~/.ssh/openclaw_vps [email protected] '~/bin/openclaw-stop' ``` ## Start OpenClaw Again ```bash ssh -i ~/.ssh/openclaw_vps [email protected] '~/bin/openclaw-start' ``` ## Check Whether It Is Running ```bash ssh -i ~/.ssh/openclaw_vps [email protected] 'systemctl --user is-active openclaw-gateway.service' ``` Expected output: - `active` means OpenClaw is running. - `inactive` means OpenClaw is stopped. ## Notes - This is more reliable than a Telegram `/kill` command, because if OpenClaw is malfunctioning then Telegram commands may also fail. - These commands work from a Mac or phone terminal only if that device has access to the SSH key `~/.ssh/openclaw_vps`. - The full operational context is in [[OpenClaw VPS Setup]].