/term — direct terminal execution (exec dispatch)

INLINECODE0 is a power-user shortcut: whatever you type after /term is forwarded as-is to OpenClaw’s exec tool.

This is intentionally “manual mode”:

• - You (the user) provide the exact shell command.
• OpenClaw does not rewrite, expand, or “helpfully” change it.
• It’s useful when you want quick, deterministic terminal actions without a planning loop.

How dispatch works (important)

OpenClaw supports command-dispatch: tool skills. When you run:

• - INLINECODE4

the raw argument string (ls -la) is forwarded to the configured tool (exec) without extra parsing. In tool-dispatch mode, OpenClaw invokes the tool with params shaped like:

INLINECODE7

See the Skills docs section on command-dispatch, command-tool, and command-arg-mode. :contentReference[oaicite:10]{index=10}

When to use /term vs normal “agent runs”

Use /term when:

• - You already know the exact command you want.
• You want a quick read-only check (files, git status, grep).
• You are debugging OpenClaw itself (skills folder, logs, Peekaboo bridge status).

Prefer normal agent flow when:

• - You want the model to decide the best approach.
• The task may need multiple steps, safety checks, or file edits.

Safety model (read this once, then follow it)

INLINECODE12 is equivalent to letting an assistant type into your terminal.
Good defaults:

1) Prefer read-only commands unless you mean to change state.
2) Avoid secrets in command lines (tokens, API keys, cookies).
3) Avoid remote execution one-liners:
- no curl ... | sh
- no “download and execute” pipelines
4) If the command could delete or overwrite files, slow down and double-check paths.

Host + sandbox notes

Your actual execution environment depends on how you invoke exec in your setup (sandbox vs host).
Also note: when a session is sandboxed, environment variables are not automatically inherited by the container; you must inject them via sandbox env settings or bake them into the image. :contentReference[oaicite:11]{index=11}

Practical examples

Quick inspection (safe, read-only)

• - INLINECODE15
• INLINECODE16
• INLINECODE17
• INLINECODE18

Debug Peekaboo bridge discovery (macOS)

• - INLINECODE19

If the output shows “no such file or directory” for all candidates and “Selected: local (in-process)”, you likely have no bridge host running (see troubleshooting below).

One-liners for structured output

If you want JSON output for parsing:

• - INLINECODE20

Troubleshooting

“command not found”

The tool runs in whatever PATH your OpenClaw runtime provides. If you rely on Homebrew, ensure the runtime sees /opt/homebrew/bin.

“permission denied” / macOS privacy prompts

Some tools (screen capture / UI automation) require Screen Recording / Accessibility. Those permissions are per-process context on macOS; using PeekabooBridge is often the reliable path for automation.

I need richer guidance and guardrails

Install/use the companion skill terminal-helper (model-invocable) which teaches safe patterns, confirmations, and runbooks.