terminal

Open a local terminal UI (alias for tui --local)

SERVEROpenClaw SOURCEopenclaw

High RISK CLASS

Category Execute

Parameters 00 required

Recommended Rate-limitedsee the rule below

Registry record Grade F, identity verified Pull the record →

This record as markdown: /tools/openclaw/terminal.md

WHAT IT DOES

What terminal does on OpenClaw

AI agents invoke terminal to trigger actions in OpenClaw. What it does depends on the arguments the agent supplies, and its effects often reach beyond the immediate call: builds kicked off, notifications sent, workflows started.

RISK

Why terminal is rated High

A terminal gives full arbitrary command execution on the local machine. Any AI agent with access to this tool can run any shell command, making the blast radius critical — it could read, write, delete files, exfiltrate data, install software, or cause irreversible damage.

From the tool's definition 'Open a local terminal UI' — opens an interactive terminal, providing shell/command execution capability on the local system

Attacks that exploit this kind of access

RECOMMENDED RULE

The rule that runs terminal safely

PolicyLayer is an MCP gateway: it sits between your AI agents and OpenClaw, and checks every tool call against a rule you set before the call runs. Nothing changes on the server itself. For terminal, this is the rule to start with:

terminal Rate-limited

terminal stays usable, but rate-capped: a runaway agent can't fire it dozens of times a minute. Everything else on the server is denied unless you say otherwise.

View as policy code

policy.json

{
  "version": "1",
  "default": "deny",
  "tools": {
    "terminal": {
      "limits": [
        {
          "counter": "terminal_rate",
          "window": "minute",
          "max": 10,
          "scope": "grant"
        }
      ]
    }
  }
}

RATE-LIMIT THIS TOOL → Instant setup, no code required.

The button opens the PolicyLayer dashboard: create your workspace, connect OpenClaw, apply this rule, and every terminal call is checked against it from then on.

FAQ

Questions about terminal

What does the terminal tool do? +

Open a local terminal UI (alias for tui --local). It is categorised as a Execute tool in the OpenClaw MCP Server, which means it can trigger actions or run processes. Use rate limits and argument validation.

How do I enforce a policy on terminal? +

Register the OpenClaw MCP server in PolicyLayer and add a rule for terminal: allow, deny, rate-limit, or require approval. Point your MCP client at the PolicyLayer proxy URL and the rule is enforced on every call, before it reaches OpenClaw. Nothing to install.

What risk level is terminal? +

terminal is a Execute tool with high risk. Execute tools should be rate-limited and have argument validation enabled.

Can I rate-limit terminal? +

Yes. Add a rate_limit block to the terminal rule in your PolicyLayer policy. For example, setting max: 10 and window: 60 limits the tool to 10 calls per minute. Rate limits are tracked per agent session and reset automatically.

How do I block terminal completely? +

Set action: deny in the PolicyLayer policy for terminal. The AI agent will receive a policy violation error and cannot call the tool. You can also include a reason field to explain why the tool is blocked.

What MCP server provides terminal? +

terminal is provided by the OpenClaw MCP server (openclaw). PolicyLayer sits as a proxy in front of this server to enforce policies before tool calls reach the server.

KEEP EXPLORING

More on OpenClaw, and thousands of servers like it.

This server

All 129 OpenClaw tools → High-risk tools on this server →

Across the catalogue

All high-risk MCP tools → The MCP Attack Database →

Guides

Govern code and CI agents →Agent sandbox →Least privilege for MCP →