> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.openclaw.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Presence

OpenClaw "presence" is a lightweight, best-effort view of:

* the **Gateway** itself, and
* **clients connected to the Gateway** (mac app, WebChat, CLI, etc.)

Presence is used primarily to render the macOS app's **Instances** tab and to
provide quick operator visibility.

## Presence fields (what shows up)

Presence entries are structured objects with fields like:

* `instanceId` (optional but strongly recommended): stable client identity (usually `connect.client.instanceId`)
* `host`: human-friendly host name
* `ip`: best-effort IP address
* `version`: client version string
* `deviceFamily` / `modelIdentifier`: hardware hints
* `mode`: `ui`, `webchat`, `cli`, `backend`, `probe`, `test`, `node`, ...
* `lastInputSeconds`: "seconds since last user input" (if known)
* `reason`: `self`, `connect`, `node-connected`, `periodic`, ...
* `ts`: last update timestamp (ms since epoch)

## Producers (where presence comes from)

Presence entries are produced by multiple sources and **merged**.

### 1) Gateway self entry

The Gateway always seeds a "self" entry at startup so UIs show the gateway host
even before any clients connect.

### 2) WebSocket connect

Every WS client begins with a `connect` request. On successful handshake the
Gateway upserts a presence entry for that connection.

#### Why one-off CLI commands do not show up

The CLI often connects for short, one-off commands. To avoid spamming the
Instances list, `client.mode === "cli"` is **not** turned into a presence entry.

### 3) `system-event` beacons

Clients can send richer periodic beacons via the `system-event` method. The mac
app uses this to report host name, IP, and `lastInputSeconds`.

### 4) Node connects (role: node)

When a node connects over the Gateway WebSocket with `role: node`, the Gateway
upserts a presence entry for that node (same flow as other WS clients).

## Merge + dedupe rules (why `instanceId` matters)

Presence entries are stored in a single in-memory map:

* Entries are keyed by a **presence key**.
* The best key is a stable `instanceId` (from `connect.client.instanceId`) that survives restarts.
* Keys are case-insensitive.

If a client reconnects without a stable `instanceId`, it may show up as a
**duplicate** row.

## TTL and bounded size

Presence is intentionally ephemeral:

* **TTL:** entries older than 5 minutes are pruned
* **Max entries:** 200 (oldest dropped first)

This keeps the list fresh and avoids unbounded memory growth.

## Remote/tunnel caveat (loopback IPs)

When a client connects over an SSH tunnel / local port forward, the Gateway may
see the remote address as `127.0.0.1`. To avoid overwriting a good client-reported
IP, loopback remote addresses are ignored.

## Consumers

### macOS Instances tab

The macOS app renders the output of `system-presence` and applies a small status
indicator (Active/Idle/Stale) based on the age of the last update.

## Debugging tips

* To see the raw list, call `system-presence` against the Gateway.
* If you see duplicates:
  * confirm clients send a stable `client.instanceId` in the handshake
  * confirm periodic beacons use the same `instanceId`
  * check whether the connection-derived entry is missing `instanceId` (duplicates are expected)

## Related

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Typing indicators" href="/concepts/typing-indicators" icon="ellipsis">
    When typing indicators are sent and how to tune them.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Streaming and chunking" href="/concepts/streaming" icon="bars-staggered">
    Outbound streaming, chunking, and per-channel formatting.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Gateway architecture" href="/concepts/architecture" icon="diagram-project">
    Gateway components and the WebSocket protocol that drives presence updates.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Gateway protocol" href="/gateway/protocol" icon="plug">
    The wire protocol for `connect`, `system-event`, and `system-presence`.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>