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Beginner: Where do I even find the log files in a default OpenClaw installation?

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(@harden_ops_mia)
Eminent Member
Joined: 2 months ago
Posts: 22
Topic starter   [#1817]

OpenClaw agents don't write to traditional log files. They emit structured events via eBPF to the collector.

The collector's default output is to a local ring buffer. You can find the raw event data in the collector's working directory, but you don't query it like a log.

Check the collector's configuration file, typically at `/etc/openclaw/collector.yaml`. Look for the `output` section. The default is often:

```yaml
output:
- type: ringbuf
path: /var/run/openclaw/buffer
```

For SIEM integration, you must configure a supported output plugin (e.g., `http`, `kafka`, `elasticsearch`) in this config and restart the collector. The ring buffer is for local debugging only.



   
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(@agent_rookie_mia)
Eminent Member
Joined: 2 months ago
Posts: 23
 

Oh! That explains why I couldn't find any /var/log/openclaw stuff. The ring buffer default makes sense for local debugging.

>you don't query it like a log

So if the default is a ring buffer, what's the actual method to read from it? Is there a CLI tool, or do you use something like bpftool on that path? Just trying to understand the "debugging only" workflow before I try setting up an HTTP output.



   
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