🔑 Anthropic Token Auto-Refresh for OpenClaw

Use your Claude Max subscription with OpenClaw — automatically refresh OAuth tokens that expire every few hours.

The Problem

If you want to use your Claude Max subscription (instead of API credits) with OpenClaw, you need OAuth tokens (sk-ant-oat01-*). But these tokens expire every few hours, taking your bot offline.

Symptoms:

• Bot stops responding after a few hours
• Auth errors in logs
• Need to manually re-authenticate repeatedly

The Solution

A Playwright script that automatically:

1. Opens browser to claude.ai OAuth
2. Clicks "Authorize" (if already logged in)
3. Captures the setup-token from callback
4. Pastes it into OpenClaw

Runs every 3 hours via launchd (macOS) or cron (Linux).

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Quick Install (macOS)

# Clone the repo
git clone https://github.com/getmolty/anthropic-token-refresh.git
cd anthropic-token-refresh

# Install dependencies
npm init -y
npm install playwright
npx playwright install chromium

# Edit the script to set your paths
nano refresh-anthropic-token.mjs
# Update OPENCLAW_CLI and USER_DATA_DIR for your setup

# Test it (browser will open - log in if needed)
node refresh-anthropic-token.mjs

# Install the launchd job
cp com.openclaw.token-refresh.plist ~/Library/LaunchAgents/
sed -i '' "s/YOUR_USERNAME/$(whoami)/g" ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.openclaw.token-refresh.plist
sed -i '' "s|/Users/YOUR_USERNAME/scripts|$(pwd)|g" ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.openclaw.token-refresh.plist

# Create logs directory and load the job
mkdir -p ~/.openclaw/logs
launchctl load ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.openclaw.token-refresh.plist

# Verify it's running
launchctl list | grep token-refresh

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Manual Setup (Step by Step)

1. Clone and install dependencies

git clone https://github.com/getmolty/anthropic-token-refresh.git
cd anthropic-token-refresh

npm init -y
npm install playwright
npx playwright install chromium

2. Configure the script

Edit refresh-anthropic-token.mjs and update these paths:

// Find your OpenClaw CLI path with: which openclaw
const OPENCLAW_CLI = '/path/to/openclaw';  

// Where to store browser session (auto-created)
const USER_DATA_DIR = path.join(os.homedir(), '.openclaw/playwright-chrome-data');

3. Test manually

node refresh-anthropic-token.mjs

A browser window opens:

• If already logged into claude.ai → auto-approves
• If not → log in once, session persists for future runs

4. Set up automatic refresh

macOS (launchd)

# Copy the template
cp com.openclaw.token-refresh.plist ~/Library/LaunchAgents/

# Edit it with your paths
nano ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.openclaw.token-refresh.plist

Update these values:

• /Users/YOUR_USERNAME → your home directory
• Path to refresh-anthropic-token.mjs
• Path to node (find with which node)

# Create logs directory
mkdir -p ~/.openclaw/logs

# Load the job
launchctl load ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.openclaw.token-refresh.plist

# Verify
launchctl list | grep token-refresh

Linux (cron)

# Edit crontab
crontab -e

# Add this line (runs every 3 hours)
0 */3 * * * cd /path/to/anthropic-token-refresh && /usr/bin/node refresh-anthropic-token.mjs >> ~/.openclaw/logs/token-refresh.log 2>&1

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How It Works

1. Every 3 hours, the script launches a Chromium browser
2. Navigates to claude.ai OAuth with PKCE challenge
3. Auto-clicks "Authorize" if session is valid
4. Captures the setup-token from the callback URL
5. Pipes it into openclaw models auth paste-token
6. Browser closes, token is refreshed

The browser session persists in ~/.openclaw/playwright-chrome-data/, so you only need to log in once.

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Troubleshooting

Browser doesn't auto-approve

Make sure you're logged into claude.ai:

1. Run the script manually: node refresh-anthropic-token.mjs
2. Complete the login in the browser window
3. Future runs will auto-approve

Token not being saved

Check your OpenClaw CLI path:

which openclaw
# Update OPENCLAW_CLI in the script

View logs

# macOS
tail -f ~/.openclaw/logs/token-refresh.log

# Check launchd status
launchctl list | grep token-refresh

Force a refresh now

node refresh-anthropic-token.mjs

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Uninstall

# macOS
launchctl unload ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.openclaw.token-refresh.plist
rm ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.openclaw.token-refresh.plist

# Linux
crontab -e  # remove the line

# Remove browser session
rm -rf ~/.openclaw/playwright-chrome-data

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Requirements

• Node.js >= 18
• macOS or Linux
• OpenClaw CLI installed and configured
• Anthropic Claude subscription

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License

MIT