Explore the interface
Use this article to learn where things live before you start work. MultiClaw is one window with four ideas to remember: a navigation sidebar on the left, a title bar across the top, a main content column that changes with the screen you pick, and (on Conversations) the Chats sidebar plus chat surface.
The navigation sidebar
The sidebar is how you move between major areas of the app. Icons link to each screen; labels identify what each icon opens.
On a wide window, the rail stays narrow and shows icons only. Hover over an icon (or focus it) to see its label in a tooltip.
On a small window, the same links live behind Open menu (hamburger). Click Open menu to open the full navigation sheet, then pick a destination.
Top navigation:
| Section | What it does |
|---|---|
| Conversations | Start and continue chats with your agents. This is your main working area. |
| My Agents | Create, configure, and manage your agents. |
| Instances | Start, stop, and monitor your cloud desktops. |
| Schedule | Schedule tasks to run automatically. |
| MCP Servers | Manage MCP servers that give agents access to external tools. |
| Skills | Browse, record, and manage reusable agent procedures. |
Bottom navigation:
| Section | What it does |
|---|---|
| Settings | Configure app preferences, appearance, gateway, and more. |
| Help | Open the help center. |
The title bar
The narrow strip at the very top shows edition and connection context. You can click and drag it to move the window.
Companion (local OpenClaw) builds show, on the right when you are not connected to a cloud desktop:
- Edition label so you know you are on the Companion build.
- Gateway port when the gateway is up, for example
Port 18789. - Gateway status with text Connected, Offline, or Reconnecting.... A colored dot next to the label matches that state (green when connected, red when offline, amber while reconnecting). Open the status control whenever you need to start, stop, or restart the gateway.
When you are connected to a cloud desktop instance, that side of the bar shows the instance name and cloud controls instead of the local port and gateway row. Use the menu on the instance control to change instance or disconnect back to local work.
Enterprise builds show MultiClaw Enterprise plus your signed-in organization and instance connection status on the right, tuned for cloud workspaces rather than the local gateway strip.
The main content column
Everything to the right of the navigation rail is the main content column. The navigation sidebar only switches routes: each item above replaces this column with that screen (My Agents, Instances, and so on).
Conversations fills the column with the chat layout described in the next section. Other items show their own pages (agent list, instance list, scheduler, and so on) in the same space.
The chat area (Conversations)
When Conversations is active, the main column is your chat workspace. It behaves in two phases.
Welcome phase — before the first message in a new flow, you see a centered greeting and the composer ready for input.
Active phase — after messages exist, the transcript scrolls above the composer.
Floating controls
Two buttons stay in the top-left of the chat surface:
- Sidebar toggle (panel icon): shows or hides the Chats sidebar.
- New Conversation (pencil icon): starts a new conversation without leaving Conversations.
When you are connected to a cloud instance and a conversation is active, a control in the top-right opens the remote browser view for that instance.
The Chats sidebar
The Chats sidebar slides beside the message area when you show it; it can start hidden so the transcript has more room. Inside you will find:
- A Chats heading.
- The Search conversations... field, which filters the conversation list so you can find past chats.
- Conversations ordered with the most recent first.
Message composer
The composer sits at the bottom of the chat column.
Left side of the toolbar:
- Agent selector — choose which agent handles your messages. The selector can lock during an active conversation (lock icon) so you do not switch agents mid-session.
- Model selector — when you are working locally (not through a connected cloud desktop), choose the language model here. When you are connected to an instance, model choice follows the cloud agent setup, so this control is not part of the cloud composer.
Right side of the toolbar:
- Attach file — add files from disk; previews appear above the text field when something is attached.
- Send — sends the message. While the agent is generating a reply, Stop replaces Send so you can cancel generation.
Type in the main text field. Shift + Enter adds a line; Enter alone sends (when sending is allowed).
When you are done skimming
You will recognize the layout: icons at the left edge, status and edition along the top drag strip, and Conversations showing either the welcome centering or transcript plus composer. Open the Chats sidebar when you need history or search.
Related articles
Start your first conversation
Open MultiClaw, select an agent, type your message, and start working — your first conversation takes less than a minute.
What are agents?
Agents are AI assistants that plan, act, and complete tasks on your behalf — here's what they can do and how they work.
What are skills?
Skills are reusable instructions that agents draw on when planning tasks — create one from a browser recording or write it directly as a SKILL.md file.