OpenClaw Discord proxy fix for REST API timeout issues

If your OpenClaw Discord bot appears connected but can't send messages or run commands, you might be experiencing a proxy configuration issue where WebSocket connections work but REST API calls don't.

The Problem

A user on r/openclaw reported their Discord channel suddenly stopped working. Running openclaw doctor showed "Discord failed" and logs were spamming: "fetch failed UND_ERR_CONNECT_TIMEOUT".

The issue wasn't a broken proxy, but rather that the proxy setting in OpenClaw was sufficient for Discord WebSocket connections but not for REST API requests. This created a situation where the bot looked half-connected but couldn't actually function.

The Solution

Here's what fixed it:

• Keep the Discord proxy configuration in your OpenClaw JSON file
• Create a file at ~/.openclaw/proxy-preload.cjs
• Set a global undici proxy in that file
• Start OpenClaw with NODE_OPTIONS=--require=... to load the proxy configuration

Important Notes

• Use an HTTP proxy, not SOCKS5
• If you update OpenClaw, check whether the bundled undici path has changed

This specific configuration issue can cause Discord to appear connected while REST calls fail silently, preventing message sending and command execution.