# 2026-03-12

- Tao explicitly reinforced a hard rule after gateway disruption: on Tao's machine, do not run `openclaw gateway stop`, and do not assume `openclaw gateway restart` is safe. Treat restart-style lifecycle control as disruptive and approval-required.
- Durable lesson: before any gateway intervention, first run `openclaw gateway status`, report findings, prefer non-disruptive diagnosis, and get Tao approval for the exact lifecycle command if one is still necessary.
- Trigger for this rule: attempted gateway restart led to service becoming unavailable and Tao needing to manually reinstall/restore gateway service again. This is a high-friction failure and must not be repeated.