Why do I get HTTP 401 from Cursor or curl even though my token works locally on the Mac?

The client is often hitting a different hostname or path than the process that validates Bearer tokens: a reverse proxy may strip or duplicate the /v1 prefix, terminate TLS on another vhost, or inject a different Authorization header. Reproduce with curl -v against the exact public URL, compare with curl to 127.0.0.1 on the Mac, then align proxy pass rules and Cursor Base URL so both use one canonical path layout.

Which TLS errors usually mean “proxy misconfiguration” rather than an expired certificate?

Handshake failures right after SNI when multiple certificates share one IP often indicate the wrong server block or missing proxy_protocol. Certificate name mismatch on the edge while the origin cert is fine points to clients talking to the wrong hostname. Fix by pinning one public hostname, ensuring the proxy presents a cert for that name, and that upstream to localhost uses plain HTTP unless you intentionally terminate twice.

Why do chat requests time out from overseas laptops but succeed on the LAN?

Long-RTT paths amplify TLS and HTTP/2 idle behavior; reverse proxies and CDNs may use shorter read timeouts than your model needs for long generations. Raise proxy read_timeout and keep-alive settings above worst-case token latency, avoid double proxies unless both honor streaming, and test with curl --max-time aligned to your SLO.

Should the Cursor “OpenAI Base URL” include /v1?

Match whatever your OpenAI-compatible client concatenates: most stacks expect Base URL without a trailing slash and append /v1/chat/completions themselves. If your gateway is mounted under a subpath such as /gateway, put https://host/gateway in Base URL and verify one sample request path with browser devtools or curl to avoid double /v1/v1 segments.

Deployment Guide 2026-04-10 11 min

2026 OpenClaw Gateway as OpenAI-Compatible API: How Cursor and Scripts Reach a Remote Physical Mac

Engineers who point Cursor—or CI scripts—at an OpenClaw Gateway on an unattended Mac often fail on three seams: Base URL composition, Bearer forwarding, and reverse-proxy path rewriting. This article gives a 2026-ready contract for OpenAI-compatible calls, a decision matrix for edge vs direct access, seven verification steps, cite-ready thresholds, and an FAQ for 401, TLS, and timeout failures you can paste into runbooks.

OpenClaw Gateway OpenAI-compatible API Base URL Bearer and reverse proxy on remote Mac 2026

1. Why OpenAI-shaped clients break at the gateway edge

OpenClaw Gateway can speak the same HTTP shapes as popular LLM APIs, but “OpenAI-compatible” is a contract: Base URL, path (/v1/...), Authorization: Bearer, and TLS identity must match what the gateway actually validates. Remote physical Macs add SSH tunnels, corporate proxies, and split DNS—each layer can rewrite one of those fields.

Double paths: An edge that already mounts /v1 plus a client that appends /v1/chat/completions yields 404 or silent redirects—Cursor and SDKs hide the final URL unless you sniff traffic.
Bearer drift: Tokens copied into CI secrets sometimes omit the Bearer prefix or clash with proxy basic auth; the gateway sees an empty or wrong credential while local curl on 127.0.0.1 still works.
Timeout asymmetry: Interactive tools assume LAN latency; cross-border RTT plus TLS and HTTP/2 prioritization can exceed default proxy read_timeout values during long generations. Teams automating UI across regions hit the same class of problem—see 2026 Global Deployment: Solving Cross-Border UI Automation for parallel physical-Mac concerns.

2. Decision matrix: Cursor vs scripts vs CI

Pick one row per environment and keep the Base URL identical between human and automation unless you document a deliberate split (for example, CI through a service mesh).

Client	What to configure	Typical pitfall
Cursor (custom OpenAI)	Override Base URL to your HTTPS origin; API key field = gateway Bearer secret.	Workspace vs global settings diverge; one folder still points at api.openai.com.
Official OpenAI SDKs	`OPENAI_BASE_URL` + `OPENAI_API_KEY`; verify with a minimal chat completion.	Org/project headers from cloud docs leak in and confuse gateways that only check Bearer.
curl / GitHub Actions	Explicit `-H "Authorization: Bearer …"` and full URL to `…/v1/chat/completions`.	Secrets masked in logs still fail if the job uses HTTP to an HTTPS-only edge.

3. Seven-step connection runbook

Localhost proof: On the Mac, curl -sS -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" http://127.0.0.1:<port>/v1/models (or the documented discovery route). If this fails, fix launchd or bind address before touching DNS.
Freeze the external URL: One hostname, one path prefix policy. Example: public https://gw.example.com with nginx location /v1/ proxying to http://127.0.0.1:<port>/v1/ without double-stripping.
Bearer contract: Ensure proxies forward Authorization; if you terminate auth at the edge, inject the same secret the gateway expects—never mix schemes silently.
Cursor alignment: Paste the same Base URL you used in curl (scheme + host + optional prefix). Send a short prompt; if the UI errors, capture the failing URL from developer tools or gateway logs.
Script parity: Run the identical request from CI with --fail-with-body so HTTP 401 surfaces as a hard error.
Timeout budget: Set client --max-time and proxy proxy_read_timeout ≥ 120s for long completions on high-RTT paths (tune to your model SLO).
Continuous check: Hourly cron from outside the LAN hitting /v1/models or health with Bearer—alerts before humans open Cursor on Monday. For daemon reliability patterns on the same class of node, see Optimizing Mac mini Stability for Long-Term OpenClaw Operation in 2026.

4. Quotable thresholds (for internal SLO drafts)

401 triage SLA: Differentiate localhost vs public within 5 minutes using paired curl traces—misrouted paths dominate, not token entropy.
TLS re-check cadence: Re-validate edge certificates and intermediate chains on every macOS minor upgrade on the gateway host; Keychain and proxy trust stores drift together.
Timeout floor: For generative calls over cross-border paths, set application and proxy idle timers to at least 2× observed P95 time-to-first-token before declaring failure.

5. FAQ: 401, TLS, and timeouts

HTTP 401 Unauthorized

Compare three payloads: (1) curl to localhost with Bearer, (2) curl to the public hostname with Bearer, (3) Cursor or SDK traffic captured at the proxy. If (1) works and (2) fails, your edge is eating or replacing Authorization. If (2) works and Cursor fails, the IDE still targets a stale Base URL—reset per workspace.

TLS / certificate errors

Validate the name on the cert matches the hostname clients type. Mixed http:// redirects to https:// with different hostnames are a frequent source of SSL: certificate subject name mismatch. Terminate TLS once at the edge; avoid redundant TLS to localhost unless you operate an internal PKI and trust it everywhere.

Timeouts and “empty hangs”

Increase proxy and client timeouts together. If streaming responses stall, confirm HTTP/2 is not buffered by an intermediary that waits for the full body. Test with curl -N to mirror streaming behavior.

6. Why Mac mini–class hardware fits this gateway role

An OpenAI-compatible edge on a remote Mac is less about raw TFLOPS and more about always-on reliability: Apple Silicon idle power often sits in the low single-digit watts, macOS crash rates stay vanishingly small across month-long uptimes, and the Unix toolchain (launchd, ssh, Homebrew) matches how teams already operate gateways. Unified memory keeps concurrent HTTP and local tool calls responsive without the NUMA surprises common on DIY x86 boxes.

Gatekeeper, SIP, and FileVault also reduce unattended-node malware risk versus typical Windows fleet images—important when your admin plane terminates TLS for Cursor and CI secrets. If you want this pattern without babysitting desktop towers, a Mac mini M4 remains one of the most cost-predictable ways to host it.

If you are standardizing remote gateways for agents and IDEs, put the workload on hardware that is quiet, efficient, and built for macOS—explore Mac mini options on ZoneMac and move from “works on my laptop” to a documented production contract.

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