Fix for Running OpenClaw on Android via proot Ubuntu: Hijack networkInterfaces() to Resolve uv_interface_addresses Error 13

Running OpenClaw on Android with proot Ubuntu

A developer has documented a fix for running OpenClaw on an Android device using Termux and a proot Ubuntu environment. The specific setup involved a Xiaomi phone with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor running Android 16.

The Problem: Bionic libc Blocks Syscall

When attempting to run OpenClaw version 2026.3.13, the application crashes immediately with the error: uv_interface_addresses returned Unknown system error 13. The root cause is that Android's Bionic libc (C library) blocks the underlying system call inside the proot environment. This causes Node.js's os.networkInterfaces() function to fail, preventing OpenClaw from initializing.

The Fix: A Hijack Script

The solution is to create a simple JavaScript file that overrides the networkInterfaces() function before OpenClaw loads. Create the following script inside the proot Ubuntu environment:

cat << 'EOF' > /root/hijack.js
const os = require('os');
os.networkInterfaces = () => ({
  lo: [{
    address: '127.0.0.1',
    netmask: '255.0.0.0',
    family: 'IPv4',
    mac: '00:00:00:00:00:00',
    internal: true,
    cidr: '127.0.0.1/8'
  }]
});
EOF

To make this fix permanent and apply it when starting OpenClaw, add the following to your shell configuration:

echo 'export NODE_OPTIONS=--require=/root/hijack.js' >> ~/.bashrc
source ~/.bashrc
openclaw gateway

Full Setup Steps

The source outlines the complete setup process:

• Install Termux from F-Droid.
• Run proot-distro install ubuntu.
• Install Node.js 22 via NodeSource.
• Install OpenClaw globally: npm install -g openclaw.

During the onboard process, select Loopback 127.0.0.1 as the Gateway Bind address. With the fix applied, the gateway runs stably at http://127.0.0.1:18789.

Broader Application

The developer notes that this same fix should work for any Node.js application encountering the uv_interface_addresses error when running inside a proot environment on Android 12 or later.