The /templates command manages deployment templates - reusable configuration presets that simplify creating similar deployments. Templates store provider settings, AI configuration, and channel setup.
Usage Template Management Template List View all available templates:
/templates - Manage deployment templates Select a template to view details. Use arrow keys and Enter. ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ > Blank configuration │ │ Anthropic Claude (Telegram) [built-in] · telegram │ │ OpenAI GPT-4 (Telegram) [built-in] · telegram │ │ My Production Setup [custom] · telegram │ └────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ Enter to view, Esc to go back
Template Types
[built-in] - Pre-configured templates from ClawControl[custom] - Templates you’ve created
Template Details Select a template to view its configuration:
Anthropic Claude (Telegram) Official Anthropic Claude template for Telegram ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ Type: Built-in │ │ Provider: Hetzner Cloud │ │ Server Type: cpx11 │ │ Location: ash │ │ AI Provider: anthropic │ │ Model: claude-sonnet-4-20250514 │ │ Channel: telegram │ └────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ [F]ork [U]se [Esc] Back
Template Actions Use Template (U) Press U to create a new deployment from this template:
# Navigates to /new with template pre-selected # Template values are pre-filled # You only need to provide: # - Deployment name # - API keys # - Tokens/secrets
Fork Template (F) Press F to create a custom template based on this one:
Fork Template - Name Enter a name for the new template: [Input] My Custom Claude Setup [Enter] Fork Template - Provider Select cloud provider: ┌────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ > Hetzner Cloud - Recommended - US East │ │ DigitalOcean - NYC1 - New York │ └────────────────────────────────────────────┘ # Continue through configuration steps # Similar to /new but creates a template instead
Delete Template (D) Press D to delete a custom template (built-in templates cannot be deleted):
Delete Template Are you sure you want to delete "My Custom Template"? This action cannot be undone. Press Y to confirm, N to cancel
Built-in Templates ClawControl includes these pre-configured templates:
Anthropic Claude (Telegram) Provider: Hetzner Cloud (CPX11, Ashburn) AI Provider: Anthropic Model: claude-sonnet-4-20250514 Channel: Telegram
Ideal for production use with Claude Sonnet 4.
OpenAI GPT-4 (Telegram) Provider: Hetzner Cloud (CPX11, Ashburn) AI Provider: OpenAI Model: gpt-4o Channel: Telegram
Pre-configured for OpenAI’s GPT-4o.
Creating Custom Templates Create templates by forking existing ones:
Method 1: Fork from /templates > /templates # Select a template # Press F to fork # Customize settings # ✓ Template saved
Method 2: Fork from Deployment From /list, fork an existing deployment into a template:
> /list # Select a deployment # Press F to fork # Choose "Save as template"
Fork Template Wizard The fork wizard guides you through customization:
Step 1: Template Name Fork Template - Name Enter a name for the new template: Name: Production GPT-4 Setup
Step 2: Provider Fork Template - Provider Select cloud provider: ┌────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ > Hetzner Cloud │ │ DigitalOcean │ └────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Step 3: Droplet Size (DigitalOcean only) Fork Template - Droplet Size Select DigitalOcean droplet size: ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ > s-1vcpu-2gb - 1 vCPU, 2GB RAM - $12/mo │ │ s-2vcpu-2gb - 2 vCPU, 2GB RAM - $18/mo │ └────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Step 4: AI Provider Fork Template - AI Provider Select AI provider: ┌────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ > Anthropic - Claude models │ │ OpenAI - GPT models │ │ Google - Gemini models │ └────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Step 5: Model Fork Template - Model Enter the model identifier: Model: gpt-4o-mini
Step 6: Confirmation Fork Template - Confirm ┌────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ Name: Production GPT-4 Setup │ │ Provider: DigitalOcean │ │ Droplet Size: s-1vcpu-2gb │ │ AI Provider: openai │ │ Model: gpt-4o-mini │ │ Channel: telegram │ └────────────────────────────────────────────┘ Press Y to confirm, N to go back
Success ✓ Template Created! Your template "Production GPT-4 Setup" has been saved. Press any key to return to templates list
Example Terminal Session > /templates /templates - Manage deployment templates ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ > Anthropic Claude (Telegram) [built-in] │ │ OpenAI GPT-4 (Telegram) [built-in] │ └────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ [Enter] Anthropic Claude (Telegram) Official template for Anthropic Claude ┌────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ Type: Built-in │ │ Provider: Hetzner Cloud │ │ AI Provider: anthropic │ │ Model: claude-sonnet-4-20250514 │ └────────────────────────────────────────────┘ [Press F] Fork Template - Name Name: My Claude Template [Enter] Fork Template - Provider > Hetzner Cloud [Enter] Fork Template - AI Provider > Anthropic [Enter] Fork Template - Model Model: claude-3-5-haiku-20241022 [Enter] Fork Template - Confirm Name: My Claude Template Provider: Hetzner Cloud AI Provider: anthropic Model: claude-3-5-haiku-20241022 [Press Y] ✓ Template Created! /templates - Manage deployment templates ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ > My Claude Template [custom] │ │ Anthropic Claude (Telegram) [built-in] │ └────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Template Storage Templates are stored in:
~/.clawcontrol/templates/ ├── anthropic-claude-telegram.json ├── openai-gpt4-telegram.json └── my-custom-template.json
Each template is a JSON file containing:
{ "id" : "my-custom-template" , "name" : "My Custom Template" , "description" : "Forked from Anthropic Claude" , "builtIn" : false , "createdAt" : "2026-02-28T10:30:00.000Z" , "provider" : "hetzner" , "hetzner" : { "serverType" : "cpx11" , "location" : "ash" , "image" : "ubuntu-24.04" }, "aiProvider" : "anthropic" , "model" : "claude-3-5-haiku-20241022" , "channel" : "telegram" }
Use Cases Standardize Team Deployments Create templates for different environments:
• Production Template (claude-sonnet-4, CPX21) • Staging Template (claude-haiku, CPX11) • Development Template (gpt-4o-mini, small droplet)
Everyone uses the same configurations.
Quick Testing Create a “quick test” template:
Provider: Hetzner (smallest size) AI Provider: Anthropic Model: claude-3-5-haiku-20241022 (fast, cheap) Channel: Telegram
Spin up test instances in seconds.
Multi-Provider Setups Templates for different providers:
• Hetzner US East • DigitalOcean NYC • Hetzner EU (for GDPR compliance)
Different AI Models Compare models easily:
• Claude Sonnet Template • GPT-4o Template • Gemini 2.0 Template
Deploy identical configs with different AI backends.
Keyboard Navigation List View:
↑/↓ - Navigate templatesEnter - View template detailsEsc - Return to home
Detail View:
F - Fork templateU - Use template for new deploymentD - Delete custom template (if not built-in)Esc - Back to list
Fork Wizard:
↑/↓ - Navigate options (in selection steps)Type - Enter values (in input steps)Enter - Confirm and continueEsc - Go back
Delete Confirmation:
Y - Confirm deletionN/Esc - Cancel
Empty State If only built-in templates exist:
/templates - Manage deployment templates ┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ > Anthropic Claude (Telegram) [built-in] │ │ OpenAI GPT-4 (Telegram) [built-in] │ └────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ Tip: Press F on any template to create your own custom version
Tips Create templates for your most common configurations. This dramatically speeds up creating new deployments.
Fork built-in templates instead of creating from scratch. Built-in templates are tested and optimized.
Templates only store configuration, not secrets. You’ll still need to provide API keys and tokens when creating deployments.
Best Practices Naming Templates Use descriptive names:
✓ "Production Claude Sonnet (US East)" ✓ "Staging GPT-4o Mini" ✓ "EU GDPR Compliant Setup" ✗ "Template 1" ✗ "My Template" ✗ "Test"
Organization Create templates for:
Environments - Production, Staging, DevelopmentRegions - US, EU, AsiaUse Cases - Customer Support, Content Generation, Code AssistantCost Tiers - Budget, Standard, Premium
Maintenance Regularly update templates:
# Update model versions Old: claude-sonnet-4-20250514 New: claude-sonnet-4-20260115 # Update to new instance types Old: CPX11 New: CPX21 (better performance)
Advanced Usage Manual Template Creation Create templates by editing JSON files:
cd ~/.clawcontrol/templates/ cp anthropic-claude-telegram.json my-custom.json nano my-custom.json
Template Sharing Share templates with team members:
# Export cp ~/.clawcontrol/templates/my-template.json ~/ # Share file # Recipient imports: cp ~/my-template.json ~/.clawcontrol/templates/
Backup Templates tar -czf clawcontrol-templates-backup.tar.gz ~/.clawcontrol/templates/
Next Steps
New Command Use templates to create deployments
Deploy Command Deploy template-based configs
Overview Back to CLI overview
Options Global CLI options