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This guide walks you through deploying your first OpenClaw instance using ClawControl’s interactive TUI.
Before you begin, ensure you have:
  • ClawControl installed (Installation guide)
  • An API key from Hetzner Cloud or DigitalOcean
  • An AI provider API key (Anthropic, OpenAI, etc.)
  • A Telegram bot token from @BotFather
  • Your Telegram user ID (send /start to @userinfobot)

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Launch ClawControl

Open your terminal and run: 
clawcontrol
You’ll see the ClawControl home screen with the ASCII logo and command palette.

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Step 1: Initialize a new deployment

1

Type /new command

In the command input at the bottom, type /new and press Enter.
Type a command (e.g., /new)...
> /new
2

Choose a template (optional)

ClawControl offers built-in templates or you can start from a blank configuration:
  • Blank configuration - Set up everything manually
  • Built-in templates - Pre-configured setups for common use cases
  • Custom templates - Your saved configurations
Use arrow keys to select and press Enter. For this guide, select Blank configuration.
3

Enter deployment name

Give your deployment a unique name (lowercase, alphanumeric, hyphens only):
Name: my-openclaw-server
Press Enter to continue.
4

Select cloud provider

Choose your VPS provider:
  • Hetzner - Recommended, US East (Ashburn), ~$4.99/mo
  • DigitalOcean - NYC1, customizable droplet sizes starting at $12/mo
Use arrow keys and press Enter.
5

Configure provider API key

Choose to enter a new API key or use a saved one:
  • Select Enter a new API key
  • Paste your Hetzner or DigitalOcean API token
  • Press Enter
ClawControl will validate the key. If valid, you’ll be asked if you want to save it for future deployments.
Get your API key:
6

Select droplet size (DigitalOcean only)

If you chose DigitalOcean, select your droplet size:
  • s-1vcpu-2gb - 1 vCPU, 2GB RAM, 50GB SSD - $12/mo (minimum)
  • s-2vcpu-2gb - 2 vCPU, 2GB RAM, 60GB SSD - $18/mo
  • s-2vcpu-4gb - 2 vCPU, 4GB RAM, 80GB SSD - $24/mo
OpenClaw requires at least 2GB RAM to avoid out-of-memory errors.
7

Choose AI provider

Select your AI model provider:
  • Anthropic - Claude models
  • OpenAI - GPT models
  • OpenRouter - Multi-provider access
  • Google - Gemini models
  • Groq - Fast inference
Press Enter to continue.
8

Enter AI provider API key

Paste your AI provider API key:
  • The prompt shows the environment variable name (e.g., ANTHROPIC_API_KEY)
  • Enter or select a saved key
  • ClawControl will offer to save it for future use
9

Specify model identifier

Enter the model you want to use:
claude-sonnet-4-20250514
claude-3-5-haiku-20241022
10

Configure Telegram bot

Enter your Telegram bot token from @BotFather:
Bot Token: 123456789:ABCdefGHIjklMNOpqrsTUVwxyz
Then enter your Telegram user ID for access control:
Telegram User ID: 123456789
Get your user ID by messaging @userinfobot on Telegram.
11

Configure Tailscale (optional)

Choose whether to set up Tailscale for secure access:
  • Skip - Dashboard accessible via server IP only
  • Configure Tailscale - Secure private VPN access (recommended)
Tailscale creates a private network so only you can access the OpenClaw dashboard.
12

Confirm configuration

Review your settings and press Y to create the deployment configuration.
Deployment Name: my-openclaw-server
Provider: Hetzner (CPX11, Ashburn)
AI Provider: Anthropic (claude-sonnet-4-20250514)
Telegram: Configured
Tailscale: Enabled

Press Y to confirm, N to cancel

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Step 2: Deploy to VPS

Now that your deployment is configured, it’s time to provision the infrastructure.
1

Run /deploy command

From the home screen, type /deploy and press Enter.
> /deploy
2

Select deployment

Choose the deployment you just created:
> my-openclaw-server  [initialized]  hetzner
Press Enter to continue.
3

Confirm deployment

Review the deployment details and costs:
Deploy "my-openclaw-server"?

This will:
• Create a VPS on hetzner
• Install and configure OpenClaw  
• Set up Tailscale for secure access

Estimated cost: ~$4.99/month (Hetzner CPX11)

Press Y to confirm, N to cancel
Press Y to begin deployment.
4

Watch deployment progress

ClawControl will now execute all deployment checkpoints automatically:
[1/15] Creating VPS server...
[2/15] Uploading SSH keys...
[3/15] Connecting via SSH...
[4/15] Setting up swap memory...
[5/15] Updating system packages...
[6/15] Installing NVM...
[7/15] Installing Node.js...
[8/15] Installing pnpm...
[9/15] Installing Google Chrome...
[10/15] Installing OpenClaw...
[11/15] Configuring OpenClaw...
[12/15] Installing Tailscale...
This process typically takes 5-10 minutes depending on your provider and network speed.
5

Authenticate Tailscale

If you enabled Tailscale, ClawControl will prompt you to authenticate:
Tailscale needs authentication.

Tailscale is a secure networking tool that creates a private VPN 
between your devices and your OpenClaw server, so the gateway is 
only accessible to you.

Would you like to open your browser to authenticate?

URL: https://login.tailscale.com/a/...
Press Y to open your browser, log in with your Tailscale account (or create one), and authorize the device.
6

Start OpenClaw daemon

The final checkpoint starts the OpenClaw systemd service:
[15/15] Starting OpenClaw daemon...
OpenClaw daemon is running.

Your OpenClaw config has been applied and the daemon is running.

Would you like to also run 'openclaw onboard' interactively for 
additional setup? (This is optional — your agent is already configured.)
  • Press Y to run the interactive onboarding in a terminal window
  • Press N to skip (the daemon is already configured and running)

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Step 3: Verify deployment

1

Check deployment status

From the home screen, type /status and press Enter:
> /status
You’ll see your deployment details:
Details: my-openclaw-server
Status:          deployed
Provider:        hetzner
Server IP:       1.2.3.4
Tailscale IP:    100.64.0.1
Created:         1/15/2026, 10:30:00 AM
Deployed:        1/15/2026, 10:42:00 AM
2

Run health check

With your deployment selected in /status, press Enter to run a health check:
Health Check:
SSH:         Connected
OpenClaw:    Running
Last checked: 10:45:30 AM
3

Access OpenClaw dashboard

Type /dashboard and select your deployment to open the web interface:
> /dashboard
If Tailscale is configured, the dashboard will open at your Tailscale IP. Otherwise, it uses the public server IP.

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Next steps

View logs

Monitor your OpenClaw instance with /logs to stream real-time logs from the daemon.

SSH access

Use /ssh to open a terminal session directly on your server for manual debugging or configuration.

Manage templates

Save your configuration as a template with /templates for quick redeployment or to fork variations.

Destroy deployment

When you’re done, run /destroy to safely tear down the VPS and clean up all resources.

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Common workflows

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Stream logs in real-time

clawcontrol
> /logs
# Select deployment with arrow keys
# Press Enter to stream logs
# Press Esc to stop

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SSH into your server

clawcontrol  
> /ssh
# Select deployment
# Opens terminal with automatic SSH connection

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Edit and redeploy

clawcontrol
> /list
# Select deployment
# Choose "Edit" to modify configuration
# Run /deploy to apply changes

​
Fork a deployment

clawcontrol
> /list  
# Select deployment
# Choose "Fork" to create a copy
# Modify settings and deploy independently

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Troubleshooting

Possible causes:
  • Invalid API key
  • Insufficient account credits
  • Region quota exceeded
  • Name already in use
Solutions:
  1. Verify your API key is correct and has permissions
  2. Check your provider account has available credits
  3. Try a different deployment name
  4. Run /destroy to clean up any partial resources, then try again
The server may still be booting or there’s a network issue.Solutions:
  1. Wait 2-3 minutes and let ClawControl retry automatically
  2. Check your provider’s console to verify the server is running
  3. Ensure port 22 (SSH) is not blocked by firewall rules
Check the daemon status:
clawcontrol
> /ssh
# In the SSH session:
systemctl status openclaw
journalctl -u openclaw -f
Common issues:
  • Missing or invalid API keys in environment
  • Telegram token authentication failed
  • Out of memory (increase server size)
If you miss the authentication window:
  1. SSH into your server: /ssh
  2. Run: sudo tailscale up
  3. Open the authentication URL manually
  4. Complete authentication
  5. Run: sudo tailscale serve https / http://127.0.0.1:8888
ClawControl will retry failed steps up to 3 times. If a checkpoint keeps failing:
  1. Check the error message for specific details
  2. Press N when asked to retry from beginning
  3. Use /ssh to investigate the server directly
  4. Fix the issue manually or /destroy and start fresh

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Example deployment output

Here’s what a successful deployment looks like: 
$ clawcontrol
> /new

# ... configuration wizard ...

> /deploy

[1/15] Creating VPS server...                    ✓ Complete (30s)
[2/15] Uploading SSH keys...                     ✓ Complete (2s)
[3/15] Connecting via SSH...                     ✓ Complete (45s)
[4/15] Setting up swap memory...                 ✓ Complete (15s)
[5/15] Updating system packages...               ✓ Complete (120s)
[6/15] Installing NVM...                          ✓ Complete (10s)
[7/15] Installing Node.js...                      ✓ Complete (30s)
[8/15] Installing pnpm...                         ✓ Complete (5s)
[9/15] Installing Google Chrome...                ✓ Complete (45s)
[10/15] Installing OpenClaw...                    ✓ Complete (60s)
[11/15] Configuring OpenClaw...                   ✓ Complete (10s)
[12/15] Installing Tailscale...                   ✓ Complete (20s)
[13/15] Authenticating Tailscale...               ✓ Complete (30s)
[14/15] Configuring Tailscale...                  ✓ Complete (15s)
[15/15] Starting OpenClaw daemon...               ✓ Complete (10s)

Deployment complete! 🎉

Your OpenClaw instance is running at:
- Public IP: https://1.2.3.4:8888
- Tailscale: https://100.64.0.1:8888

Press any key to return home...
Congratulations! You’ve successfully deployed your first OpenClaw instance with ClawControl.

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