OpenClaw

OpenClaw is a Node.js-based tool for building and running automated workflows and integrations. This image ships Node.js 24 with the OpenClaw package pre-installed globally, ready for you to configure with your API keys and channels.

Software included

Component	Version
OpenClaw	Latest stable
Node.js	24.x
Ubuntu	24.04 LTS

Getting started

1. Connect to your VM

ssh ubuntu@<your-vm-ip>

2. Verify the installation

There is no first-boot configuration. OpenClaw and Node.js are ready immediately.

openclaw --version
node --version

3. Configure OpenClaw

OpenClaw requires your API keys and channel configuration before it can run. Refer to the OpenClaw documentation for the configuration format and required credentials for your integrations.

openclaw --help

4. Start OpenClaw

openclaw start

OpenClaw listens on port 18789 by default.

Managing OpenClaw

To run OpenClaw persistently and survive reboots, manage it with PM2 (not included, install with npm):

sudo npm install -g pm2
pm2 start openclaw --name openclaw -- start
pm2 save
pm2 startup

Run the command that pm2 startup outputs to register PM2 with systemd.

Security

Port 18789 is not open externally by default. UFW is enabled and allows SSH (port 22) only.

To allow access from a specific IP:

sudo ufw allow from <trusted-ip> to any port 18789

To access OpenClaw without opening the firewall, use an SSH tunnel:

# Run this on your local machine
ssh -L 18789:localhost:18789 ubuntu@<your-vm-ip>