Want to install OpenClaw on a VPS? This guide walks you through how to install your personal AI assistant securely on a Debian server, step by step.
Why This Setup?
OpenClaw has become one of the most discussed personal AI tools in the tech community. After using it for weeks, I can confirm it's one of the most powerful ways to have your own AI assistant with real access to your infrastructure.
Brief naming history: This project went through three names in January 2026:
- Jan 27: Clawdbot → Moltbot (Anthropic requested the change due to brand confusion with "Claude")
- Jan 30: Moltbot → OpenClaw (complete reset after security issues from going viral)
The npm package is still called clawdbot and directories use ~/.clawdbot/. This is normal.
1. Where Can I Install OpenClaw?
- Your personal computer (Mac, Windows, Linux)
- An old computer you have at home
- Docker (for the more technical)
- A cloud VPS ← My recommendation
Why a VPS? It's on 24/7, very low cost (~$5-10 USD/month), accessible from anywhere, and doesn't consume resources from your main machine.
2. Recommended VPS
If you don't have a VPS yet, I recommend Hostinger. Using my referral link gives you an additional discount on already-reduced prices.
Recommended specs:
- CPU: 2 vCPU cores
- RAM: 8 GB
- Storage: 100 GB NVMe
- Bandwidth: 8 TB
Minimum requirements:
- RAM: 1 GB (2 GB+ recommended)
- CPU: 1 vCPU (2+ recommended)
- Storage: 20 GB SSD (40 GB+ NVMe recommended)
- OS: Debian 12+
3. Pre-Installation Checklist
Before starting, make sure you have:
- A VPS with Debian (or the ability to install it)
- A Telegram account (to create the bot)
- An API key from Anthropic (Claude), OpenAI, or another provider
- Basic command line knowledge (or willingness to learn)
Optional:
- An additional phone number for WhatsApp
- A Brave Search API key for web searches
4. Create the Telegram Bot (BEFORE Installing)
⚠️ Important: Create the Telegram bot BEFORE installing OpenClaw.
Step 4.1: Create the bot
- Open Telegram and search for @botfather
- Send the command
/newbot - Enter a name (example: "My AI Assistant")
- Enter a username ending in "bot" (example:
my_ai_assistant_bot) -
Copy and save the token it gives you (format:
123456789:ABCdefGHIjklMNOpqrsTUVwxyz)
Step 4.2: Get your User ID
- Search for @userinfobot on Telegram
- Send
/start - Save your User ID (example:
123456789)
5. Connect to the VPS
In your hosting panel (or provider), note the IP and password.
Open a terminal and run:
ssh root@YOUR_SERVER_IP
When asked if you trust the host, type yes. Then enter the password.
6. Prepare the System
Once connected, run these commands:
# Update system
apt update && apt upgrade -y
# Install essential packages
apt install -y curl wget git build-essential jq ca-certificates openssl sudo
# Configure timezone
timedatectl set-timezone America/New_York
7. Create a Non-Root User (Recommended)
For security, it's better not to run services as root:
# Create user
adduser moltbot
# Add permissions
usermod -aG sudo moltbot
echo "moltbot ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD: ALL" >> /etc/sudoers
# Switch to new user
su - moltbot
8. Install Node.js
# Add repository
curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_22.x | sudo -E bash -
# Install
sudo apt install -y nodejs
# Verify (should show v22.x.x)
node --version
Configure npm
mkdir -p ~/.npm-global
npm config set prefix '~/.npm-global'
echo 'export PATH=~/.npm-global/bin:$PATH' >> ~/.bashrc
source ~/.bashrc
9. Install OpenClaw
The moment we've been waiting for! The installation is very simple:
curl -fsSL https://openclaw.ai/install.sh | bash
The wizard will guide you:
- AI Model: Select your provider and enter your API key
- Channel: Select Telegram (Bot API)
- Token: Paste the BotFather token
- Skills: Select "Skip for now"
- Hooks: Enable the three recommended ones
Save the dashboard URL it shows you at the end!
10. Configure as a Service (24/7)
So OpenClaw starts automatically when the server boots:
💡 Tip: Once your bot is working, you can ask it to do this for you! Just say: "Set up the systemd service so you run 24/7"
# Enable user services
sudo loginctl enable-linger $(whoami)
# Create directory
mkdir -p ~/.config/systemd/user
# Create the service
cat > ~/.config/systemd/user/clawdbot.service << 'EOF'
[Unit]
Description=OpenClaw Gateway Service
After=network.target
[Service]
Type=simple
ExecStart=/home/moltbot/.npm-global/bin/clawdbot gateway
Restart=always
RestartSec=10
[Install]
WantedBy=default.target
EOF
# Enable and start
systemctl --user daemon-reload
systemctl --user enable clawdbot
systemctl --user start clawdbot
11. Test It!
Search for your bot on Telegram and send:
Hello, how are you?
You should get a response! 🎉
12. Ideas for Using OpenClaw
Once your assistant is running, the possibilities are endless:
For Entrepreneurs and Marketers
- "Help me write a sales email for my product X"
- "Write 5 LinkedIn posts about [topic]"
- "Analyze my competitor's website and give me insights"
For Developers
- "Review this code and suggest improvements"
- "Write unit tests for this function"
- "Help me debug this error: [error]"
For Productivity
- "What tasks do I have pending?" (if you configure memory)
- "Remind me [thing] tomorrow at 9am" (if you configure cron)
- "Translate this to Spanish"
- "Search for information about [current topic]" (if you configure web search)
Advanced Automations
- Ask the bot to configure web search: "Configure Brave Search with this API key: [your_key]"
- Ask it to set up cron jobs: "Create a cron job that greets me every morning"
13. Optional Configurations
Add Web Search (Brave Search)
So your assistant can search for up-to-date information:
- Get a free API key at brave.com/search/api
- Tell your bot: "Configure Brave Search with this API key: [your_key]"
Access the Dashboard with SSH Tunnel
The OpenClaw dashboard is only accessible from localhost for security. To view it from your computer:
Open another terminal on your local computer and run:
ssh -N -L 18789:127.0.0.1:18789 moltbot@YOUR_SERVER_IP
While that command is running, open in your browser:
http://localhost:18789/?token=YOUR_TOKEN_HERE
💡 Tip: Ask the bot: "What is the dashboard token?"
14. Useful Commands
# View status
clawdbot status
# View logs
journalctl --user -u clawdbot -f
# Restart
systemctl --user restart clawdbot
# Update
clawdbot update
15. Troubleshooting
Bot doesn't respond
systemctl --user status clawdbot
journalctl --user -u clawdbot -n 50
"command not found"
source ~/.bashrc
Agent gets stuck
systemctl --user restart clawdbot
My Personal Experience
I've been using OpenClaw for months and it has transformed my productivity:
- My assistant Nyx helps me write and publish articles on WordPress
- Image generation connected to Replicate
- Research with Brave Search integrated
- Available 24/7 from Telegram
The learning curve is minimal. Non-technical people in my community have followed this tutorial successfully without issues.
Approximate Costs
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| VPS Hostinger | ~$5-12 USD/month |
| Claude API | ~$5-20 USD/month based on usage |
| Brave Search | Free tier available |
| Total | ~$10-32 USD/month |
A personal AI assistant running 24/7 for less than a Netflix subscription.
Resources
Have questions about the installation? Join my entrepreneur community Cágala, Aprende, Repite — we can help each other with any technical question.
📝 Originally published in Spanish at cristiantala.com
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