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Posted on Jan 26 • Edited on Aug 5 • Originally published at hellonunc.com

How to Run Clawdbot on WSL with Your Claude Code Subscription

#docker #wsl #ai #tutorial

I wanted to run Clawdbot—an AI chatbot framework—on Windows WSL, but there was a catch: I needed to use my existing Claude Code subscription instead of paying for separate API access. Here's how I got it working.

The Authentication Challenge

Clawdbot supports multiple authentication methods, but most require paid API access. If you have a Claude Code subscription, you can leverage its OAuth mechanism instead. The trick? Claude Code CLI must be inside the Docker container.

Here's why this setup is required:

Requirement	Why
Claude Code CLI in container	Clawdbot uses Claude Code's OAuth mechanism
Mount `~/.claude` credentials	Where Claude Code stores authentication
Set `HOME=/home/node`	So Claude Code finds the credentials

Other auth methods won't work with your subscription:

Anthropic API key requires paid API access
Setup-token paste has incompatible format
Claude Code CLI OAuth uses your subscription

Prerequisites

Before starting, make sure you have:

Windows with WSL 2 (Ubuntu 22.04)
Claude Code CLI installed and authenticated in WSL
Internet connection

If you haven't installed Claude Code yet:

npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code && claude

Step 1: Install Docker Engine in WSL

First, set up Docker in your WSL environment:

# Update package index
sudo apt-get update

# Install required packages
sudo apt-get install -y ca-certificates curl gnupg

# Add Docker's official GPG key
sudo install -m 0755 -d /etc/apt/keyrings
curl -fsSL https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu/gpg | sudo gpg --dearmor -o /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.gpg
sudo chmod a+r /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.gpg

# Add Docker repository
echo "deb [arch=$(dpkg --print-architecture) signed-by=/etc/apt/keyrings/docker.gpg] https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu $(. /etc/os-release && echo "$VERSION_CODENAME") stable" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/docker.list > /dev/null

# Install Docker Engine
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install -y docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io docker-buildx-plugin docker-compose-plugin

# Add your user to docker group
sudo usermod -aG docker $USER

# Start Docker service
sudo service docker start

Log out and back into WSL for the group change to take effect, then verify:

docker --version
docker compose version
docker run hello-world

Step 2: Clone and Build Clawdbot

mkdir -p ~/GIT/clawdbot-project
cd ~/GIT/clawdbot-project
git clone https://github.com/clawdbot/clawdbot.git
cd clawdbot
./docker-setup.sh

During the onboarding prompts, use these settings:

Prompt	Value
Security warning	Yes (continue)
Onboarding mode	QuickStart
Model/auth provider	Skip for now
Gateway bind	lan
Gateway auth	token
Skills	Skip for now
Hooks	Skip for now

Step 3: Build Custom Image with Claude Code

Here's the key part. Create a custom Dockerfile that includes Claude Code CLI:

cd ~/GIT/clawdbot-project

cat > Dockerfile.custom << 'EOF'
FROM clawdbot:local

# Install Claude Code CLI
RUN npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code

# Mount point for Claude credentials
VOLUME /home/node/.claude
EOF

docker build -t clawdbot-with-claude -f Dockerfile.custom .

Step 4: Create Docker Compose Override

Create an override file to use the custom image and mount your Claude credentials:

# ~/GIT/clawdbot-project/clawdbot/docker-compose.override.yml
services:
  clawdbot-gateway:
    image: clawdbot-with-claude
    environment:
      HOME: /home/node
    volumes:
      - ~/.claude:/home/node/.claude
  clawdbot-cli:
    image: clawdbot-with-claude
    environment:
      HOME: /home/node
    volumes:
      - ~/.claude:/home/node/.claude

Save this to ~/GIT/clawdbot-project/clawdbot/docker-compose.override.yml.

Step 5: Configure Dashboard Access

Enable insecure auth for local dashboard access by editing ~/.clawdbot/clawdbot.json. Add this inside the "gateway" section:

"controlUi": {
  "allowInsecureAuth": true
}

Also change "bind": "loopback" to "bind": "lan" if you want to access it from your network.

Step 6: Start and Test

Start the gateway:

cd ~/GIT/clawdbot-project/clawdbot
docker compose -f docker-compose.yml -f docker-compose.override.yml up -d clawdbot-gateway

Test the agent:

docker compose -f docker-compose.yml -f docker-compose.override.yml run -it --rm clawdbot-cli agent --local --session-id test -m "Hello!"

You should get a response from Claude.

Accessing the Dashboard

Get your gateway token:

grep CLAWDBOT_GATEWAY_TOKEN ~/GIT/clawdbot-project/clawdbot/.env

Then open http://127.0.0.1:18789/?token=YOUR_TOKEN_HERE in your browser.

Bonus: Adding WhatsApp

WhatsApp is surprisingly easy to set up—it uses QR code login like WhatsApp Web.

cd ~/GIT/clawdbot-project/clawdbot
docker compose -f docker-compose.yml -f docker-compose.override.yml run -it --rm clawdbot-cli configure

Select Channels → WhatsApp and configure:

Personal phone mode: Yes
dmPolicy: allowlist
allowFrom: Your phone number (E.164 format like +1555123456)

Then link your phone:

docker compose -f docker-compose.yml -f docker-compose.override.yml run -it --rm clawdbot-cli channels login

Scan the QR code with WhatsApp → Settings → Linked Devices → Link a Device.

Quick Reference Commands

Click to expand common commands

# Start gateway
docker compose -f docker-compose.yml -f docker-compose.override.yml up -d clawdbot-gateway

# Stop gateway
docker compose -f docker-compose.yml -f docker-compose.override.yml down

# View logs
docker compose -f docker-compose.yml -f docker-compose.override.yml logs -f clawdbot-gateway

# Test agent
docker compose -f docker-compose.yml -f docker-compose.override.yml run -it --rm clawdbot-cli agent --local --session-id test -m "Hello"

Troubleshooting

Docker permission denied: Run sudo usermod -aG docker $USER and log out/in.

Claude credentials not working: Re-authenticate with claude /login in WSL.

Dashboard shows "pairing required": Ensure controlUi.allowInsecureAuth: true is in your config.

No response from agent: Check that HOME=/home/node is set and ~/.claude is mounted in your override file.

Wrapping Up

The key insight here is that Claude Code's OAuth tokens can be shared with containerized applications by mounting the credentials directory. This pattern works for any Docker-based tool that supports Claude Code authentication.

openclaw / openclaw

Your own personal AI assistant. Any OS. Any Platform. The lobster way. 🦞

OpenClaw 🦞 — Your assistant, on your devices, in your chats

OpenClaw is a personal AI assistant that runs on your devices and meets you in the channels you already use. It is designed for a single operator and connects models, tools, messaging channels, and optional companion apps through one Gateway.

Website · Docs · Getting started · Showcase · FAQ · Vision · DeepWiki

Install

The installer supports macOS, Linux, and Windows. It provisions a supported Node.js runtime when needed.

# macOS / Linux / WSL2
curl -fsSL https://openclaw.ai/install.sh | bash

# Windows PowerShell
iwr -useb https://openclaw.ai/install.ps1 | iex

Already manage Node.js? Install the published package instead (Node 22.22.3+, 24.15+, or 25.9+):

npm install -g openclaw@latest

See the installation guide for npm 12 lifecycle-script requirements, Docker, Nix, and other deployment paths.

Quick start

openclaw onboard --install-daemon
openclaw gateway status
openclaw dashboard

Onboarding verifies model…

View on GitHub

Have you tried running AI assistants in Docker? What authentication challenges did you face? Share in the comments!

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