Setting Up Your Own AI Assistant (Clawdbot) on Hetzner

#clawdbot #ai #hetzner #chatgpt

Clawdbot gives you a private, always-available AI companion that lives on your server and communicates via Telegram, WhatsApp, Discord, or similar apps. Unlike cloud-based chat interfaces, it stays online 24/7, retains full context from past interactions, and can even initiate contact when needed.

This tutorial walks you through deploying Clawdbot on a low-cost Hetzner Cloud VPS from scratch.

Phase 1: Provision Your Hetzner VPS

Head to the Hetzner Cloud website Visit https://hetzner.com/cloud and sign up or log in.

Start a fresh project

In the console, select + New Project and give it a clear name like “Personal-AI” or “Clawdbot-Home”.
Launch a server instance

Inside your project, hit + Create Server.
Select configuration options
- Location: Choose a German datacenter (usually the most economical)
- Operating system: Ubuntu 24.04
- Instance type: Go with Shared vCPU → CX33 (4 vCPU / 8 GB RAM) — priced at roughly €5.49/month
- IPv4 address: Leave public IPv4 enabled
Attach an SSH public key

If you need to generate a key pair:

Open a terminal (on macOS/Linux) and execute:

   ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "you@example.com"

Accept the default file path by pressing Enter. Then view and copy the public key:

   cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub

Paste that entire line into the SSH keys section in Hetzner.

Finalize and deploy Name the server something like “ai-assistant”, review, then click Create & Buy Now. Wait ~30–60 seconds. Once ready, copy the displayed public IPv4 address.

Phase 2: Server Access and Software Setup

Establish an SSH connection In your terminal:

   ssh root@YOUR_SERVER_IP_HERE

Accept the host key fingerprint by typing yes.

(If your key is in a non-default location, add the -i flag:

   ssh -i ~/.ssh/my-special-key root@YOUR_SERVER_IP_HERE

)

Refresh all packages

   apt update && apt upgrade -y

Install the latest Node.js (v22 recommended)

   curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_22.x | bash -
   apt install -y nodejs

Confirm the version:

   node -v

You should see something like v22.x.x.

Install Clawdbot globally
```
npm install -g clawdbot@latest
```
Launch the setup assistant
```
clawdbot onboard --install-daemon
```
This interactive wizard handles model credentials, storage paths, messaging channels, and daemon/service registration so the bot runs persistently.

Phase 3: Connect Telegram (Most Popular Option)

Register a new Telegram bot

In Telegram, find @botfather

Send: /newbot

Choose a display name (e.g. “Personal Helper”)

Choose a username ending in “bot” (e.g. myname_helper_bot)

Copy the HTTP API token BotFather provides.
Retrieve your own Telegram user ID

Search for @userinfobot, send any message → it replies with your numeric ID. Copy that number.
Provide details during the wizard

When prompted:
- Paste the bot token
- Enter your user ID in the allowFrom field (this whitelist prevents unauthorized access)

Phase 4: Link Anthropic (Claude) Access

Obtain an Anthropic API key

Visit https://console.anthropic.com → create a new key (begins with sk-ant-…).

Already have Claude Pro / Max?

You may use subscription access instead of pay-per-token. (Some setups allow exporting a session token via the Claude desktop app or CLI—check current docs if needed.)
Input credentials in the wizard

Select API Key when asked for Anthropic authentication and paste your key.

Phase 5: Wrap Up and Verify

Finish all wizard questions

Stick with defaults for most remaining options unless you have specific preferences. The wizard sets up a background service so Clawdbot auto-starts and survives reboots.
Check service status
```
clawdbot status
```
Look for “gateway: running” or similar healthy indicators.
Send your first message!

Open Telegram, search for your new bot, and type anything. It should reply quickly. Success! 🎉

Handy Commands Reference

Server / Process Control

clawdbot status → overall health snapshot
clawdbot logs --follow → tail live output
clawdbot gateway restart → quick reboot of the messaging layer
clawdbot health → run diagnostics

In-chat Telegram Commands

/new → reset current thread
/model → change active LLM
/compact → shorten long context
stop → interrupt active operation

Quick Fixes

Bot silent? → clawdbot status --all and clawdbot logs --follow
Want to restart setup? → clawdbot reset then re-run clawdbot onboard --install-daemon
SSH keeps asking for password? → Ensure you're using the correct key: ssh -i /path/to/key root@IP

Next Steps & Customization

After setup, personalize behavior by editing: