OpenClaw Cloud Guide

Getting Started

OpenClaw Cloud is a fully managed hosting platform that deploys and operates your own private OpenClaw AI agent instance on dedicated AWS infrastructure. No DevOps experience required — we handle the servers, updates, and monitoring so you can focus on configuring your agent and putting it to work.

Each instance is a dedicated virtual server with a full graphical desktop environment. Your agent runs continuously, connects to the messaging platforms you choose (Discord, Telegram), and uses the AI provider of your choice — OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, or OpenRouter.

What you get

• A dedicated cloud server running OpenClaw, pre-configured and ready to use
• Remote desktop access via browser (noVNC), VNC client, or RDP
• Integration with Discord and Telegram out of the box
• Your choice of AI provider — bring your own API keys
• Dashboard controls to start, stop, reboot, and manage your instance
• Managed updates and infrastructure — no maintenance on your end

Setup Guide

Getting your OpenClaw Cloud instance running takes about 10 minutes. Follow these steps in order.

Step 1 — Create Your Account

1. 1Go to the sign-up page and create your account with email and password.
2. 2Verify your email address via the confirmation link sent to your inbox.
3. 3Sign in to the dashboard.

Step 2 — Choose a Plan

From the dashboard, select a plan that fits your needs. All plans include a dedicated server, full desktop access, and managed infrastructure. Higher tiers provide more compute resources for faster response times and heavier workloads.

Step 3 — Configure Your AI Provider

After purchasing, you will be prompted to enter your AI provider API key. This key is stored exclusively on your server — we never see or log it. See the Connecting Your AI Provider section for instructions on obtaining keys for each provider.

Step 4 — Add Messaging Integrations

Connect your Discord server or Telegram bot so your agent can receive and respond to messages. This step is optional — your instance works without integrations — but most users set up at least one messaging channel.

Step 5 — Deploy

Click Deploy in the dashboard. Your instance will be provisioned within a few minutes. Once ready, you will see your desktop access credentials and can connect immediately.

Connecting Your AI Provider

OpenClaw supports multiple AI providers. You provide your own API key — this keeps you in full control of usage, costs, and data. Your key is stored only on your server instance.

OpenAI

OpenAI powers GPT-4o and other leading models. To get an API key:

1. 1Sign in at platform.openai.com
2. 2Navigate to API Keys under your account settings.
3. 3Click "Create new secret key" and give it a name.
4. 4Copy the key immediately — it will not be shown again.

platform.openai.com/api-keys

Anthropic

Anthropic provides the Claude model family (Claude 3.5, Claude 3 Opus, etc.).

1. 1Sign in at console.anthropic.com
2. 2Go to API Keys in the left sidebar.
3. 3Click "Create Key", name it, and copy the value.

console.anthropic.com/settings/keys

Google (Gemini)

Google AI Studio provides access to Gemini models.

1. 1Go to Google AI Studio at aistudio.google.com
2. 2Click "Get API Key" in the left panel.
3. 3Create a new key in a Google Cloud project.
4. 4Copy the generated key.

aistudio.google.com/app/apikey

OpenRouter

OpenRouter is a unified gateway that gives you access to hundreds of models from multiple providers under a single API key — useful if you want to switch models without reconfiguring.

1. 1Sign up at openrouter.ai
2. 2Go to Keys under your account.
3. 3Click "Create Key" and copy it.
4. 4Use the base URL: openrouter.ai/api/v1

openrouter.ai/keys

Connecting Discord

To use OpenClaw on Discord, you need to create a bot application, obtain its token, and invite it to your server.

Step 1 — Create a Discord Application

1. 1Go to discord.com/developers/applications and sign in.
2. 2Click "New Application" and give your bot a name.
3. 3Navigate to the "Bot" tab in the left sidebar.
4. 4Click "Add Bot" to convert the application to a bot.

Step 2 — Get Your Bot Token

1. 1Under the Bot tab, click "Reset Token".
2. 2Copy the token that appears. Store it securely.
3. 3Paste this token into the Discord Token field in your OpenClaw Cloud dashboard.

Step 3 — Enable Message Content Intent

1. 1On the Bot tab of your application, scroll down to "Privileged Gateway Intents".
2. 2Toggle on "Message Content Intent".
3. 3Click Save Changes.

Step 4 — Get Your Server ID

1. 1In Discord, go to User Settings > Advanced and enable Developer Mode.
2. 2Right-click your server name in the sidebar.
3. 3Select "Copy Server ID".
4. 4Paste this into the Server ID field in your dashboard.

Step 5 — Invite the Bot to Your Server

1. 1In the Developer Portal, go to OAuth2 > URL Generator.
2. 2Under Scopes, check "bot" and "applications.commands".
3. 3Under Bot Permissions, check at minimum: "Read Messages / View Channels", "Send Messages", "Read Message History".
4. 4Copy the generated URL, open it in your browser, and select your server to authorize.

discord.com/developers/applications

Connecting Telegram

Telegram bots are created through BotFather, Telegram's official bot management bot. The process takes about two minutes.

Create Your Bot via BotFather

1. 1Open Telegram and search for "@BotFather" (verified with a blue checkmark).
2. 2Send the command /newbot
3. 3Follow the prompts: enter a display name for your bot, then a unique username ending in "bot" (e.g. myagent_bot).
4. 4BotFather will reply with your bot token — a string like 123456789:ABCdef...
5. 5Copy this token and paste it into the Telegram Token field in your OpenClaw Cloud dashboard.

Optional — Configure Bot Settings

• Set a description with /setdescription in BotFather so users know what your bot does.
• Add a profile photo with /setuserpic.
• For group usage, disable the privacy mode with /setprivacy so the bot can read all messages in a group.

Accessing Your Desktop

Your OpenClaw Cloud instance runs a full graphical desktop environment. You can access it three ways: via your browser, a dedicated VNC client, or Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP).

Browser (noVNC)

The simplest option — no software installation required. From your dashboard, click the Open Desktop button. A new tab opens with a full interactive desktop session powered by noVNC.

• Works in any modern browser
• No client software needed
• Best for quick checks and configuration changes

VNC Client

For a smoother experience, connect using a dedicated VNC client. Your dashboard shows your instance's IP address and VNC port.

• Recommended client: RealVNC Viewer (free, Windows/Mac/Linux)
• Enter your instance IP and port in the VNC client.
• Use the VNC password shown in your dashboard credentials panel.

Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP)

RDP provides a native, high-performance desktop connection.

• Windows: Use the built-in Remote Desktop Connection app (search for it in the Start menu).
• macOS: Download Microsoft Remote Desktop from the Mac App Store.
• Enter your instance IP address and the RDP port shown in your dashboard.
• Log in with the username and password from your dashboard credentials panel.

Credentials

Your desktop credentials (VNC password, RDP username and password) are available in the Credentials section of your instance in the dashboard. These are unique to your instance and generated at deployment time.

Managing Your Instance

The dashboard gives you full control over your instance lifecycle. All controls are available from your instance detail page.

Available Controls

• Stop — Shuts down your server. Useful for temporary cost savings. Your data is preserved. The instance can be started again from the dashboard.
• Reboot — Restarts the underlying server (full OS restart). Use this if the server becomes unresponsive.
• Restart OpenClaw — Restarts only the OpenClaw service without rebooting the server. Faster than a full reboot; useful after configuration changes.
• Delete — Permanently terminates your instance and all associated data. This action cannot be undone.

Instance Status

The dashboard displays your instance status in real time: Running, Stopped, Starting, Stopping, or Error. If your instance enters an Error state, try a Reboot. If the issue persists, contact support.

Billing & Subscriptions

Plans

OpenClaw Cloud offers tiered plans with different compute resources to match your workload. All plans include a dedicated server, full desktop access, managed infrastructure, and all integrations. Higher tiers provide more CPU cores, memory, and storage for demanding workloads.

Current pricing is available on the pricing page.

How Billing Works

• Subscriptions are billed monthly through Stripe, our payment processor.
• Your billing cycle begins on the day you first subscribe.
• Charges are processed automatically on the same date each month.
• You will receive an email receipt for each payment.
• All payment information is handled securely by Stripe — we do not store your card details.

Cancellation

You can cancel your subscription at any time from the dashboard under Billing Settings. After cancellation:

• Your instance remains active until the end of the current billing period.
• You will not be charged again after cancellation.
• At the end of the period, your instance will be terminated and all data deleted.
• You can resubscribe at any time to get a new instance.

FAQ