Deploying OpenClaw on Proxmox

Update: February 2, 2026

The project has rebranded again to OpenClaw (from Moltbot/Clawdbot) to avoid trademark issues. Commands are now openclaw instead of clawdbot. The core functionality is the same, with 34+ security commits, new model support (KIMI K2.5, Xiaomi MiMo-V2-Flash), and new channels (Twitch, Google Chat). Old names are kept in searches for compatibility.

OpenClaw is an AI agent that performs actions — clears inboxes, manages calendars, sends emails, creates tasks — and works through WhatsApp, Telegram, Slack, Twitch, and Google Chat. It’s different from a chatbot in that it actually does things rather than just answering questions.

I’m running it in an Ubuntu 22.04 LXC container on Proxmox with 4GB RAM and 2 CPU cores, which handles personal use fine. Heavier workloads or Ollama models will need 8GB+.

The Moltbook Security Incident

Beyond the breach, Moltbook introduces supply chain risks: researchers found skills containing active data exfiltration code, and prompt injection attacks can embed malicious instructions in posts that manipulate other agents. Thanks to persistent memory, payloads can be fragmented across multiple posts and assembled later.

Prerequisites

• Proxmox with an Ubuntu 22.04 LXC or VM
• An AI model provider: OpenAI API, Anthropic Claude API, or self-hosted Ollama (recommended for homelab — free and fully local)
• Node.js 22+

Container Setup

Create an Ubuntu 22.04 LXC in Proxmox:

• Disk: 20GB
• CPU: 2 cores
• Memory: 4096 MB
• Network: Static IP recommended

Install Node.js 22

apt update && apt upgrade -y
curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_22.x | sudo -E bash -
apt install -y nodejs
node -v   # should be v22.x
npm -v

Installing OpenClaw

Option 1: Official Installer (Recommended)

curl -fsSL https://openclaw.ai/install.sh | bash

This installs OpenClaw globally via npm and makes the openclaw command available system-wide. For non-root installations:

curl -fsSL https://openclaw.ai/install-cli.sh | bash

After installation, the onboarding wizard starts automatically. If not:

openclaw onboard

OpenClaw also supports Docker, Ansible, Nix, and cloud platforms (Railway, Render, Northflank). See the official installation docs.

Configuration

The onboarding wizard covers:

1. Security warning — read and acknowledge
2. Onboarding mode — choose QuickStart
3. Model provider:
   • OpenAI: OAuth (browser opens automatically)
   • Anthropic: API key
   • Ollama: self-hosted URL, e.g. http://your-ollama-server:11434
4. Channel setup:
   • Telegram: bot token from @BotFather (/newbot)
   • WhatsApp: QR code pairing
   • Discord: bot token
   • Slack: Socket Mode token
5. Skills and hooks — skip for now, configure later
6. Agent setup — configure your first agent in the TUI

Telegram (Easiest)

Message @BotFather, run /newbot, copy the token (format: 123456:ABC...), paste when prompted.

Starting OpenClaw

openclaw tui       # terminal UI (recommended)
openclaw dashboard # web UI
openclaw status    # check status

Config is stored in ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json. Logs in ~/.openclaw/logs/gateway.log.

Security Hardening

Given the attack surface, these steps are not optional for Proxmox deployments.

Network Isolation

Create a dedicated VLAN for OpenClaw in Proxmox. Container-level firewall rules:

# Allow outbound HTTPS and established connections
iptables -A OUTPUT -m state --state ESTABLISHED,RELATED -j ACCEPT
iptables -A OUTPUT -p tcp --dport 443 -j ACCEPT
iptables -A OUTPUT -p tcp --dport 80 -j ACCEPT
iptables -P OUTPUT DROP

# Block all inbound except from Proxmox host
iptables -A INPUT -s YOUR_PROXMOX_IP -j ACCEPT
iptables -A INPUT -m state --state ESTABLISHED,RELATED -j ACCEPT
iptables -P INPUT DROP

Unprivileged LXC

When creating the container in Proxmox, uncheck “Privileged container.” This maps container root to an unprivileged host UID.

Dashboard Access

Never expose the dashboard publicly. Use Tailscale in the container, an SSH tunnel (ssh -L 1455:localhost:1455 user@proxmox-host), or Nginx with HTTP basic auth behind a firewall.

Credential Management

export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="your-key-here"
export OPENAI_API_KEY="your-key-here"
openclaw gateway start

Monitoring

tail -f ~/.openclaw/logs/gateway.log
grep -i "error\|unauthorized\|injection" ~/.openclaw/logs/gateway.log

What You Can Actually Do

Email: “Clear my inbox of newsletters” / “Send an email to [person] about [topic]” / “What emails need my attention today?”

Calendar: “Schedule a meeting with [person] next Tuesday at 2 PM” / “What’s on my calendar this week?” / “Move my 3 PM meeting to tomorrow”

Tasks: “Create a task to review the quarterly report” / “What tasks are due this week?”

The main value is interacting through messaging apps you already use — no new interface to learn.

Troubleshooting

Gateway won’t start:

cat ~/.openclaw/logs/gateway.log
openclaw status
openclaw gateway restart

Telegram bot not responding:

• Verify bot token
• Message /start to your bot in Telegram
• Confirm Gateway is running: openclaw status

OAuth issues (OpenAI):

• Ensure browser can reach localhost:1455 for the callback
• Paste the redirect URL manually if the callback fails

Container networking:

ping 8.8.8.8
curl http://your-ollama-server:11434/api/tags

LXC systemd issues: Enable nesting in Proxmox container options or switch to a VM.

Suspected prompt injection:

grep -E "rm -rf|curl.*sh|wget.*sh" ~/.openclaw/logs/gateway.log
openclaw skills list
# Reset API keys if compromised, then re-run onboarding

Limitations

• API costs: OpenAI/Anthropic usage adds up. Set usage alerts or use Ollama for free local inference.
• Privacy: External API calls still leave your homelab unless using Ollama.
• Reliability: You’re responsible for uptime and troubleshooting.
• Resource usage: Ollama models need significant RAM — 8GB+ for larger models.
• Moltbook: Avoid until security is independently verified.

Resources

• OpenClaw GitHub
• OpenClaw Documentation
• Installation Options
• Moltbook Security Analysis — 404 Media
• Bitdefender Security Report
• Composio security guide
• Vectra AI analysis
• Proxmox Documentation