openclaw-openclaw/docs/install/ansible.md

summary, read_when, title

summary	read_when	title
Automated, hardened OpenClaw installation with Ansible, Tailscale VPN, and firewall isolation	You want automated server deployment with security hardening You need firewall-isolated setup with VPN access You're deploying to remote Debian/Ubuntu servers	Ansible

Deploy OpenClaw to production servers with openclaw-ansible, an automated installer with a security-first architecture.

The [openclaw-ansible](https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw-ansible) repo is the source of truth for Ansible deployment. This page is a quick overview.

Prerequisites

Requirement	Details
OS	Debian 11+ or Ubuntu 20.04+
Access	Root or sudo privileges
Network	Internet connection for package installation
Ansible	2.14+ (installed automatically by the quick-start script)

What you get

• Firewall-first security: UFW + Docker isolation (only SSH + Tailscale reachable)
• Tailscale VPN for remote access without exposing services publicly
• Docker for isolated sandbox containers with localhost-only bindings
• Systemd integration with hardening, auto-starting on boot
• One-command setup

Quick start

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/openclaw/openclaw-ansible/main/install.sh | bash

What gets installed

1. Tailscale (mesh VPN for secure remote access)
2. UFW firewall (SSH + Tailscale ports only)
3. Docker CE + Compose V2 (default agent sandbox backend)
4. Node.js and pnpm (OpenClaw requires Node 22.19+ or 23.11+; Node 24 is recommended)
5. OpenClaw, installed host-based, not containerized
6. A systemd service with security hardening

The gateway runs directly on the host, not in Docker. Agent sandboxing is optional; this playbook installs Docker because it is the default sandbox backend. See [Sandboxing](/gateway/sandboxing) for other backends.

Post-install setup

```bash sudo -i -u openclaw ``` The post-install script guides you through configuring OpenClaw. Log in to WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord, or Signal: ```bash openclaw channels login --channel ``` ```bash sudo systemctl status openclaw sudo journalctl -u openclaw -f ``` Join your VPN mesh for secure remote access.

Quick commands

# Check service status
sudo systemctl status openclaw

# View live logs
sudo journalctl -u openclaw -f

# Restart gateway
sudo systemctl restart openclaw

# Channel login (run as openclaw user)
sudo -i -u openclaw
openclaw channels login --channel <name>

Security architecture

Four-layer defense model:

1. Firewall (UFW): only SSH (22) and Tailscale (41641/udp) exposed publicly
2. VPN (Tailscale): gateway reachable only via the VPN mesh
3. Docker isolation: DOCKER-USER iptables chain prevents external port exposure
4. Systemd hardening: NoNewPrivileges, PrivateTmp, unprivileged user

Verify your external attack surface:

nmap -p- YOUR_SERVER_IP

Only port 22 (SSH) should be open. Gateway and Docker stay locked down.

Docker is installed for agent sandboxes (isolated tool execution), not for running the gateway. See Multi-Agent Sandbox and Tools for sandbox configuration.

Manual installation

```bash sudo apt update && sudo apt install -y ansible git ``` ```bash git clone https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw-ansible.git cd openclaw-ansible ``` ```bash ansible-galaxy collection install -r requirements.yml ``` ```bash ./run-playbook.sh ```

Or run the playbook directly and then run the setup script manually:
```bash
ansible-playbook playbook.yml --ask-become-pass
# Then run: /tmp/openclaw-setup.sh
```

Updating

The Ansible installer sets up OpenClaw for manual updates; see Updating for the standard flow.

To re-run the playbook (for example, after configuration changes):

cd openclaw-ansible
./run-playbook.sh

This is idempotent and safe to run multiple times.

Troubleshooting

- Connect via Tailscale VPN first; the gateway is only reachable that way by design. - SSH (port 22) is always allowed. ```bash # Check logs sudo journalctl -u openclaw -n 100

# Verify permissions
sudo ls -la /opt/openclaw

# Test manual start
sudo -i -u openclaw
cd ~/openclaw
openclaw gateway run
```

```bash # Verify Docker is running sudo systemctl status docker

# Check sandbox image
sudo docker images | grep openclaw-sandbox

# Build the sandbox image if missing (requires a source checkout)
cd /opt/openclaw/openclaw
sudo -u openclaw ./scripts/sandbox-setup.sh
# For npm installs without a source checkout, see
# https://docs.openclaw.ai/gateway/sandboxing#images-and-setup
```

Make sure you are running as the `openclaw` user: ```bash sudo -i -u openclaw openclaw channels login --channel ```

Advanced configuration

For detailed security architecture and troubleshooting, see the openclaw-ansible repo:

• Security Architecture
• Technical Details
• Troubleshooting Guide

Related

• openclaw-ansible: full deployment guide
• Docker: containerized gateway setup
• Sandboxing: agent sandbox configuration
• Multi-Agent Sandbox and Tools: per-agent isolation