Deploying OpenClaw on Northflank

I’ve spent too many hours wrestling with server configurations just to get a simple tool running. Sometimes you just want to skip the terminal commands and get straight to the interface without worrying about SSH keys or manual builds.

If you want a path that avoids the terminal entirely, I recommend using the Northflank template. It handles the hosting for you, and you get to do all your configuration through a web wizard in your browser.

What You’ll Need

• A Northflank account.
• An API key for your chosen model or auth provider.
• A web browser to access the setup wizard.
• (Optional) Bot tokens for Telegram, Discord, or Slack.

Quick Start

Setting this up takes about five minutes. Here is the fastest path to get your gateway running:

1. Click Deploy OpenClaw to open the template.
2. Log in or create your account on Northflank.
3. Click Deploy OpenClaw now.
4. Enter a value for the SETUP_PASSWORD environment variable. You will need this to log into the wizard.
5. Click Deploy stack to start the build and deployment process.
6. Wait for the process to finish, then click View resources.
7. Open the OpenClaw service and click the public URL.
8. Go to /setup in your browser, enter your SETUP_PASSWORD, and follow the prompts to add your API keys.
9. Click Run setup and then visit /openclaw to use the Control UI.

What You Get

When you use this template, Northflank sets up a few things automatically:

• A hosted OpenClaw Gateway and the Control UI.
• A web setup wizard at /setup so you never have to use a terminal.
• Persistent storage via a Northflank Volume (/data) to keep your config and credentials safe during redeploys.
• A public URL for your service.

Getting Chat Tokens

If you want to use Telegram or Discord, you will need to grab tokens from their respective platforms.

Telegram Bot Token

1. Message @BotFather on Telegram.
2. Use the /newbot command and follow the instructions.
3. Copy the token (it looks like 123456789:AA...).
4. Paste that token into the /setup wizard.

Discord Bot Token

1. Go to the Discord Developer Portal.
2. Select New Application and give it a name.
3. Go to Bot and click Add Bot.
4. Scroll to Privileged Gateway Intents and enable MESSAGE CONTENT INTENT.
5. Copy the Bot Token into the /setup wizard.
6. Invite the bot to your server using the OAuth2 URL Generator with the bot and applications.commands scopes.

Troubleshooting

Discord bot crashes on startup

If your Discord bot fails to start, check the Discord Developer Portal. You must enable the MESSAGE CONTENT INTENT under the Bot settings. Without this, the bot cannot function and will crash immediately.

Pairing codes

If you have Telegram DMs set to pairing mode, you can approve the pairing code directly inside the /setup wizard while you are configuring the service.

If you run into other issues, you can ask the AI Setup Assistant for help.

What’s Next

• Control UI Guide
• Configuring Chat Providers