Frequently Asked Questions
About OpenClaw
What is OpenClaw?
OpenClaw is an open-source personal AI assistant created by Peter Steinberger (founder of PSPDFKit). It runs on your own hardware and connects to messaging apps like WhatsApp, Telegram, and Discord, giving you a private AI assistant you can chat with from your phone.
The project gained massive popularity in early 2026, accumulating over 68,000 GitHub stars within its first week. It's been featured on Hacker News, CNET, DigitalOcean, and IBM's tech blog.
Why is it called OpenClaw? What happened to Clawdbot and Moltbot?
The project has had an interesting naming journey:
- Clawdbot (November 2025) — Original name, a play on "Claude" with a claw
- Moltbot (January 2026) — Renamed after Anthropic requested a change due to trademark similarity with "Claude"
- OpenClaw (January 30, 2026) — Final name, capturing the open-source nature while keeping the lobster heritage
The lobster mascot stuck around through all the changes—you'll see lobster emojis and "molting" references throughout the community.
Is OpenClaw affiliated with Anthropic or Claude?
No. OpenClaw is an independent, community-driven project. While it works well with Anthropic's Claude models (and was originally named as a tribute), it's completely separate from Anthropic. It's also model-agnostic—you can use OpenAI, Google, or local models.
What can OpenClaw actually do?
Once set up, your AI assistant can:
- Chat naturally through WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord, Slack, and more
- Remember context using persistent memory stored as local Markdown files
- Execute shell commands within a Docker sandbox for safety
- Read and write files in designated workspaces
- Browse the web to research information
- Control smart home devices and connect to 50+ integrations
It's essentially a personal JARVIS that runs on your own server.
About ClawBook
What is ClawBook?
ClawBook is a managed hosting platform for OpenClaw. Instead of setting up a server yourself, configuring Docker, installing dependencies, and managing security—we handle all of that. You get a ready-to-use VPS with OpenClaw pre-installed.
Why use ClawBook instead of self-hosting?
| DIY Self-Hosting | ClawBook Managed |
|---|---|
| 2-4 hours setup time | Ready in 5 minutes |
| You manage security patches | We handle updates |
| You troubleshoot issues | We provide support |
| Need your own hardware/VPS | Enterprise-grade hosting included |
| Variable costs | Predictable monthly pricing |
If you enjoy tinkering with servers, self-host. If you want to just start chatting, use ClawBook.
Is ClawBook affiliated with the OpenClaw project?
No. ClawBook is an independent hosting provider. We're not affiliated with Peter Steinberger, the OpenClaw team, or Anthropic. We simply love the technology and want to make it accessible.
Is my data private?
Yes. Your ClawBook VPS is completely isolated:
- Only you have SSH access to your server
- Your conversations are stored only on your VPS
- We never have access to your messages or AI conversations
- Your API keys are stored encrypted on your server, not ours
The only data we store is billing information.
Pricing & Plans
What plans are available?
| Plan | vCPU | RAM | Storage | Best For | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | 2 | 4 GB | 80 GB | Personal use | $29/mo |
| Pro | 4 | 8 GB | 160 GB | Power users, local models | $59/mo |
| Elite | 8 | 16 GB | 320 GB | Teams, heavy usage | $99/mo |
What's included in the price?
- Dedicated VPS with OpenClaw pre-installed
- Software updates and security patches
- Automated backups (frequency varies by plan)
- Email support (response times vary by plan)
- Dashboard access
Not included:
- AI API costs (Anthropic, OpenAI, etc.)—you pay your provider directly
- Custom domain SSL certificates
- Custom development work
Can I change plans?
Yes. Upgrades take effect immediately with prorated billing. Downgrades take effect at the next billing cycle.
Is there a free trial?
We offer a 7-day money-back guarantee. If you're not satisfied for any reason, email support@clawbook.io for a full refund.
What payment methods do you accept?
- Credit/Debit cards (Visa, Mastercard, Amex)
- PayPal
- Bitcoin (via BTCPay)
AI & LLM Providers
Which AI providers work with OpenClaw?
| Provider | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Anthropic Claude | Recommended | OpenClaw was built for Claude; best experience |
| OpenAI | Fully supported | GPT-4o, GPT-4-turbo, etc. |
| Google Gemini | Works | Some features may be limited |
| Ollama | Fully supported | Run Llama, Mistral, etc. locally—no API costs |
| OpenRouter | Fully supported | Access multiple providers with one API key |
Do I need my own API key?
Yes. You bring your own API key from your preferred provider. This keeps your AI costs transparent and under your direct control.
How much does AI usage cost?
Depends on your usage and provider. Rough estimates:
| Usage Level | Claude Sonnet | GPT-4o | Ollama (local) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Light (50 msgs/day) | ~$5-15/mo | ~$3-10/mo | Free |
| Medium (200 msgs/day) | ~$20-50/mo | ~$15-40/mo | Free |
| Heavy (500+ msgs/day) | ~$50-100/mo | ~$40-80/mo | Free |
Can I run AI locally with no API costs?
Yes! Install Ollama and download models like Llama 3 or Mistral. They run entirely on your VPS with zero API costs. The trade-off is slightly lower quality than frontier cloud models, and you need sufficient RAM (8GB+ recommended).
Messaging Platforms
Which platforms does OpenClaw support?
- WhatsApp — Personal accounts via WhatsApp Web protocol (Baileys)
- Telegram — Bot API via grammY
- Discord — Bot API
- Slack — App/Bot integration
- Signal — Via unofficial bridges
- iMessage — Via BlueBubbles (macOS required)
- Microsoft Teams — Bot integration
- Matrix — Protocol support
- Google Chat — Bot integration
Can I connect multiple platforms at once?
Yes! Each channel runs independently. You can have WhatsApp, Telegram, and Discord all connected to the same OpenClaw instance.
How does WhatsApp pairing work?
OpenClaw connects to WhatsApp using the same protocol as WhatsApp Web:
- Run
openclaw channels loginto generate a QR code - Scan the QR code with WhatsApp on your phone
- Your ClawBook instance becomes a "linked device"
Your phone doesn't need to stay online 24/7 thanks to WhatsApp's multi-device feature.
Will WhatsApp disconnect if my phone goes offline?
WhatsApp multi-device can work independently for a while, but extended phone offline periods may cause disconnection. Best practices:
- Keep your phone on WiFi when possible
- Disable battery optimization for WhatsApp
- Check connection status periodically
What's the "pairing" system for messages?
By default, OpenClaw doesn't respond to everyone who messages you. When someone new sends a message, they receive a short pairing code. You must approve this code before the AI will respond to them.
This prevents strangers from consuming your API credits if they somehow get your number.
Technical Questions
What are the server requirements?
ClawBook instances run on Ubuntu 24.04 LTS with:
- Node.js 22+
- Docker for sandboxing
- OpenClaw gateway pre-configured
- UFW firewall enabled
- Fail2ban for brute-force protection
Do I get root SSH access?
Yes! Full root access is provided. Your welcome email includes SSH credentials. We recommend setting up SSH keys and disabling password authentication for security.
What port does OpenClaw use?
The Gateway dashboard runs on port 18789 by default. Access it at:
http://YOUR_SERVER_IP:18789
Where is my data stored?
| Data Type | Location |
|---|---|
| Configuration | ~/.openclaw/config.json |
| WhatsApp credentials | ~/.openclaw/credentials/whatsapp/ |
| API keys | ~/.openclaw/agents/<id>/auth-profiles.json |
| Conversation history | ~/.openclaw/agents/<id>/sessions/ |
| Memory | ~/.openclaw/agents/<id>/memory/ |
How are backups handled?
| Plan | Frequency | Retention |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | Weekly | 2 backups |
| Pro | Daily | 7 backups |
| Elite | Daily | 30 backups |
Backups include your OpenClaw configuration, credentials, and conversation history.
Security
How secure is OpenClaw?
OpenClaw has several built-in security features:
- Docker sandboxing — Command execution runs in isolated containers
- Pairing system — Unknown contacts can't use your bot without approval
- Tool restrictions — You can disable dangerous tools (exec, write, browser)
- Gateway authentication — Token-based auth for the dashboard
- File permission enforcement — Sensitive files are protected
What about prompt injection attacks?
Prompt injection is when malicious content tricks the AI into doing something unintended. OpenClaw mitigates this through:
- Docker sandboxing limits damage even if the AI is tricked
- Modern models (Claude Opus 4.5) are notably resistant to injection
- You can disable high-risk tools for untrusted contexts
No system is perfect, but the blast radius is contained.
Who can access my server?
Only you. ClawBook staff cannot access your VPS or data. We only have access to the underlying infrastructure (to handle hardware failures, etc.), not to anything running on your server.
Troubleshooting
My AI isn't responding
- Check Gateway is running:
openclaw gateway status - Verify your API key is valid and has credits
- Check if the sender is approved (pairing system)
- Check logs:
openclaw logs --limit 50
WhatsApp keeps disconnecting
- Check you haven't exceeded 4 linked devices
- Verify your phone has stable internet
- Disable battery optimization for WhatsApp
- Re-scan the QR code:
openclaw channels login
Dashboard won't load
- Check Gateway status:
openclaw gateway status - Verify firewall allows port 18789:
sudo ufw status - Try accessing via SSH tunnel for security
- Check logs for errors
"Auth store is empty" error
Your API key wasn't saved properly. Re-run the setup wizard:
openclaw onboard
Support & Billing
How do I get support?
| Channel | Availability |
|---|---|
| Email (support@clawbook.io) | All plans, 24-48h response |
| Priority Email | Pro/Elite, 4-8h response |
| Community Discord | All plans |
| Phone | Elite only |
What support do you provide?
We help with:
- ClawBook/OpenClaw setup and configuration
- Connection troubleshooting
- Account and billing questions
We can't help with:
- AI prompt engineering or behavior tuning
- Third-party service issues (WhatsApp bans, API provider problems)
- Custom development
How do I cancel?
- Log into billing.clawbook.io
- Navigate to Services → My Services
- Select your service and click Request Cancellation
- Download any backups you need before cancellation
Data is deleted within 7 days of cancellation.
Still Have Questions?
- Browse our full documentation
- Email us at support@clawbook.io
- Check the Official OpenClaw Docs
- Visit the OpenClaw GitHub for community support