Connect to your VPS over SSH then run OpenClaw (Moltbot/Clawdbot) onboarding. This guide follows the QuickStart path and shows how to open the local web UI securely using SSH port forwarding.
Before you start
Important safety notes
Only run this on a disposable test machine or a fresh VPS. Avoid installing on a primary workstation unless you accept the risk.
Use a spare device: Treat OpenClaw as something you test in isolation not on your daily driver.
High permissions required: OpenClaw can need broad system access to work. Review what you grant and why.
Real risk of data loss: If something goes wrong or a command is executed by mistake (for example
rm -rf /) your files can be wiped and recovery may be impossible. Back up anything you care about first.
If you use Windows and PuTTY, connect to your VPS IP then login as root. If you use a terminal, use the SSH command below.
ssh root@<YOUR_VPS_IP>
Run onboarding
On your first login, OpenClaw prompts you with an onboarding form.
If you want to rerun onboarding later, you can start it manually by using the command:
openclaw onboard
Give it a moment to initialize. Read the security prompt carefully then select Yes if you agree.
Choose onboarding mode
Select:
Quick start
This guide uses Quick start.
Keep existing config values
At Config handling, select:
Use existing values
Press Enter to continue.
Choose model and auth provider
At Model/auth provider, select the option you prefer.
For this example, select:
Skip for now
Pick model provider filtering and default model
Use these example choices:
Filter models by provider: All providers
Default model: Keep current (default: anthropic/claude-opus-4-5)
Select a channel
For this example, select:
WhatsApp
After selecting WhatsApp, wait a few seconds for setup to continue.
Skip WhatsApp linking in onboarding
For the QR prompt, select:
No
For WhatsApp phone setup, select:
This is my personal phone number
Then enter a phone number when prompted.
Step 8 – Configure skills
When asked Configure skills now?, select:
Yes
Then follow these example choices:
Show Homebrew install command?: No
Preferred node manager for skill installs: npm
When you reach Install missing skill dependencies, select the skills you need using Space then press Enter.
For hooks, you can skip for now.
For the gateway service prompt, press Enter to accept the default.
Open the local web UI using SSH port forwarding
OpenClaw prints connection details at the end of onboarding. The common approach is to forward a local port to the service listening on 127.0.0.1 on the VPS.
On your local computer, open Windows PowerShell (or a terminal) and run:
ssh -N -L 18789:127.0.0.1:18789 root@<YOUR_VPS_IP>
Enter the VPS password if prompted then keep that terminal window open.
Now open your browser on your local computer and go to:
http://localhost:18789/
If the page does not load, confirm the SSH session is still running and that OpenClaw is listening on port 18789 on the VPS.
Never use Claude Max credits for OpenClaw authorization
Using OpenClaw with Max credits an result in account ban
Update
The preferred update path is to re-run the installer from the website. It detects existing installs, upgrades in place, and runs OpenClaw doctor when needed.
curl -fsSL https://molt.bot/install.sh | bash -s -- --no-onboard