OpenClaw Docker Setup

Run OpenClaw inside Docker on Linux with Tailscale remote access. ⚠️ Involves sudo, Docker, Tailscale, and credential mounting — review security section before use. Complete setup guide covering installation, configuration, and critical gotchas. Trigger phrases: docker openclaw, openclaw in docker, setup openclaw docker, tailscale openclaw, docker-compose openclaw.

⚠️ Security Considerations

This skill involves elevated privileges and credential management. Review before running:

• sudo operations — All Docker setup commands require elevated trust. Review references/docker-setup.sh before executing.
• Tailscale remote access — Enables network access to your OpenClaw instance. Ensure your Tailscale network policy allows this and review your firewall rules.
• Credential mounting — Mounting ~/.config/gh or other credential directories into containers exposes them to the container image. Only do this if you fully trust the image source.
• Host file exposure — Volume mounts give containers access to host files. Be careful which directories you mount and which containers you run.
• Port 18789 exposure — Do not expose port 18789 to the public internet. Bind to localhost (127.0.0.1) unless you have explicit firewall rules protecting it. For remote access, use Tailscale (see references/docker-config.md).
• Token safety — The management script no longer prints full gateway tokens in terminal output. Tokens are masked to show only the first 4 characters.
• Image pinning — Use specific version tags (e.g., ghcr.io/openclaw/openclaw:v1.2.3) instead of :latest for reproducible builds. The latest tag can change between container restarts.

Run OpenClaw inside Docker on Linux (Ubuntu 24.04+) with Tailscale for remote access.

Quick Start

1. Install Docker via APT (not Snap):

   sudo apt install docker.io docker-compose && \
   sudo usermod -aG docker $USER
   

   Then log out and back in — sudo usermod doesn't take effect with newgrp.

2. Run onboard to configure gateway and get your token:

   docker-compose run --rm openclaw-cli onboard
   

3. Create docker-compose.yml using the token from onboard. See references/docker-config.md for the full template and .env setup.

4. Start the container:

   docker-compose up -d
   

   Access at http://localhost:18789?token=YOUR_TOKEN

Key Concepts

• bind: lan vs loopback — lan = accessible from the host via port mapping; loopback = locked inside container.
• Tailscale on host, not container — Run Tailscale on the Ubuntu host for remote access.
• One method only — Docker OR global install, never both (port + config conflicts).
• Config path mapping — Host ~/.openclaw/ → Container /home/node/.openclaw/ (same files, different paths).
• Docker group login — sudo usermod -aG docker requires full logout/login, not newgrp.

Common Usage

Generate a secure token:

openssl rand -hex 32

View container logs:

docker-compose logs -f openclaw

Run CLI commands inside container:

docker-compose run --rm openclaw-cli COMMAND_HERE

Fix volume permissions (Linux):

sudo chown -R 1000:1000 ~/.openclaw ~/openclaw

Approve Telegram pairing:

docker-compose run --rm openclaw-cli pairing approve telegram YOUR_CODE

Access via Tailscale (recommended — HTTPS):

sudo apt install tailscale
sudo tailscale up
./docker-setup.sh tailscale  # Starts tailscale serve on port 18789

Then visit https://YOUR_MACHINE_NAME.YOUR_TAILNET.ts.net?token=YOUR_TOKEN from any device on your tailnet. Use MagicDNS hostname over raw IP — it's HTTPS by default and more stable.

References

• references/docker-config.md — docker-compose.yml, .env template, permissions, Tailscale, management script
• references/quickstart.md — Simple 5-minute setup guide
• references/docker-setup.sh — Management script (start/stop/logs/doctor/tailscale/approve_telegram)
• references/gotchas.md — Critical mistakes and how to avoid them
• references/troubleshooting.md — Common errors and fixes