For a Linux VPS, configure OpenClaw in two separate layers: let a service manager restart the Gateway, and keep the Gateway’s state, credentials, agent databases, transcripts, and workspace on storage that survives process or container replacement. A native installation uses openclaw onboard --install-daemon to install a systemd user service. OpenClaw’s optional VPS tuning checklist uses Restart=always, RestartSec=5, and, on slow hosts, TimeoutStartSec=90. Backups should be created with OpenClaw’s backup commands rather than by copying live SQLite files.
The VPS is the live source of truth. A restart policy can recover a process, but it cannot recover data that lived only inside a disposable container or on a failed disk. Plan for both routine restarts and disaster recovery.
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What reliable OpenClaw operation actually requires
OpenClaw’s Gateway owns the running control plane, credentials, agent data, session history, and workspace used by your deployment. Treat that VPS as the source of truth and back up both state and workspace regularly. Reliability therefore has two independent controls:
- Process recovery: systemd, Podman’s generated service, or Docker must start the Gateway after boot and relaunch it after an unexpected exit.
- Data durability: state and workspace must live on persistent storage, and verified archives must be copied somewhere that can survive loss of the VPS.
These controls are complementary. A service that restarts perfectly still loses its configuration if its container is recreated without a persistent mount. A careful backup is still inconvenient if no service manager brings the Gateway back after a reboot.
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Choose a deployment model before tuning it
| Deployment | Who starts and restarts it | What must persist | Operational notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Native Linux installation | A systemd user unit named openclaw-gateway.service |
The VPS state directory, configured agent directories, and workspaces on persistent disk | Use openclaw onboard --install-daemon; apply host-specific changes with a systemd drop-in |
| Podman with Quadlet | A generated systemd user service named openclaw.service |
Quadlet-defined mounts plus storage outside any replaceable container | The documented generated service uses Restart=on-failure and TimeoutStartSec=300; enable user lingering on headless hosts |
| Docker | Docker Compose and the container runtime | Volumes or host paths defined by the Compose deployment, plus external backups | Docker is optional; review network exposure and the current release’s exact volume mapping before deploying |
There is no universally best choice in the documented guidance. Native systemd is the most direct path on a Linux host. Podman is useful when you want a rootless, Quadlet-managed container. Docker is useful for an isolated Gateway or a host without a local OpenClaw installation, but persistence depends entirely on the Compose configuration you deploy.
How do I keep OpenClaw running after my VPS reboots?
Install the native systemd user service
- Install OpenClaw on the VPS and complete the normal onboarding process.
- Run
openclaw onboard --install-daemon. This installs the managed systemd user unit for the Gateway. - Check the unit and recent logs with
systemctl --user status openclaw-gateway.serviceandjournalctl --user -u openclaw-gateway.service. - Confirm that the service is running after onboarding. Reboot the VPS during a maintenance window and verify that the Gateway returns without manual intervention.
The managed unit supplies the generic restart behavior. The VPS guide’s optional checklist identifies Restart=always and RestartSec=5: systemd keeps trying to bring the process back and waits five seconds between attempts. Those values are configuration recommendations, not an uptime guarantee; provider boot order, disk speed, network readiness, and configuration errors can still prevent a successful start.
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Add host-specific settings with a drop-in
Do not replace the generated unit wholesale. OpenClaw manages that file, so an overwrite can be lost or conflict with a future update. Add only local overrides with:
systemctl --user edit openclaw-gateway.serviceIn the editor, add a [Service] section such as:
[Service]
Environment=OPENCLAW_NO_RESPAWN=1
Environment=NODE_COMPILE_CACHE=/var/tmp/openclaw-compile-cache
TimeoutStartSec=90OPENCLAW_NO_RESPAWN=1 keeps routine Gateway restarts in-process instead of creating an additional respawn layer. NODE_COMPILE_CACHE stores Node’s compile cache in /var/tmp; the first run warms it, and later command starts can avoid repeating that work. The example raises the start timeout to 90 seconds, which is useful on a slow VPS or a host with a cold disk. If you choose another cache path, ensure the service user can write to it and that the path is on suitable storage.
The VPS documentation also recommends SSD-backed state and cache paths when possible. OpenClaw startup can be sensitive to random-I/O delays, especially after a reboot when caches are cold. An SSD will not fix a bad configuration, but it can reduce cold-start penalties.
Reload and verify changes
- Save and close the drop-in editor.
- Run
systemctl --user daemon-reload. - Restart the Gateway with
systemctl --user restart openclaw-gateway.service. - Inspect
systemctl --user status openclaw-gateway.serviceandjournalctl --user -u openclaw-gateway.service -n 100 --no-pager. - Confirm that the Gateway can read its credentials, open its databases, and reach the workspace after the restart.
When systemd stops retrying
Linux systemd units use RestartPreventExitStatus=78. If the Gateway exits with status 78, systemd deliberately stops relaunching it until the configuration problem is corrected. This is different from a failed restart policy. Check status and logs first:
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systemctl --user status openclaw-gateway.service
journalctl --user -u openclaw-gateway.service --since "30 minutes ago"Look for malformed configuration, missing credentials, invalid paths, permission errors, and unavailable dependencies. Fix the reported problem, then restart the service manually. Repeatedly forcing restarts without correcting the cause will not bypass the prevent-exit safeguard.
Podman: persistent boot on a headless VPS
Podman’s documented path uses a generated Quadlet file and a systemd user service. This is a container deployment, so the service settings differ from the native unit. The generated service uses Restart=on-failure and TimeoutStartSec=300; do not substitute those values for the native systemd checklist.
Enable the user service at boot
- Define the OpenClaw container and its persistent mounts in the Quadlet file used by your deployment.
- Enable user lingering so the user systemd manager can run without an interactive SSH session:
sudo loginctl enable-linger "$(whoami)" - Reload user units after editing the Quadlet file:
systemctl --user daemon-reload - Restart the generated service:
systemctl --user restart openclaw.service - Check
systemctl --user status openclaw.serviceand its journal before testing a reboot.
Persistent mounts are the decisive part of this setup. Store the OpenClaw state directory, configured agent directories, and workspace on host storage or another persistent volume. If those paths remain inside the container’s writable layer, replacing the container removes the live data even though systemd starts the replacement correctly.
Docker: isolate the Gateway without losing its data
OpenClaw describes Docker as optional. It can provide an isolated Gateway environment or help on a host without a local OpenClaw installation. The documented prerequisites are Docker Engine or Docker Desktop and Compose v2.
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The exact volume mapping is release-specific and is not established by the available documentation excerpt. Use the current official Docker installation guide for the OpenClaw release you are deploying, then verify that the state directory and workspace are mounted to persistent host or volume storage. Do not assume that a named Compose volume, an anonymous volume, and a bind mount have identical backup or replacement behavior.
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Test container replacement, not just a restart
- Create a test agent or file in the workspace and verify that it appears where you expect on the persistent host volume.
- Restart the Compose service and confirm the data remains.
- Recreate the container, rather than merely restarting it, and confirm the same state, credentials, agent database, and workspace return.
- Only after this test should you treat the Compose configuration as durable. Continue to maintain verified off-host backups.
What data must be persistent?
OpenClaw’s authoritative state is SQLite-based. A standard installation has a global control-plane database under the state directory, usually ~/.openclaw, and one database for each configured agent at <agentDir>/openclaw-agent.sqlite.
State directory
Keep the complete state directory on persistent storage. It contains configuration, credentials, control-plane records, and other files needed to reconstruct the Gateway. The usual location is ~/.openclaw, but do not hard-code that path if your installation uses a different state location.
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Agent directories usually sit beneath the state directory, but they can be configured elsewhere. Inventory every configured external agent directory and include it in both the container mounts and the backup plan. A backup that captures only ~/.openclaw can be incomplete when an agent is stored outside that tree.
Workspaces and cold transcript storage
Workspaces are part of the operational state: they contain files your agents create or use. Include them in backups; OpenClaw’s archive command includes workspaces by default. If cold transcript storage is enabled, older transcript payloads are kept in immutable compressed files. Those files also need to be captured by an OpenClaw backup command.
How do I back up OpenClaw safely?
Create a verified archive
Use OpenClaw’s supported archive command instead of copying the state directory while the Gateway is live:
openclaw backup create --output ~/Backups/openclaw --verifyThis creates a timestamped compressed archive covering state, configuration, credentials, configured agent directories, and, by default, workspaces. The --verify option validates the archive manifest and payload before the command completes successfully.
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Do not treat a raw copy of the state directory as equivalent. SQLite can have live write-ahead-log, shared-memory, or journal files. Copying only the main database file while it is active can produce an inconsistent recovery set. OpenClaw warns against copying live SQLite database, WAL, shared-memory, or journal files directly; use its archive or SQLite snapshot facilities instead.
Send a copy off the VPS
A backup stored only on the same VPS protects against an accidental configuration change or a broken container, but not against VPS loss, disk failure, or account deletion. Configure a named offsite storage location, initialize it, test access, and then create a backup to that destination. The documentation supports filesystem storage and gives a Cloudflare R2 plugin as an example of an offsite destination.
For Gateway-owned scheduled archives, an example policy is:
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openclaw backup enable --to offsite --every 24h --keep-daily 7 --keep-weekly 4 --keep-monthly 12This example schedules daily archives and retains seven daily, four weekly, and twelve monthly copies. Retention is a policy choice: adjust it to your recovery needs and available storage. The destination credentials and encryption passphrase must be available to the Gateway process, not only to the shell account that initially configured the backup.
Protect the backup itself
- Encrypt the destination and restrict its permissions as carefully as the live state directory.
- Keep credentials for the backup destination out of the container image and source repository.
- Test that the Gateway can write an archive after a restart, not just during initial setup.
- Rotate channel, provider, and other credentials if a backup may have leaked; archives contain authentication profiles, session history, and sensitive records.
- Keep at least one copy outside the VPS. A local external disk can be useful for a second copy, but it does not replace an offsite copy if the VPS and that disk are lost together.
How do I keep OpenClaw data when I recreate the container?
Container recreation is safe only when the state, agent directories, workspace, and backup archives are outside the disposable container layer. Before recreation, identify every persistent mount and confirm that the host path or volume contains current data. After recreation, mount those same paths into the locations expected by the deployed OpenClaw release.
If the original container or disk is gone, use openclaw backup restore as the disaster-recovery primitive. Restore stages files into a fresh persistent state tree; it does not automatically activate that tree as your running deployment. After restoration, complete the separate deployment step for your chosen model: point the native service, Quadlet unit, or Compose configuration at the restored paths, then start the Gateway and verify credentials, agents, transcripts, and workspace files.
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Network access and VPS hardening
The secure default is to bind the Gateway to loopback and reach it through an SSH tunnel or Tailscale Serve. Loopback prevents direct public access while still allowing an authenticated administrative path through the VPS.
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Backup destination choices
| Destination pattern | Survives VPS loss? | Controls to apply | Restore approach |
|---|---|---|---|
| Directory on the same VPS | No | Restrict permissions and encrypt the archive | Use the archive with openclaw backup restore after fixing or rebuilding the host |
| External local disk | Only if the disk remains available | Encrypt it, restrict access, and keep more than one copy | Attach or mount the disk, then restore into a fresh persistent state tree |
| Offsite named storage | Yes, subject to provider and account availability | Configure credentials, encryption, retention, and a periodic restore test | Retrieve an archive, run openclaw backup restore, then activate the restored deployment |
The important distinction is not the brand of storage. It is whether a copy remains available after the VPS is destroyed, whether it is encrypted and access-controlled, whether retention gives you a clean historical point, and whether you have tested the restore procedure.
Failure modes and recovery checks
The Gateway does not return after reboot
- Check
systemctl --user status openclaw-gateway.servicefor the native install orsystemctl --user status openclaw.servicefor Podman. - Read the user journal and look for missing paths, permissions, credentials, or dependency failures.
- On a headless Podman host, verify that user lingering is enabled.
- Check whether the process exited with status 78; if so, correct the configuration before expecting another launch.
Restarts loop but never become healthy
Confirm that the service user can read the state directory and write its cache and workspace paths. A five-second restart interval only controls how quickly systemd retries; it does not resolve an unreadable credential, invalid configuration, or unavailable mount. Increase TimeoutStartSec only when startup is genuinely slow, not to hide a failing initialization.
Data disappeared after container replacement
Inspect the Compose or Quadlet mounts and compare them with the paths OpenClaw actually uses. Recreating a container preserves only data stored on a persistent host path or volume. If no current backup exists, search any external agent directories and workspace locations before declaring the state lost.
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A backup completes but cannot be restored
Check that the archive was created with --verify, that the destination credentials and encryption passphrase are available, and that the restore target has enough persistent space. Remember that restore stages files; you must separately configure and start the deployment that will use them.
Quick Recap
Operational checklist
- Install the native daemon with
openclaw onboard --install-daemon, or deliberately choose Podman or Docker for a stated isolation requirement. - Verify the appropriate service name, boot behavior, and restart policy.
- Use a drop-in with
systemctl --user edit openclaw-gateway.servicefor native host-specific settings. - Keep state, configured agent directories, workspaces, and cold transcript files on persistent storage.
- Create verified archives with
openclaw backup create --output ~/Backups/openclaw --verify. - Copy archives off the VPS and define retention for daily, weekly, and monthly recovery points.
- Encrypt backups and restrict access; rotate credentials after suspected exposure.
- Test a reboot, an unexpected process exit, a container recreation, and a restore into a fresh state tree.
- Keep Gateway access on loopback with an SSH tunnel or Tailscale Serve unless you have explicitly configured authentication for a trusted non-loopback path.
- Recheck the current OpenClaw documentation for your deployed release because command names, service defaults, and storage integrations can change.
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