Run OpenClaw 24/7 — systemd, PM2, Docker setup for always-on AI assistant, ClawBox hardware guide

How to Run OpenClaw 24/7 — Always-On AI Assistant Setup

🦀 Get ClawBox — OpenClaw, ready out of the box in 5 minutes · 15W · one-time €549 → clawbox.tech

Making your OpenClaw truly persistent — surviving reboots, power cuts, and crashes.

The Goal

OpenClaw as a 24/7 service means:

Automatically starts on boot
Restarts if it crashes
Available even when you're not at your computer
Proactive — checks in on its own schedule

Method 1: systemd (Linux — recommended)

# Create service file
sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/openclaw.service

[Unit]
Description=OpenClaw AI Gateway
After=network-online.target
Wants=network-online.target

[Service]
Type=simple
User=openclaw
WorkingDirectory=/home/openclaw
ExecStart=/usr/bin/openclaw start --headless
Restart=always
RestartSec=10
StandardOutput=journal
StandardError=journal

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

# Enable and start
sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable openclaw
sudo systemctl start openclaw

# Check status
sudo systemctl status openclaw
journalctl -u openclaw -f

Method 2: PM2 (Node.js process manager)

# Install PM2
npm install -g pm2

# Start OpenClaw with PM2
pm2 start "openclaw start" --name openclaw

# Auto-start on boot
pm2 startup
pm2 save

# Monitoring
pm2 monit
pm2 logs openclaw

Method 3: Docker (easiest for VPS)

# docker-compose.yml
version: '3.8'
services:
  openclaw:
    image: openclaw/openclaw:latest
    restart: always
    volumes:
      - ./workspace:/workspace
    environment:
      - ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=${ANTHROPIC_API_KEY}

docker compose up -d
# Automatically restarts on crash and system reboot

Hardware for 24/7 Operation

The choice of hardware matters a lot for always-on use:

Hardware	Power (24/7)	Annual Cost	AI Speed
Raspberry Pi 5	5W	€5.5/yr	~2 tok/s
ClawBox	12W	€13/yr	~15 tok/s
Mac Mini M4	35W	€38/yr	~25 tok/s
VPS (cloud)	N/A	€120+/yr	Cloud models only

ClawBox is the sweet spot: enough AI power for real use, low enough power draw to leave running forever without guilt.

→ ClawBox — €549, pre-configured for 24/7 operation

Health Monitoring

Set up OpenClaw's heartbeat system for proactive 24/7 operation:

// In openclaw.json
{
  "heartbeat": {
    "intervalMs": 1800000,
    "prompt": "Check email, calendar, and any pending tasks. Report if anything needs attention."
  }
}

The heartbeat fires every 30 minutes, and your AI agent:

Checks inbox for urgent emails
Looks for upcoming calendar events
Runs any scheduled tasks (via HEARTBEAT.md)
Pings you only if something needs attention

Keeping OpenClaw Up to Date

# Update OpenClaw
openclaw update

# Or with npm
cd /path/to/openclaw
git pull
npm install
npm run build
pm2 restart openclaw

Remote Access

Access your OpenClaw from anywhere:

Option 1: Tailscale (recommended)

curl -fsSL https://tailscale.com/install.sh | sh
sudo tailscale up
# Access at: http://openclaw-device.tailnet-xxxx.ts.net:3000

Option 2: Cloudflare Tunnel (free)

cloudflared tunnel run --url http://localhost:3000 openclaw

Option 3: ngrok (quick testing)

ngrok http 3000

The Zero-Config 24/7 Solution

If you don't want to deal with any of this: ClawBox ships pre-configured for 24/7 operation, with OpenClaw running as a system service, Tailscale pre-installed, and the entire stack production-hardened.

clawbox.tech — plug in, scan QR, done.

Read the full guide on ClawBox: OpenClaw setup guide — run it 24/7 →

yalexx/gist_openclaw_run_247.md

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