Skip to main content
Docker is optional. Use it only if you want a containerized gateway or to validate the Docker flow.

​
Is Docker right for me?

  • Yes: you want an isolated, throwaway gateway environment or to run OpenClaw on a host without local installs.
  • No: you are running on your own machine and just want the fastest dev loop. Use the normal install flow instead.
  • Sandboxing note: the default sandbox backend uses Docker when sandboxing is enabled, but sandboxing is off by default and does not require the full gateway to run in Docker. SSH and OpenShell sandbox backends are also available. See Sandboxing.

​
Prerequisites

  • Docker Desktop (or Docker Engine) + Docker Compose v2
  • At least 2 GB RAM for image build (pnpm install may be OOM-killed on 1 GB hosts with exit 137)
  • Enough disk for images and logs
  • If running on a VPS/public host, review Security hardening for network exposure, especially Docker DOCKER-USER firewall policy.

​
Containerized gateway

1

Build the image

From the repo root, run the setup script:
./scripts/docker/setup.sh
This builds the gateway image locally. To use a pre-built image instead:
export OPENCLAW_IMAGE="ghcr.io/openclaw/openclaw:latest"
./scripts/docker/setup.sh
Pre-built images are published at the GitHub Container Registry. Common tags: main, latest, <version> (e.g. 2026.2.26).
2

Complete onboarding

The setup script runs onboarding automatically. It will:
  • prompt for provider API keys
  • generate a gateway token and write it to .env
  • start the gateway via Docker Compose
During setup, pre-start onboarding and config writes run through openclaw-gateway directly. openclaw-cli is for commands you run after the gateway container already exists.
3

Open the Control UI

Open http://127.0.0.1:18789/ in your browser and paste the configured shared secret into Settings. The setup script writes a token to .env by default; if you switch the container config to password auth, use that password instead.Need the URL again?
docker compose run --rm openclaw-cli dashboard --no-open
4

Configure channels (optional)

Use the CLI container to add messaging channels:
# WhatsApp (QR)
docker compose run --rm openclaw-cli channels login

# Telegram
docker compose run --rm openclaw-cli channels add --channel telegram --token "<token>"

# Discord
docker compose run --rm openclaw-cli channels add --channel discord --token "<token>"
Docs: WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord

​
Manual flow

If you prefer to run each step yourself instead of using the setup script: 
docker build -t openclaw:local -f Dockerfile .
docker compose run --rm --no-deps --entrypoint node openclaw-gateway \
  dist/index.js onboard --mode local --no-install-daemon
docker compose run --rm --no-deps --entrypoint node openclaw-gateway \
  dist/index.js config set --batch-json '[{"path":"gateway.mode","value":"local"},{"path":"gateway.bind","value":"lan"},{"path":"gateway.controlUi.allowedOrigins","value":["http://localhost:18789","http://127.0.0.1:18789"]}]'
docker compose up -d openclaw-gateway
Run docker compose from the repo root. If you enabled OPENCLAW_EXTRA_MOUNTS or OPENCLAW_HOME_VOLUME, the setup script writes docker-compose.extra.yml; include it with -f docker-compose.yml -f docker-compose.extra.yml.
Because openclaw-cli shares openclaw-gateway’s network namespace, it is a post-start tool. Before docker compose up -d openclaw-gateway, run onboarding and setup-time config writes through openclaw-gateway with --no-deps --entrypoint node.

​
Environment variables

The setup script accepts these optional environment variables:
VariablePurpose
OPENCLAW_IMAGEUse a remote image instead of building locally
OPENCLAW_DOCKER_APT_PACKAGESInstall extra apt packages during build (space-separated)
OPENCLAW_EXTENSIONSPre-install plugin deps at build time (space-separated names)
OPENCLAW_EXTRA_MOUNTSExtra host bind mounts (comma-separated source:target[:opts])
OPENCLAW_HOME_VOLUMEPersist /home/node in a named Docker volume
OPENCLAW_SANDBOXOpt in to sandbox bootstrap (1, true, yes, on)
OPENCLAW_DOCKER_SOCKETOverride Docker socket path
OPENCLAW_DISABLE_BONJOURDisable Bonjour/mDNS advertising (defaults to 1 for Docker)
OPENCLAW_DISABLE_BUNDLED_SOURCE_OVERLAYSDisable bundled plugin source bind-mount overlays
OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_ENDPOINTShared OTLP/HTTP collector endpoint for OpenTelemetry export
OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_*_ENDPOINTSignal-specific OTLP endpoints for traces, metrics, or logs
OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_PROTOCOLOTLP protocol override. Only http/protobuf is supported today
OTEL_SERVICE_NAMEService name used for OpenTelemetry resources
OTEL_SEMCONV_STABILITY_OPT_INOpt in to latest experimental GenAI semantic attributes
OPENCLAW_OTEL_PRELOADEDSkip starting a second OpenTelemetry SDK when one is preloaded
Maintainers can test bundled plugin source against a packaged image by mounting one plugin source directory over its packaged source path, for example OPENCLAW_EXTRA_MOUNTS=/path/to/fork/extensions/synology-chat:/app/extensions/synology-chat:ro. That mounted source directory overrides the matching compiled /app/dist/extensions/synology-chat bundle for the same plugin id.

​
Observability

OpenTelemetry export is outbound from the Gateway container to your OTLP collector. It does not require a published Docker port. If you build the image locally and want the bundled OpenTelemetry exporter available inside the image, include its runtime dependencies: 
export OPENCLAW_EXTENSIONS="diagnostics-otel"
export OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_ENDPOINT="http://otel-collector:4318"
export OTEL_SERVICE_NAME="openclaw-gateway"
./scripts/docker/setup.sh
The official OpenClaw Docker release image includes the bundled diagnostics-otel plugin source. Depending on the image and cache state, the Gateway may still stage plugin-local OpenTelemetry runtime dependencies the first time the plugin is enabled, so allow that first boot to reach the package registry or prewarm the image in your release lane. To enable export, allow and enable the diagnostics-otel plugin in config, then set diagnostics.otel.enabled=true or use the config example in OpenTelemetry export. Collector auth headers are configured through diagnostics.otel.headers, not through Docker environment variables. Prometheus metrics use the already-published Gateway port. Enable the diagnostics-prometheus plugin, then scrape: 
http://<gateway-host>:18789/api/diagnostics/prometheus
The route is protected by Gateway authentication. Do not expose a separate public /metrics port or unauthenticated reverse-proxy path. See Prometheus metrics.

​
Health checks

Container probe endpoints (no auth required): 
curl -fsS http://127.0.0.1:18789/healthz   # liveness
curl -fsS http://127.0.0.1:18789/readyz     # readiness
The Docker image includes a built-in HEALTHCHECK that pings /healthz. If checks keep failing, Docker marks the container as unhealthy and orchestration systems can restart or replace it. Authenticated deep health snapshot: 
docker compose exec openclaw-gateway node dist/index.js health --token "$OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKEN"

​
LAN vs loopback

scripts/docker/setup.sh defaults OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_BIND=lan so host access to http://127.0.0.1:18789 works with Docker port publishing.
  • lan (default): host browser and host CLI can reach the published gateway port.
  • loopback: only processes inside the container network namespace can reach the gateway directly.
Use bind mode values in gateway.bind (lan / loopback / custom / tailnet / auto), not host aliases like 0.0.0.0 or 127.0.0.1.

​
Host Local Providers

When OpenClaw runs in Docker, 127.0.0.1 inside the container is the container itself, not your host machine. Use host.docker.internal for AI providers that run on the host:
ProviderHost default URLDocker setup URL
LM Studiohttp://127.0.0.1:1234http://host.docker.internal:1234
Ollamahttp://127.0.0.1:11434http://host.docker.internal:11434
The bundled Docker setup uses those host URLs as the LM Studio and Ollama onboarding defaults, and docker-compose.yml maps host.docker.internal to Docker’s host gateway for Linux Docker Engine. Docker Desktop already provides the same hostname on macOS and Windows. Host services must also listen on an address reachable from Docker: 
lms server start --port 1234 --bind 0.0.0.0
OLLAMA_HOST=0.0.0.0:11434 ollama serve
If you use your own Compose file or docker run command, add the same host mapping yourself, for example --add-host=host.docker.internal:host-gateway.

​
Bonjour / mDNS

Docker bridge networking usually does not forward Bonjour/mDNS multicast (224.0.0.251:5353) reliably. The bundled Compose setup therefore defaults OPENCLAW_DISABLE_BONJOUR=1 so the Gateway does not crash-loop or repeatedly restart advertising when the bridge drops multicast traffic. Use the published Gateway URL, Tailscale, or wide-area DNS-SD for Docker hosts. Set OPENCLAW_DISABLE_BONJOUR=0 only when running with host networking, macvlan, or another network where mDNS multicast is known to work. For gotchas and troubleshooting, see Bonjour discovery.

​
Storage and persistence

Docker Compose bind-mounts OPENCLAW_CONFIG_DIR to /home/node/.openclaw and OPENCLAW_WORKSPACE_DIR to /home/node/.openclaw/workspace, so those paths survive container replacement. That mounted config directory is where OpenClaw keeps:
  • openclaw.json for behavior config
  • agents/<agentId>/agent/auth-profiles.json for stored provider OAuth/API-key auth
  • .env for env-backed runtime secrets such as OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKEN
For full persistence details on VM deployments, see Docker VM Runtime - What persists where. Disk growth hotspots: watch media/, session JSONL files, cron/runs/*.jsonl, and rolling file logs under /tmp/openclaw/.

​
Shell helpers (optional)

For easier day-to-day Docker management, install ClawDock: 
mkdir -p ~/.clawdock && curl -sL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/openclaw/openclaw/main/scripts/clawdock/clawdock-helpers.sh -o ~/.clawdock/clawdock-helpers.sh
echo 'source ~/.clawdock/clawdock-helpers.sh' >> ~/.zshrc && source ~/.zshrc
If you installed ClawDock from the older scripts/shell-helpers/clawdock-helpers.sh raw path, rerun the install command above so your local helper file tracks the new location. Then use clawdock-start, clawdock-stop, clawdock-dashboard, etc. Run clawdock-help for all commands. See ClawDock for the full helper guide. 
export OPENCLAW_SANDBOX=1
./scripts/docker/setup.sh
Custom socket path (e.g. rootless Docker):
export OPENCLAW_SANDBOX=1
export OPENCLAW_DOCKER_SOCKET=/run/user/1000/docker.sock
./scripts/docker/setup.sh
The script mounts docker.sock only after sandbox prerequisites pass. If sandbox setup cannot complete, the script resets agents.defaults.sandbox.mode to off.
Disable Compose pseudo-TTY allocation with -T:
docker compose run -T --rm openclaw-cli gateway probe
docker compose run -T --rm openclaw-cli devices list --json
openclaw-cli uses network_mode: "service:openclaw-gateway" so CLI commands can reach the gateway over 127.0.0.1. Treat this as a shared trust boundary. The compose config drops NET_RAW/NET_ADMIN and enables no-new-privileges on openclaw-cli.
The image runs as node (uid 1000). If you see permission errors on /home/node/.openclaw, make sure your host bind mounts are owned by uid 1000:
sudo chown -R 1000:1000 /path/to/openclaw-config /path/to/openclaw-workspace
Order your Dockerfile so dependency layers are cached. This avoids re-running pnpm install unless lockfiles change:
FROM node:24-bookworm
RUN curl -fsSL https://bun.sh/install | bash
ENV PATH="/root/.bun/bin:${PATH}"
RUN corepack enable
WORKDIR /app
COPY package.json pnpm-lock.yaml pnpm-workspace.yaml .npmrc ./
COPY ui/package.json ./ui/package.json
COPY scripts ./scripts
RUN pnpm install --frozen-lockfile
COPY . .
RUN pnpm build
RUN pnpm ui:install
RUN pnpm ui:build
ENV NODE_ENV=production
CMD ["node","dist/index.js"]
The default image is security-first and runs as non-root node. For a more full-featured container:
  1. Persist /home/node: export OPENCLAW_HOME_VOLUME="openclaw_home"
  2. Bake system deps: export OPENCLAW_DOCKER_APT_PACKAGES="git curl jq"
  3. Install Playwright browsers: 
    docker compose run --rm openclaw-cli \
  node /app/node_modules/playwright-core/cli.js install chromium
  4. Persist browser downloads: set PLAYWRIGHT_BROWSERS_PATH=/home/node/.cache/ms-playwright and use OPENCLAW_HOME_VOLUME or OPENCLAW_EXTRA_MOUNTS.
If you pick OpenAI Codex OAuth in the wizard, it opens a browser URL. In Docker or headless setups, copy the full redirect URL you land on and paste it back into the wizard to finish auth.
The main Docker runtime image uses node:24-bookworm-slim and publishes OCI base-image annotations including org.opencontainers.image.base.name, org.opencontainers.image.source, and others. The Node base digest is refreshed through Dependabot Docker base-image PRs; release builds do not run a distro upgrade layer. See OCI image annotations.

​
Running on a VPS?

See Hetzner (Docker VPS) and Docker VM Runtime for shared VM deployment steps including binary baking, persistence, and updates.

​
Agent sandbox

When agents.defaults.sandbox is enabled with the Docker backend, the gateway runs agent tool execution (shell, file read/write, etc.) inside isolated Docker containers while the gateway itself stays on the host. This gives you a hard wall around untrusted or multi-tenant agent sessions without containerizing the entire gateway. Sandbox scope can be per-agent (default), per-session, or shared. Each scope gets its own workspace mounted at /workspace. You can also configure allow/deny tool policies, network isolation, resource limits, and browser containers. For full configuration, images, security notes, and multi-agent profiles, see:

​
Quick enable

{
  agents: {
    defaults: {
      sandbox: {
        mode: "non-main", // off | non-main | all
        scope: "agent", // session | agent | shared
      },
    },
  },
}
Build the default sandbox image: 
scripts/sandbox-setup.sh

​
Troubleshooting

Build the sandbox image with scripts/sandbox-setup.sh or set agents.defaults.sandbox.docker.image to your custom image. Containers are auto-created per session on demand.
Set docker.user to a UID:GID that matches your mounted workspace ownership, or chown the workspace folder.
OpenClaw runs commands with sh -lc (login shell), which sources /etc/profile and may reset PATH. Set docker.env.PATH to prepend your custom tool paths, or add a script under /etc/profile.d/ in your Dockerfile.
The VM needs at least 2 GB RAM. Use a larger machine class and retry.
Fetch a fresh dashboard link and approve the browser device:
docker compose run --rm openclaw-cli dashboard --no-open
docker compose run --rm openclaw-cli devices list
docker compose run --rm openclaw-cli devices approve <requestId>
More detail: Dashboard, Devices.
Reset gateway mode and bind:
docker compose run --rm openclaw-cli config set --batch-json '[{"path":"gateway.mode","value":"local"},{"path":"gateway.bind","value":"lan"}]'
docker compose run --rm openclaw-cli devices list --url ws://127.0.0.1:18789