How to Install Clawd Bot

ClawdBot is your personal AI assistant that runs 24/7 on a cheap server. Message it on Telegram or WhatsApp, and Claude responds—with full context about who you are and what you're working on. This guide walks you through the complete setup, from spinning up a server to teaching your bot about yourself.

What You'll Need

Hetzner account — ~€4-5/month for a VPS
Claude subscription (Pro/Max) or an Anthropic API key
Telegram account — for the bot interface
Terminal app — Mac: Terminal / Windows: use WSL2

Part 1: Create Your Server

1.1 Set Up Hetzner VPS

Go to hetzner.com/cloud
Create account (requires credit card + ID verification)
Click "Add Server"
Choose:
- Location: Nearest to you
- Image: Ubuntu 24.04
- Type: CX22 (4GB RAM) — ~€4/month
- SSH Key: Add your public key (see below)
Click "Create & Buy Now"
Copy the IP address

1.2 Get Your SSH Key (Mac)

Bash

cat ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub

If no key exists:

Bash

ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "your-email@example.com"
cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub

Paste the output into Hetzner when creating the server.

Note: Your public key is safe to share—it's like a padlock. The private key (without .pub) is what opens it and should never be shared.

Part 2: Connect & Secure Your Server

2.1 Connect via SSH

Bash

ssh root@YOUR-SERVER-IP

2.2 Update the System

Bash

apt update && apt upgrade -y

2.3 Create a Non-Root User

Bash

adduser YOUR-USERNAME

Set a password and press Enter through the prompts.

Bash

usermod -aG sudo YOUR-USERNAME

2.4 Enable SSH for New User

Bash

mkdir -p /home/YOUR-USERNAME/.ssh
cp ~/.ssh/authorized_keys /home/YOUR-USERNAME/.ssh/
chown -R YOUR-USERNAME:YOUR-USERNAME /home/YOUR-USERNAME/.ssh
chmod 700 /home/YOUR-USERNAME/.ssh
chmod 600 /home/YOUR-USERNAME/.ssh/authorized_keys

2.5 Switch to New User

Bash

su - YOUR-USERNAME

Part 3: Install Dependencies

3.1 Install Node.js 22+

Bash

curl -o- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvm-sh/nvm/v0.40.3/install.sh | bash

Close and reopen terminal, or run:

Bash

source ~/.bashrc

Then:

Bash

nvm install 22
node --version

3.2 Enable pnpm

Bash

corepack enable pnpm

Part 4: Install ClawdBot

Option A: Quick Install (Recommended)

Bash

curl -fsSL https://clawd.bot/install.sh | bash

Option B: Manual Install

Bash

npm install -g clawdbot@latest

Verify Installation

Bash

clawdbot --version

Part 5: Run the Onboarding Wizard

Bash

clawdbot onboard --install-daemon

Wizard Choices:

Gateway: Local
Runtime: Node (required for WhatsApp/Telegram)
Auth: Choose your method (see Part 6)
Messaging: Telegram (recommended for beginners)
Install daemon: Yes

Part 6: Set Up Claude Max Authentication

6.1 On Your Mac (not VPS)

Install Claude CLI:

Bash

npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code

Generate token:

Bash

claude setup-token

If already authenticated:

Bash

claude setup-token --force

Copy the token displayed.

6.2 On Your VPS

Bash

clawdbot models auth add

Choose: anthropic
Method: paste token
Paste your token

6.3 Restart

Bash

clawdbot daemon restart

Part 7: Set Up Telegram Bot

7.1 Create Bot with BotFather

Open Telegram
Search for @BotFather
Send /newbot
Give it a name (e.g., "My AI Assistant")
Give it a username (must end in bot)
Copy the token

7.2 Add Token to ClawdBot

Bash

clawdbot configure --section telegram

Paste your bot token when prompted.

Bash

clawdbot daemon restart

Part 8: Approve Yourself (Pairing)

8.1 Message Your Bot

Open Telegram, find your bot, send "Hello!"

(It won't respond yet—this is a security feature)

8.2 Approve the Pairing

Bash

clawdbot pairing list telegram

Copy the code shown, then:

Bash

clawdbot pairing approve telegram CODE

8.3 Test It!

Send another message—your bot should respond!

Part 9: Access the Dashboard

9.1 On Your Mac — Start SSH Tunnel

Bash

ssh -N -L 18789:127.0.0.1:18789 YOUR-USERNAME@YOUR-SERVER-IP

(Leave this running—it looks like it hangs, that's normal)

9.2 Open Dashboard

In your browser (use incognito if you have issues):

URL

http://localhost:18789/?token=YOUR-GATEWAY-TOKEN

The token was shown during onboarding. If you lost it:

Bash

cat ~/.clawdbot/clawdbot.json | grep token

Part 10: Teach Your Bot About You

Ask your bot in Telegram:

"I want you to interview me so you can be more useful. Ask me questions about my work, life, preferences, routines, goals—whatever you need to know to be a great assistant. Go one question at a time."

After the interview:

"Now save everything you've learned about me to your USER.md file"

Check what it knows:

"What do you currently know about me?"

Part 11: Optional Enhancements

Enable Web Search

Get a free API key from brave.com/search/api, then:

Bash

clawdbot configure --section web

Or just tell your bot:

"Set up Brave web search with this API key: YOUR-KEY"

Set Up Morning Briefings

Ask your bot:

"Set up a daily cron job at 7am that sends me a morning briefing with today's weather in YOUR-CITY, my top priorities, and the latest AI news."

Add ElevenLabs for Audio

Bash

clawdbot configure --section elevenlabs

Add WhatsApp

Bash

clawdbot channels login

Scan the QR code with WhatsApp → Settings → Linked Devices.

Useful Commands Reference

Commands

clawdbot health          # Check everything's working
clawdbot status          # Quick status overview
clawdbot daemon status   # Check if daemon is running
clawdbot daemon restart  # Restart the bot
clawdbot daemon stop     # Stop the bot
clawdbot logs --follow   # Watch live logs
clawdbot pairing list telegram  # See pending approvals
clawdbot channels login  # Link WhatsApp (QR scan)
clawdbot doctor          # Diagnose issues
clawdbot configure --section web  # Set up web search
clawdbot models auth add # Add/change AI authentication

Troubleshooting

"Address already in use" (SSH tunnel)

Kill what's using the port:

Bash

lsof -ti:18789 | xargs kill -9

If it keeps respawning:

Bash

launchctl unload ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.clawdbot.gateway.plist

"unauthorized" in dashboard

Use the full URL with token, or try incognito mode.

"No API key found"

Run:

Bash

clawdbot models auth add

Bot not responding in Telegram

Check it's running: clawdbot daemon status
Check health: clawdbot health
Make sure you approved pairing
Check logs: clawdbot logs --tail 50

Need to check what user you're logged in as

Bash

whoami

Need to check you're on the VPS (not local)

Bash

hostname

Pro Tips:

Ask your bot to run commands for you—no need to SSH in for most things
Give your bot API keys directly—it can configure itself
Use voice notes—great for brain dumps on the go
Ask for suggestions: "What automations would you suggest based on what you know about me?"

What You'll Need

Part 1: Create Your Server

1.1 Set Up Hetzner VPS

1.2 Get Your SSH Key (Mac)

Part 2: Connect & Secure Your Server

2.1 Connect via SSH

2.2 Update the System

2.3 Create a Non-Root User

2.4 Enable SSH for New User

2.5 Switch to New User

Part 3: Install Dependencies

3.1 Install Node.js 22+

3.2 Enable pnpm

Part 4: Install ClawdBot

Option A: Quick Install (Recommended)

Option B: Manual Install

Verify Installation

Part 5: Run the Onboarding Wizard

Part 6: Set Up Claude Max Authentication

6.1 On Your Mac (not VPS)

6.2 On Your VPS

6.3 Restart

Part 7: Set Up Telegram Bot

7.1 Create Bot with BotFather

7.2 Add Token to ClawdBot

Part 8: Approve Yourself (Pairing)

8.1 Message Your Bot

8.2 Approve the Pairing

8.3 Test It!

Part 9: Access the Dashboard

9.1 On Your Mac — Start SSH Tunnel

9.2 Open Dashboard

Part 10: Teach Your Bot About You

Part 11: Optional Enhancements

Enable Web Search

Set Up Morning Briefings

Add ElevenLabs for Audio

Add WhatsApp

Useful Commands Reference

Troubleshooting

"Address already in use" (SSH tunnel)

"unauthorized" in dashboard

"No API key found"

Bot not responding in Telegram

Need to check what user you're logged in as

Need to check you're on the VPS (not local)

Resources

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