DIY OpenClaw

DIY OpenClaw gives you full control over your AI infrastructure. Use your own API keys, access the terminal, and customize everything to your liking.

Overview

With DIY OpenClaw, you get:

  • Full terminal access via WebSocket
  • Your own API keys for AI providers
  • Complete customization of the AI persona
  • SSH access with your own keys
  • Automatic SSL via Let's Encrypt

Adding API Keys

DIY servers require you to configure your own AI provider API keys. Tiller supports:

  • Anthropic - Claude models
  • OpenAI - GPT models
  • OpenRouter - Access multiple providers through one API

Using the Web Interface

  1. Navigate to your server's detail page
  2. Find the AI Configuration section
  3. Click Configure for your preferred provider
  4. Enter your API key and save

Using the Terminal

You can also configure API keys directly via the terminal. Click the Open Terminal button on your server page, then run: 

openclaw models auth

Follow the prompts to add your API key.

Terminal Access

The in-browser terminal provides a full shell session to your server. You can:

  • Run OpenClaw commands
  • Edit configuration files
  • View logs
  • Install additional software

To open the terminal, click Open Terminal on your server's detail page.

SSH Access

For direct SSH access from your local machine:

  1. Ensure you've added your SSH public key in Settings
  2. Create or select your server with the key enabled
  3. Connect using your server's subdomain: 
    ssh tiller@your-server.tiller.sh

Customizing Your Persona

OpenClaw supports persona customization through markdown files in ~/.openclaw/:

  • SOUL.md - Core personality traits
  • IDENTITY.md - Background and expertise
  • BOOTSTRAP.md - Startup routine and session modes
  • skills/ - Custom skill definitions

Edit these files via the terminal or SSH to customize your AI's behavior.

Viewing Logs

Container logs are available directly in the web interface:

  1. Go to your server's detail page
  2. Scroll to the Container Logs section
  3. Click Refresh to fetch the latest logs

You can also view logs via terminal: 

docker logs openclaw

Troubleshooting

Server shows as unhealthy

If your server appears unhealthy, try:

  1. Open the terminal and check if the container is running: docker ps
  2. Review the logs for errors: docker logs openclaw
  3. Restart the deployment from the server detail page

API key not working

Ensure your API key has the correct permissions and hasn't expired. Try reconfiguring it via the terminal.