How to Deploy OpenClaw on DigitalOcean (One-Click Droplet Guide)

Create your droplet: Go to the DigitalOcean Marketplace page for OpenClaw. Click 'Create Droplet' — this is a one-click setup, so everything OpenClaw needs is pre-configured.

Choose your region: Pick the datacenter closest to you for best latency. New York, San Francisco, Amsterdam, Singapore — whatever's nearest.

Select droplet size: The smallest size works fine for personal use. Pick a larger size if you plan heavy usage or want faster responses.

Set up authentication: Choose SSH key authentication for secure access. Select an existing key or click 'New SSH Key' to create one. This lets you securely log into your server.

Name your droplet: Give it a memorable name like 'my-openclaw' or 'mbot'. Optionally assign it to a project to keep things organized.

Create and wait: Click 'Create Droplet' and wait about a minute for it to spin up. You'll see your droplet's IP address when it's ready.

SSH into your server: Copy the IP address, open your terminal, and run: ssh root@your-droplet-ip. Accept the fingerprint prompt by typing 'yes'.

Save the welcome message: You'll see a Digital Ocean welcome screen with your Gateway Dashboard URL, Gateway Token, and useful commands. Copy and save this entire message — it's your quick reference.

Choose your AI provider: OpenClaw prompts you to pick an AI provider. Options include DigitalOcean's GenAI (Gradient), Anthropic Claude, OpenAI, and others. Pick one and paste your API key.

Service restarts automatically: After saving your API key, OpenClaw restarts to apply changes. No manual restart needed.

Start chatting via TUI: Run the command from the welcome message: /opt/openclaw-tui.sh. This launches a terminal interface where you can chat with OpenClaw directly.

Test basic functionality: Exchange a few messages to confirm it's working. Ask OpenClaw its name, tell it yours. It saves this to memory automatically.

Access the web dashboard: Open the Gateway URL from the welcome message in your browser. Log in with your Gateway Token. You can chat, manage skills, and configure channels from here.

Connect Telegram: Run /opt/clawbot-cli.sh to add a channel. Choose Telegram. Open Telegram, message @BotFather, create a new bot with /newbot, give it a name and username, then copy the token.

Paste token and enable pairing: Paste the BotFather token into the setup. Enable DM pairing so only you can message your bot.

Approve your pairing: In Telegram, start a chat with your bot. It will show your Telegram user ID and a pairing code. Copy the code, return to terminal, run /opt/clawbot-cli.sh again, and approve the pairing.

Chat from anywhere: Now you can message your OpenClaw from Telegram on any device. It syncs with the web dashboard and terminal automatically.

Use pre-installed skills: The droplet comes with skills like 'summarize' already enabled. Try pasting a URL in Telegram and asking OpenClaw to summarize it.

Explore more skills: Check the Skills tab in the dashboard or visit ClawHub for additional skills you can install — calendar, email, smart home, and more.