{"id":379,"date":"2026-03-03T08:33:53","date_gmt":"2026-03-03T08:33:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/packetra.com\/knowledgebase\/?post_type=ht_kb&p=379"},"modified":"2026-03-03T08:35:24","modified_gmt":"2026-03-03T08:35:24","slug":"how-to-manage-your-vps-openclaw","status":"publish","type":"ht_kb","link":"https:\/\/packetra.com\/knowledgebase\/kb\/how-to-manage-your-vps-openclaw\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Manage Your VPS – OpenClaw Settings"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In this guide we will walk you through how to manage your VPS OpenClaw, connect your AI model, and approve your device for pairing. You need to ensure you have credits with your respective AI provider (OpenAI, Anthropic etc).<\/mark><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This article is only applicable to those who have an account with Packetra <\/strong>and it assumes that you are already logged into the portal. Don’t have a VPS yet? Check out our CloudVPS Plans<\/a><\/strong>. If you already have one feel free to login<\/a><\/strong> to follow the guide below<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Connecting Your AI Model to VPS OpenClaw<\/mark><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Log into your VPS via SSH<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

First, you need to log into your VPS via SSH or via Console. Once you have logged in, start by typing sudo su<\/code><\/strong> to elevate yourself to the root. Once you have done that type openclaw configure --section models<\/strong><\/code> as shown on the image below<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"openclaw<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Select your Options for OpenClaw<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Next, We will select the model we would like to use, in this example I will be connecting the OpenClaw to my API at Anthropic, you may have OpenAI or a different one, during the Model\/Auth Provider<\/em>you can select a variety of providers to work with. You follow the image below.

Note: You access your OpenClaw at https:\/\/<yourhostname><\/strong><\/code> as provided in your welcome email, not via IP:port.

If you want to change the hostname for your OpenClaw see below for guide on how to do that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Select<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Pairing and Approval of Device Via OpenClaw<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Pairing Required<\/mark><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Next, you want to access your openclaw via browser by going to https:\/\/<yourhostname> which will return a screen like below, stating that pairing is required. This is a protection set by OpenClaw to prevent unauthorized system use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Dashboard<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Approve your device<\/mark><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Next, you want to approve your device, to do that you go to your SSH and type in openclaw devices list<\/code><\/strong> to list all pending requests, you should see a new request because you went to the dashboard via browser which created the request. You then type openclaw devices approve <id><\/code><\/strong> to approve your device. You can see by typing openclaw devices list<\/code><\/strong> to see that your request went form Pending <\/em>to Paired<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"openclaw<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Dashboard Finale<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Finally, now that you have paired your device and you have setup your model that you have credits with, you can start working with your OpenClaw. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Dashboard<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Change Your VPS OpenClaw Hostname<\/mark><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Edit Caddy and OpenClaw and Reboot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

To change the hostname from the default which is cloudvps<id>.packetra.com<\/code>, you need to open yoursudo nano \/etc\/caddy\/Caddyfile<\/strong><\/code> and edit the hostname there to the desired hostname that you have already setup and is responding to ping.

Once you have done so, you need to add the given hostname to the allowedOrigins<\/em> in OpenClaw by entering the command below:

openclaw config set gateway.controlUi.allowedOrigins \"[\\\"https:\/\/yourdomain.com\\\"]\"<\/code><\/strong>

Followed by a service restart

sudo systemctl restart openclaw
sudo systemctl restart caddy<\/strong><\/code>

Now, you can goto your new hostname at https:\/\/<yourhostname> instead of the default https:\/\/cloudvps<id>.packetra.com<\/p>\n\n\n\n

VPS OpenClaw Onboard Mode \u2013 Skills, Hooks & Recovery<\/mark><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Going through Onboard Completely<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

You can run openclaw onboard<\/strong> under sudo su<\/strong> (root) to go through the entire setup process, this allows you to add hooks, enable plugins etc. However, one of its default behaviors is resetting the gateway\/port\/auth which will break the OpenClaw dashboard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"openclaw<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Recovery<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When you have finished your onboarding, you need to enter the following commands in order to fix the gateway issue and auth issue that presents itself on your dashboard after an onboarding.

Enter the following commands to set the gateway and unset the token authorization

openclaw config set gateway.mode local
openclaw config set gateway.port 4050
openclaw config set gateway.bind loopback
openclaw config set gateway.auth.mode none
openclaw config unset gateway.auth.token<\/strong><\/code>

We then want to ensure we set the allowed origins back to your domain, please note yourdomain.com should be either the default server hostname on delivery or a hostname you may have setup yourself.

openclaw config set gateway.controlUi.allowedOrigins \"[\\\"https:\/\/yourdomain.com\\\"]\"<\/strong><\/code>

Then we want to restart the two

sudo systemctl restart openclaw
sudo systemctl restart caddy<\/strong><\/code>

This should resolve the Dashboard once you have onboarded API, installed skills \/ enabled skills or anything else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Frequently Asked Questions<\/strong>

Can I switch my AI provider after onboarding?<\/strong><\/strong>
Yes, run openclaw configure --section models<\/code> again and select a new provider. (This will not cause gateway reversal)

What happens if I lose my API key?<\/strong>
You’ll need to re-run the model configuration with your new key.

How do I remove a paired device?<\/strong>
Run openclaw devices list<\/code> to find the device ID, then openclaw devices remove <id><\/code>. You can also revoke a device by going to your dashboard, click Nodes<\/strong>, locate Devices <\/strong>and revoke the pairing.

I ran openclaw onboard<\/code> by accident, what do I do?<\/strong>
Run the recovery commands listed above in the Recovery<\/strong> section.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Good to Know<\/strong>
Your AI provider must have active credits or billing enabled on their end, OpenClaw connects to their API using your key so if your credits run out, your AI will stop responding. Device pairing is per-browser. If you switch browsers, use a new device or clear your cookies you will need to approve the device again.

If you have any issues with your service, open a support ticket through the client portal<\/strong><\/a> and our team will assist you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In this guide we will walk you through how to manage your VPS OpenClaw, connect your AI model, and approve your device for pairing. You need to ensure you have credits with your respective AI provider (OpenAI, Anthropic etc). Connecting Your AI Model to VPS OpenClaw Log into your VPS…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"ht-kb-category":[57],"ht-kb-tag":[58],"class_list":["post-379","ht_kb","type-ht_kb","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","ht_kb_category-cloudvps","ht_kb_tag-vps"],"yoast_head":"\nVPS OpenClaw - Setup, Pairing & Recovery | Packetra<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Learn how to set up VPS OpenClaw, connect your AI model, pair your devices, change your hostname, and recovery in few clicks.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/packetra.com\/knowledgebase\/kb\/how-to-manage-your-vps-openclaw\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"VPS OpenClaw - 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