# Install OpenClaw on a VPS & Connect Telegram

Everything from the video in one place: what OpenClaw is, why you'd run it on a VPS, and the exact commands to get your own 24/7 AI agent live on Telegram.

**Start here based on what you want:**

| I want to... | Read this |
|---|---|
| Understand what this is and why it's useful, in plain terms | [ARTICLE.md](ARTICLE.md) |
| Follow the full setup, command by command | [SETUP-GUIDE.md](SETUP-GUIDE.md) |
| Just grab the commands as a cheat-sheet | [COMMANDS.md](COMMANDS.md) |
| Fix something that isn't working | [TROUBLESHOOTING.md](TROUBLESHOOTING.md) |

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## What you'll build

A self-hosted **OpenClaw** AI agent running on a cheap cloud server (DigitalOcean, ~$6/month), that you control entirely from a **Telegram bot** — online 24/7, no laptop required.

## What you'll need

- A **DigitalOcean** account (or any VPS: Hetzner, Fluence, etc.)
- An **LLM API key** — [Anthropic (Claude)](https://console.anthropic.com) or [OpenAI](https://platform.openai.com)
- A **Telegram** account
- ~**$6/month** and ~**20 minutes**

## The 6 steps

1. Create an Ubuntu server on DigitalOcean
2. Install Node.js 22+ and OpenClaw
3. Create a Telegram bot with @BotFather
4. Run `openclaw onboard --install-daemon` (add AI key + Telegram token)
5. Approve the pairing and test in Telegram
6. Enable 24/7 mode (`enable-linger` + swap)

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## Official references

- OpenClaw DigitalOcean install: https://docs.openclaw.ai/install/digitalocean
- DigitalOcean Marketplace (1-Click): https://docs.digitalocean.com/products/marketplace/catalog/openclaw/
- Get an AI key: https://console.anthropic.com or https://platform.openai.com

> Versions change. If a command differs from the latest OpenClaw release, check the official docs above.

## Questions

If something is unclear, or you'd rather have this built and secured for you, reach out — details are at the end of [ARTICLE.md](ARTICLE.md).