Question 1

How do I set up OpenClaw so only I can access it?

Accepted Answer

The easiest way is to keep your agent behind a private network. Tailscale creates a personal VPN between your devices in minutes, free for personal use, no port forwarding needed. Cloudflare Tunnel lets you access your agent through a custom domain with automatic encryption. Both keep your agent invisible to the public internet. Our free config generator sets this up automatically based on which approach you choose.

Question 2

What does a properly secured OpenClaw setup look like?

Accepted Answer

A well-configured OpenClaw setup has four layers: (1) Network isolation: your agent is only reachable through a private tunnel or VPN, not the open internet. (2) Authentication: a strong token is required before anyone can interact with your agent. (3) Sandboxing: your agent runs tools in an isolated environment, so a misbehaving plugin cannot access your server. (4) Minimal permissions: only the tools and channels you actually use are enabled. This generator configures all four layers with the safest defaults.

Question 3

Why do I get "disconnected" or "device identity required" errors in OpenClaw?

Accepted Answer

These errors happen when you access OpenClaw through a VPN, tunnel, or proxy instead of directly from the same machine. OpenClaw has security checks that block remote connections by default, but the settings to fix this are scattered across three different flags with confusing names. Our config generator detects your network setup and configures all three flags automatically. No need to hunt through documentation or GitHub issues.

Question 4

Is it safe to self-host OpenClaw?

Accepted Answer

Yes, with the right configuration. OpenClaw is a powerful, well-maintained open-source project used by hundreds of thousands of people. The key is getting 7 settings right: how you access your agent, how it authenticates you, what tools it can use, whether it runs them in a sandbox, which messaging channels are enabled, and how it handles browser automation. This config generator walks you through each one and produces ready-to-use files. If you prefer not to manage infrastructure at all, Vessel provides fully managed OpenClaw hosting with all of this handled automatically.

Question 5

How do I securely access my OpenClaw agent from my phone or another device?

Accepted Answer

The safest approach is to keep OpenClaw behind a private network and connect through it. Tailscale creates a private network between your devices in minutes, no port forwarding needed. Cloudflare Tunnel lets you access your agent through a custom domain with encryption, without exposing any ports. Both options are free for personal use. Our config generator produces the setup files for whichever approach you choose.

OpenClaw Hardened Config Generator

Network Access

Common questions

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