Run OpenClaw After Logout

Why daemonize OpenClaw?

When you start OpenClaw using standard commands like npm run start or node index.js, the process binds directly to your SSH session. When you disconnect or close your laptop, the OS kills that session—which shuts down OpenClaw, breaking your Telegram bot, WhatsApp responders, and web dashboards.

To keep it running 24/7, you must “daemonize” it (run it in the background as a system service).

Hinglish Summary: Agar aap normal bash terminal mein command run karenge, toh terminal close hone par OpenClaw bhi crash/stop ho jayega. background mein 24/7 chalane ke liye humein PM2 ya systemd service use karni padegi.

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Method A: PM2 (Quick & Recommended for Node setups)

PM2 is a dedicated production process manager for Node.js applications. It handles auto-restarts, environment variables, log rotation, and cluster modes.

Step 1: Install PM2 globally

Make sure you are logged in as your non-root deployment user and run:

npm install -g pm2

Step 2: Start OpenClaw Gateway

Navigate to your OpenClaw folder and start the process:

cd ~/openclaw-setup
pm2 start npm --name "openclaw-gateway" -- run start

Step 3: Verify the process is running

List all PM2 processes:

pm2 status

You should see openclaw-gateway listed with an online status.

Step 4: Configure system startup persistence

To ensure PM2 and OpenClaw start automatically if the VPS reboots:

pm2 startup

This command generates a terminal script. Copy and paste that generated command into your terminal to configure system-level integration, then save the current process list:

pm2 save

Step 5: Check logs

To see real-time console prints and incoming webhooks:

pm2 logs openclaw-gateway

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Method B: systemd (Native Linux Service)

If you prefer native Ubuntu/Linux services and want to manage OpenClaw with standard systemctl commands, create a custom systemd unit file.

Step 1: Create the service file

Use nano or vi with root permissions to create the config:

sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/openclaw.service

Step 2: Paste the following template

Modify /home/ubuntu/openclaw-setup, ubuntu, and paths depending on your username and installation path.

[Unit]
Description=OpenClaw Gateway Service
After=network.target redis-server.service

[Service]
Type=simple
User=ubuntu
WorkingDirectory=/home/ubuntu/openclaw-setup
ExecStart=/usr/bin/npm run start
Restart=on-failure
RestartSec=5s
Environment=NODE_ENV=production

# Security restrictions to harden the service
ProtectSystem=full
PrivateTmp=true

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

[!IMPORTANT] If you used NVM to install Node, the path /usr/bin/npm may not exist or point to an older Node runtime. In your service file, replace /usr/bin/npm with the absolute path to your NVM npm executable (e.g. /home/ubuntu/.nvm/versions/node/v24.x.y/bin/npm).

Step 3: Reload and start the service

Run these commands to activate the unit:

sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable openclaw.service
sudo systemctl start openclaw.service

Step 4: Check service status

sudo systemctl status openclaw.service

Step 5: Read systemd logs

To check process outputs and debug connection failures:

journalctl -u openclaw.service -f -n 100

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Safety Guidelines

1. Do not run as root: Always specify a standard user (like ubuntu or openclaw) in your service configs. Running as root gives any potential dashboard security flaw complete system write access.
2. Setup log rotation: Logs can fill up disk space quickly over months. If using PM2, install the rotation plugin:

pm2 install pm2-logrotate