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Deploy OpenClaw on Render using the repo’s render.yaml Blueprint. It declares the service, disk, and environment variables in one file.

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Prerequisites

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Deploy

Deploy to Render This creates a Render service from render.yaml, builds the Docker image, and deploys it. Your service URL follows the pattern https://<service-name>.onrender.com.

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The Blueprint

services:
  - type: web
    name: openclaw
    runtime: docker
    plan: starter
    healthCheckPath: /health
    envVars:
      - key: OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_PORT
        value: "8080"
      - key: OPENCLAW_STATE_DIR
        value: /data/.openclaw
      - key: OPENCLAW_WORKSPACE_DIR
        value: /data/workspace
      - key: OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKEN
        generateValue: true # auto-generates a secure token
    disk:
      name: openclaw-data
      mountPath: /data
      sizeGB: 1
FeaturePurpose
runtime: dockerBuilds from the repo’s Dockerfile
healthCheckPathRender monitors /health and restarts unhealthy instances
generateValue: trueAuto-generates a cryptographically secure value
diskPersistent storage that survives redeploys

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Choosing a plan

PlanSpin-downDiskBest for
FreeAfter 15 min idleNot availableTesting, demos
StarterNever1GB+Personal use, small teams
Standard+Never1GB+Production, multiple channels
The Blueprint defaults to starter. To use the free tier, change plan: free in your fork’s render.yaml — note that with no persistent disk, OpenClaw state resets on each deploy.

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After deployment

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Access the Control UI

The web dashboard is available at https://<your-service>.onrender.com/. Connect using the shared secret: the auto-generated OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKEN (find it in Dashboard → your service → Environment), or your password if you switched to password auth.

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Logs

Dashboard → your service → Logs shows build logs (Docker image creation), deploy logs (service startup), and runtime logs (application output).

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Shell access

Dashboard → your service → Shell opens a shell session. The persistent disk is mounted at /data.

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Environment variables

Edit variables in Dashboard → your service → Environment. Changes trigger an automatic redeploy.

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Auto-deploy

Render redeploys automatically when the connected repo’s branch gets a new commit. If you deployed straight from openclaw/openclaw instead of your own fork, you have no push access to trigger that, so update by running a manual Blueprint sync from the Dashboard, or point the service at your own fork.

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Custom domain

  1. Dashboard → your service → Settings → Custom Domains
  2. Add your domain
  3. Configure DNS as instructed (CNAME to *.onrender.com)
  4. Render provisions a TLS certificate automatically

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Scaling

  • Vertical: change the plan for more CPU/RAM. Usually sufficient for OpenClaw.
  • Horizontal: increase instance count (Standard plan and above). Requires sticky sessions or external state management since OpenClaw keeps runtime state on the local disk.

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Backups and migration

From the Render Dashboard shell, export state, config, auth profiles, and workspace at any time: 
openclaw backup create
This creates a portable backup archive. See Backup.

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Troubleshooting

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Service will not start

Check the deploy logs in the Render Dashboard. Common issues:
  • Missing OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKEN — verify it is set in Dashboard → Environment
  • Port mismatch — ensure OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_PORT=8080 so the gateway binds to the port Render expects

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Slow cold starts (free tier)

Free tier services spin down after 15 minutes of inactivity; the first request after spin-down takes a few seconds while the container starts. Upgrade to Starter for always-on.

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Data loss after redeploy

Happens on the free tier (no persistent disk). Upgrade to a paid plan, or regularly export a backup with openclaw backup create from the Render shell.

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Health check failures

If builds succeed but deploys fail, the service may be taking too long to start or /health may not be reachable. Check:
  • Build logs for errors
  • Whether the container runs locally with docker build && docker run

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Next steps