Clawdbot + Hetzner Setup Guide

Clawdbot is a personal AI assistant that runs on your own server and talks to you through Telegram, WhatsApp, or other messaging apps. Unlike ChatGPT or Claude's web interface, it's always on, remembers everything, and can proactively reach out to you.

This guide will get you from zero to a working Clawdbot in about 20 minutes.

Part 1: Create Your Hetzner Server

Step 1: Go to Hetzner Cloud

Visit hetzner.com/cloud and click Get started. Create an account if you don't have one.

Step 2: Create a new project

Once logged into Cloud Console, click + New Project. Name it clawdbot or similar.

Step 3: Create your server

Click into your project, then click the big + Create Server button.

Step 4: Choose location & type

Step 5: Add your SSH key

If you don't have an SSH key, open Terminal on your Mac and run:

ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "your@email.com"

Press Enter to accept the default location. Then display your public key:

cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub

Copy the output and paste it into Hetzner's SSH key field.

Step 6: Create the server

Name your server clawdbot, then click Create & Buy Now. Wait about 30 seconds for it to spin up, then copy the IPv4 address.

Part 2: Connect & Install

Step 7: SSH into your server

ssh root@YOUR_SERVER_IP

Replace YOUR_SERVER_IP with the IP you copied. Type yes when asked about the fingerprint.

Saved your key to a custom location? Use the -i flag to specify it:

BashCopy

ssh -i ~/path/to/keyfile root@YOUR_SERVER_IP

Step 8: Update the system

apt update && apt upgrade -y

Step 9: Install Node.js 22

curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_22.x | bash -
apt install -y nodejs

Verify with node -v — should show v22.x.x

Step 10: Install Clawdbot

npm install -g clawdbot@latest

Step 11: Run the onboarding wizard

clawdbot onboard --install-daemon

This wizard walks you through everything: model auth, workspace setup, and channel configuration.

Part 3: Set Up Telegram

Step 12: Create a Telegram bot

1. •Open Telegram and search for @BotFather
2. •Send /newbot
3. •Give it a name (e.g., "My Assistant")
4. •Give it a username (e.g., myname_clawdbot)
5. •Copy the bot token BotFather gives you

Step 13: Get your Telegram user ID

Search for @userinfobot on Telegram, send it any message, and it will reply with your numeric user ID. Copy this number.

Step 14: Enter credentials in wizard

When the Clawdbot wizard asks:

• •Paste your bot token from BotFather
• •Enter your user ID for the allowFrom setting (this restricts who can talk to your bot)

Part 4: Add Your Anthropic Key

Step 15: Get your API key

Go to console.anthropic.com and create an API key. It starts with sk-ant-...

Have Claude Pro/Max? You can use your subscription instead of paying for API credits. Run claude setup-token on your local machine (requires Claude Code CLI) and paste the token when prompted.

Step 16: Enter in wizard

When the wizard asks for Anthropic auth, choose API Key and paste it.

Part 5: Finish & Test

Step 17: Complete the wizard

Follow the remaining prompts, accepting defaults for most options. The wizard will install a background daemon so Clawdbot stays running.

Step 18: Verify it's running

clawdbot status

Should show the gateway as running.

Step 19: Test it!

Open Telegram, find your bot, and send it a message. You should get a response. 🎉

Useful Commands

Server Management

Chat Commands (send in Telegram)

Troubleshooting

Bot not responding?

clawdbot status --all
clawdbot logs --follow

Need to redo setup?

clawdbot reset
clawdbot onboard --install-daemon

SSH asking for password?

Your key isn't being used. Specify it explicitly:

ssh -i /path/to/your/key root@YOUR_SERVER_IP

What's Next

Once your Clawdbot is running, you can:

• •Customize your bot's personality in ~/clawd/SOUL.md
• •Add your personal info to ~/clawd/USER.md
• •Browse skills at clawdhub.com
• •Join the Discord community for support and ideas

Ready to build more advanced AI systems? Check out our other Clawdbot guides:

• •Multi-Agent Architecture — How the brain works
• •Exa Neural Search — Real-time research grounding
• •GEO/AEO Optimization — Optimize for AI search engines

Written by Husnain Bukhari — husnainbukhari.com