Docker VM runtime

Shared runtime steps for VM-based Docker installs such as GCP, Hetzner, and similar VPS providers.

Bake required binaries into the image

Installing binaries inside a running container is a trap. Anything installed at runtime will be lost on restart.

All external binaries required by skills must be installed at image build time.

The examples below show three common binaries only:

• text

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  gog
  (from
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  gogcli
  ) for Gmail access
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  goplaces
  for Google Places
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  wacli
  for WhatsApp

These are examples, not a complete list. You may install as many binaries as needed using the same pattern.

If you add new skills later that depend on additional binaries, you must:

1. Update the Dockerfile
2. Rebuild the image
3. Restart the containers

Example Dockerfile

dockerfile
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FROM node:24-bookworm

RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y socat && rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*

# Example binary 1: Gmail CLI (gogcli — installs as `gog`)
# Copy the current Linux asset URL from https://github.com/steipete/gogcli/releases
RUN curl -L https://github.com/steipete/gogcli/releases/latest/download/gogcli_linux_amd64.tar.gz \
  | tar -xzO gog > /usr/local/bin/gog; \
  chmod +x /usr/local/bin/gog

# Example binary 2: Google Places CLI
# Copy the current Linux asset URL from https://github.com/steipete/goplaces/releases
RUN curl -L https://github.com/steipete/goplaces/releases/latest/download/goplaces_linux_amd64.tar.gz \
  | tar -xzO goplaces > /usr/local/bin/goplaces; \
  chmod +x /usr/local/bin/goplaces

# Example binary 3: WhatsApp CLI
# Copy the current Linux asset URL from https://github.com/steipete/wacli/releases
RUN curl -L https://github.com/steipete/wacli/releases/latest/download/wacli-linux-amd64.tar.gz \
  | tar -xzO wacli > /usr/local/bin/wacli; \
  chmod +x /usr/local/bin/wacli

# Add more binaries below using the same pattern

WORKDIR /app
COPY package.json pnpm-lock.yaml pnpm-workspace.yaml .npmrc ./
COPY ui/package.json ./ui/package.json
COPY scripts ./scripts

RUN corepack enable
RUN pnpm install --frozen-lockfile

COPY . .
RUN pnpm build
RUN pnpm ui:install
RUN pnpm ui:build

ENV NODE_ENV=production

CMD ["node","dist/index.js"]

Build and launch

bash
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docker compose build
docker compose up -d openclaw-gateway

If build fails with

or during , the VM is out of memory. Use a larger machine class before retrying.

Verify binaries:

bash
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docker compose exec openclaw-gateway which gog
docker compose exec openclaw-gateway which goplaces
docker compose exec openclaw-gateway which wacli

Expected output:

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/usr/local/bin/gog
/usr/local/bin/goplaces
/usr/local/bin/wacli

Verify Gateway:

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docker compose logs -f openclaw-gateway

Expected output:

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[gateway] listening on ws://0.0.0.0:18789

What persists where

OpenClaw runs in Docker, but Docker is not the source of truth. All long-lived state must survive restarts, rebuilds, and reboots.

Updates

To update OpenClaw on the VM:

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git pull
docker compose build
docker compose up -d

Related

• Docker
• Podman
• ClawDock