claude-home/productivity/openclaw/CONTEXT.md

OpenClaw Personal AI Assistant - Technology Context

Overview

OpenClaw is an open-source personal AI assistant that runs locally with autonomous agent capabilities. Originally created as "Clawdbot" by Peter Steinberger, now community-maintained as OpenClaw.

Deployment: LXC 224 (10.10.0.224) Status: Deployment in progress Primary Use: Personal automation, task management, Discord integration

Architecture

Gateway-Centric Design

• Gateway Daemon: Single control plane for all operations
• Messaging: Handles chat platform integrations (Discord, Telegram, etc.)
• Tool Execution: Sandboxed code execution via nested Docker containers
• Client Connections: WebSocket and HTTP API for external integrations

Key Components

1. OpenClaw Gateway - Node.js application, port 18789
2. Docker-in-Docker Sandbox - Isolated execution environment
3. Persistent Workspace - /workspace for file operations and memory
4. Configuration Layer - openclaw.json + environment variables

AI Provider Integration

Current Provider: MiniMax M2.1

• Model: MiniMax-M2.1 (200K context window)
• API Type: Anthropic-compatible messages API
• Endpoint: https://api.minimax.io/anthropic
• Authentication: Bearer token via MINIMAX_API_KEY

Model Selection:

• Primary: minimax/MiniMax-M2.1 (standard, balanced performance)
• Fast variant: minimax/MiniMax-M2.1-lightning (lower latency, lower cost)

Pricing (per 1M tokens):

• M2.1: $0.50 input / $1.50 output
• M2.1 Lightning: $0.30 input / $0.90 output

Discord Integration

Bot Configuration:

• Policy: DM pairing (secure by default)
• Intents Required: Message Content + Server Members
• Permissions: View/Send/History + Embeds + Files + Reactions

Access Control:

• DMs: Pairing code required (1-hour expiry)
• Guild channels: Can be enabled per-server with allowlists
• Mention requirement: Optional gating for shared channels

Message Handling:

• History context: 20 messages (configurable)
• File uploads: 8MB max (configurable)
• Response format: Markdown with embeds

Security Model

Sandboxing

• Docker-in-Docker: Code execution isolated in nested containers
• AppArmor: Unconfined profile required for container nesting
• UID: Runs as non-root node user (UID 1000) inside container

Secrets Management

• Storage: Environment variables via .env file
• Interpolation: ${VAR_NAME} syntax in openclaw.json
• Scope: Secrets only accessible to gateway process

Network Isolation

• Bridge Network: openclaw-net isolates from other services
• Exposed Ports: Only 18789 (gateway) accessible on host network
• Outbound: Requires internet access for AI API calls

Operational Patterns

Standard Operations

# Start OpenClaw
docker compose up -d

# View logs
docker compose logs -f openclaw-gateway

# Restart after config changes
docker compose restart openclaw-gateway

# Stop service
docker compose down

Pairing Management

# List pending pairing requests
docker compose exec openclaw-gateway openclaw pairing list discord

# Approve pairing
docker compose exec openclaw-gateway openclaw pairing approve discord <code>

# Revoke access
docker compose exec openclaw-gateway openclaw pairing revoke discord <user_id>

Diagnostics

# Health check
docker compose exec openclaw-gateway openclaw doctor

# Channel status
docker compose exec openclaw-gateway openclaw channels status --probe

# Model configuration
docker compose exec openclaw-gateway openclaw models list

Configuration Updates

# Edit configuration
nano openclaw.json

# Restart to apply changes
docker compose restart openclaw-gateway

# Verify changes
docker compose logs openclaw-gateway | grep "Configuration loaded"

Resource Usage Patterns

Expected Baseline:

• Idle: ~200MB RAM, <5% CPU
• Active chat: ~500MB RAM, 10-20% CPU
• Browser automation: ~1GB RAM, 30-50% CPU
• Concurrent operations: Up to 2GB RAM

Disk Usage:

• Application: ~500MB
• Workspace files: Variable (user-dependent)
• Logs: ~50MB/week (with rotation)
• Docker images: ~1GB

Network:

• AI API calls: ~10-100KB per request
• Discord: WebSocket connection (minimal bandwidth)
• File uploads: Up to 8MB per message

Integration Points

Current Integrations

• Discord: DM-based personal assistant
• MiniMax API: AI model provider
• Docker: Sandboxed execution environment

Potential Future Integrations

• n8n: Workflow automation triggers (not currently configured)
• Home Assistant: Smart home control via API
• Additional chat platforms: Telegram, Signal, WhatsApp
• Browser automation skills: Web scraping, form filling

Troubleshooting Quick Reference

Issue	Solution
Gateway won't start	Check docker compose logs for errors; verify .env secrets
Discord not connecting	Verify DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN and intents enabled
"Used disallowed intents" error	Enable Message Content Intent in Discord portal
Pairing code not working	Check expiry (1 hour), regenerate if needed
High memory usage	Check for stuck browser automation processes
MiniMax API errors	Verify MINIMAX_API_KEY, check API quota

References

• Official Docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai/
• GitHub: https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw
• Discord Setup: https://docs.openclaw.ai/channels/discord
• MiniMax Provider: https://docs.openclaw.ai/providers/minimax
• MiniMax Platform: https://platform.minimax.io/

Maintenance Notes

Update Strategy:

• Auto-updates: Gateway pulls :latest tag on restart
• Breaking changes: Check release notes before updating
• Rollback: Pin specific version tag if needed

Backup Strategy:

• Configuration: openclaw.json + .env (version controlled template)
• Workspace: /opt/openclaw/workspace (contains agent memory/files)
• Logs: Optional retention for debugging

Monitoring:

• Health check: HTTP endpoint at http://10.10.0.224:18789/health
• Discord connectivity: Verify bot status in server member list
• Resource usage: Monitor via Proxmox dashboard