cVirtual - How to Install Clawdbot

This guide walks you through provisioning a Psychz cVirtual VM and installing Clawdbot, a self-hosted personal AI assistant that can bridge common chat channels (e.g., Telegram/WhatsApp/Discord) to coding/LLM agents.

1) Recommended cVirtual specs and OS

Recommended OS

Use Ubuntu 24.04 LTS (supported on cVirtual).

Recommended VM size (typical “sweet spot”)

For a reliable, always-on Clawdbot Gateway using hosted model providers (API keys), start with:

• CPU: 2 vCPU (prefer Dedicated if you want the most consistent responsiveness; Shared is fine for cost efficiency).

• RAM: 8 GB (this is a common starting tier on cVirtual).

• Disk: 40+ GB (Clawdbot can run in less, but this leaves headroom for OS updates, logs, and workspace growth; Psychz supports OS images starting at 10 GB, so you can scale down if you’re cost-constrained).

If you expect heavier usage (more channels, more automations, larger workspaces), consider moving up to 4+ cores and 16 GB RAM tiers.

2) Order cVirtual

Psychz’s general flow is:

1. Log in to the Psychz Dashboard

2. Go to Services/Devices → Order Service

3. Select cVirtual and deploy the plan

If you want your article to point users directly:

• cVirtual landing page: https://www.psychz.net/virtual.html

• Example order page: https://www.psychz.net/dashboard/client/web/order/plan/486

3) Create the VM (Compute → cVirtual)

After ordering:

1. In the Dashboard, open Compute → cVirtual

2. Click Create

3. Fill in:

   • Device ID (the service you just ordered)

   • Device Name

   • Image: choose Ubuntu 24.04 LTS

   • Password (12–50 characters)

4. Click Create and save the instance details (IP, image, vCPU, RAM, disk)

4) Connect to the VM

Option A (easy): Browser console

Psychz provides a web-based console under the VM details; you can “Create Console” and manage the VM from your browser.

Option B: SSH (standard)

From a Linux/macOS terminal:

ssh username@server_ip_address

(Replace username with root or your user, and use your VM’s public IPv4.)

5) Prepare Ubuntu (recommended baseline hardening)

Once logged in:

sudo apt update
sudo apt -y upgrade
sudo apt -y install curl ca-certificates

Security best practices Psychz recommends include enabling a firewall and using SSH key-based auth instead of passwords.

At minimum, allow SSH and enable UFW:

sudo ufw allow OpenSSH
sudo ufw enable
sudo ufw status

6) Install Clawdbot

Clawdbot’s recommended install method is the installer script (it ensures Node.js 22+ and installs the CLI).

Run:

curl -fsSL https://clawd.bot/install.sh | bash

Then run onboarding and install the daemon (recommended for servers):

clawdbot onboard --install-daemon

What onboarding does (high level)

The CLI wizard configures (based on your choices) gateway settings, model/provider auth, channels (Telegram/WhatsApp/etc.), and installs a background service (systemd user unit on Linux).

7) Keep Clawdbot running after logout (important on Linux)

On Linux, Clawdbot uses a systemd user service by default. User services can stop when you log out unless “lingering” is enabled. The Clawdbot docs recommend:

sudo loginctl enable-linger $USER

8) Verify the installation

Run the standard checks:

clawdbot doctor
clawdbot status
clawdbot health

If you configured a messaging channel, you can do an end-to-end test message (example from the docs):

clawdbot message send --target +15555550123 --message "Hello from Clawdbot"

9) Troubleshooting: “clawdbot not found” (PATH)

If the installer completes but your shell can’t find clawdbot, Clawdbot’s install docs recommend checking Node/npm and your PATH:

node -v
npm -v
npm prefix -g
echo "$PATH"

If needed, add global npm binaries to PATH:

export PATH="$(npm prefix -g)/bin:$PATH"

Then open a new terminal session.

10) Operational notes for production use

• Don’t expose the Gateway publicly by default. The wizard’s QuickStart defaults to a local/loopback gateway and port 18789, which is safer for most setups.

• If you do need remote access, prefer a VPN/tunnel approach and strict firewall allowlists.

• Psychz cVirtual emphasizes NVMe-based storage, “no bandwidth costs,” and DDoS mitigation options designed for Layer 3/4 and Layer 7 patterns—helpful if your bot endpoints or web services become attack targets.