Deploy OpenClaw | Installed at Build, Not on Every Boot
OpenClaw in the image, not downloaded on every start. Current version.
OpenClaw
Just deployed
/data
OpenClaw
The self-hosted OpenClaw agent, with the software in the image instead of downloaded on every start.
What this fixes
The existing OpenClaw templates run npm install -g openclaw@ in the
entrypoint - so every container start reaches out to the npm registry before
the app can serve anything. That puts a network call on the start path, makes a
cold start slow, and turns any registry hiccup into a failed deploy. Both variants
report 44% health.
Here the install happens at build time, in the image. The start path does no network I/O at all.
The override still works exactly as before: the entrypoint compares the installed
version with OPENCLAW_VERSION and only installs when they differ, so setting a
different version in the service variables still switches it at boot - the default
just costs nothing now.
The version is also current: 2026.7.1-2 rather than the 2026.6.6 the
upstream template pins.
Verified
By using the setup surface, not by pinging it. Deployed from this template:
/setup returns 401 with no credentials and 401 with a wrong password, 200 with
the generated SETUP_PASSWORD, and /setup/api/status reports
OpenClaw 2026.7.1-2 - which is the wrapper actually executing the binary that
was installed during the build.
Using it
Open the domain, sign in with the generated SETUP_PASSWORD (the username is
ignored), and follow the setup to connect your channels. State and workspace live
on the volume at /data.
Configuration
Nothing to fill in. SETUP_PASSWORD and OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKEN are generated.
ENABLE_WEB_TUI is off by default - turn it on only if you want a terminal in the
browser, and understand that it is one.
Built on the MIT-licensed Railway template by praveen-ks-2001, with the install moved to build time: https://github.com/praveen-ks-2001/openclaw-railway-template-new
Template Content
OpenClaw
ak40u/openclaw-railway-starter
