How do I deploy ZeroClaw (CLI-only) on Railway?

You can deploy ZeroClaw (CLI-only) on Railway by clicking the "Deploy Now" button on this page. Railway will automatically set up all the necessary services and configurations for you.

What are the system requirements?

Railway handles all the infrastructure requirements. You only need a web browser to deploy and manage your application.

Is this template free to use?

Yes, this template is free to use within your existing Railway account.

Can I customize this template?

Yes, you can fully customize this template. After deployment, you will have full control of what you've deployed in your Railway project.

How do I get support for this template?

You can get support through our community forum: zero-claw-cli-only-837fd545, or click "Get template help" for this template for more assistance.

Deploy and Host ZeroClaw (CLI-only) on Railway

ZeroClaw is a lightweight, terminal-based AI agent runtime written in Rust. Designed for efficiency, it runs autonomously with minimal resource usage, handling AI conversations, scheduled tasks, and multi-channel integrations (Telegram, Discord, etc.) through a simple command-line interface. Perfect for developers who prefer SSH access over web UIs.

About Hosting ZeroClaw (CLI-only)

Deploying ZeroClaw on Railway involves building the Rust binary from source in a Docker container, configuring it via SSH terminal, and running it as a persistent daemon. The setup uses a multi-stage Dockerfile that compiles ZeroClaw and runs it on a minimal Debian image. A persistent volume at /data ensures your configuration, API keys, and chat history survive redeploys. Once deployed, you access the container through Railway's web terminal to run initial setup commands like zeroclaw onboard, then the daemon auto-starts on subsequent boots. The container exposes port 3000 for webhook integrations and handles all channel polling internally.

Common Use Cases

Personal AI Assistant: Deploy a private AI agent that responds to your messages 24/7 via Telegram or Discord
Automated Task Scheduler: Run cron jobs, automated scripts, and scheduled workflows with AI capabilities
Webhook Gateway: Host an AI backend that receives webhooks from external services and processes them intelligently

Dependencies for ZeroClaw (CLI-only) Hosting

AI Provider API Key: OpenRouter, Anthropic, OpenAI, or compatible API key for AI model access
Telegram Bot Token (optional): For Telegram integration, obtained from @BotFather

Deployment Dependencies

Implementation Details

The deployment uses a multi-stage Docker build process:

# Stage 1: Build from source
FROM rust:1.92-slim AS builder
RUN git clone https://github.com/zeroclaw-labs/zeroclaw.git .
RUN cargo build --release --locked

# Stage 2: Runtime
FROM debian:trixie-slim
COPY --from=builder /src/target/release/zeroclaw /usr/local/bin/
ENV HOME=/data
CMD ["zeroclaw", "daemon"]

Key implementation notes:

HOME=/data redirects ZeroClaw's config directory from ~/.zeroclaw to /data/.zeroclaw
Persistent Railway volume mounted at /data preserves configuration
Shell aliases (zc, zrc, zst) added for faster CLI usage
Container waits for config file before starting daemon on first boot

Why Deploy ZeroClaw (CLI-only) on Railway?

Railway is a singular platform to deploy your infrastructure stack. Railway will host your infrastructure so you don't have to deal with configuration, while allowing you to vertically and horizontally scale it.

By deploying ZeroClaw (CLI-only) on Railway, you are one step closer to supporting a complete full-stack application with minimal burden. Host your servers, databases, AI agents, and more on Railway.