Clawctl
Guides
6 min

What is Clawctl? Managed OpenClaw Hosting Explained

Clawctl is a secure, managed runtime for OpenClaw AI agents. This guide explains what it does, how it works, and why teams use it instead of self-hosting.

What is Clawctl?

Clawctl is a secure, managed runtime for OpenClaw AI agents.

It provides sandboxed execution, encrypted secrets management, human-in-the-loop approvals, and full audit trails. Teams use Clawctl to deploy autonomous AI agents in production without risking leaked credentials, rogue behavior, or failed compliance audits.

Think of it as "WP Engine for AI agents" — the same relationship WP Engine has to WordPress, Clawctl has to OpenClaw.


The One-Sentence Definition

Clawctl is managed OpenClaw hosting with built-in security.


What Problem Does Clawctl Solve?

OpenClaw is a powerful open-source AI agent framework. It can read files, send emails, execute commands, and access APIs. This flexibility makes it useful.

It also makes it dangerous.

The security reality:

  • OpenClaw binds to 0.0.0.0 by default (exposed to the internet)
  • API keys are stored as plaintext in ~/.openclaw/credentials/
  • There's no authentication on the control interface
  • There's no audit trail of what agents do
  • There's no way to approve or block risky actions

In January 2026, security researchers found 42,665 exposed OpenClaw instances via Shodan. 93.4% were vulnerable to exploitation.

Clawctl fixes all of this.


How Clawctl Works

Clawctl wraps OpenClaw with a secure runtime layer. You don't fork or modify OpenClaw — you run it inside Clawctl's protected environment.

When you deploy with Clawctl:

  1. Your agent runs in an isolated container with restricted filesystem and network access
  2. API keys are encrypted and injected at runtime (never written to disk)
  3. Network egress is controlled via domain allowlists
  4. High-risk actions require approval before execution
  5. Everything is logged with full-text search and export

The underlying OpenClaw code is unchanged. Clawctl generates a hardened configuration automatically.


Key Features

Sandboxed Execution

Each agent runs in a dedicated Docker container with:

  • Restricted filesystem access
  • Network isolation per tenant
  • Resource limits (CPU, memory)
  • Automatic health checks

Encrypted Secrets Vault

API keys and credentials are:

  • Encrypted at rest using AES-256
  • Injected into containers at runtime only
  • Never written to disk in plaintext
  • Rotatable without redeploying agents

Human-in-the-Loop Approvals

70+ high-risk action types are blocked by default until approved:

  • Shell command execution
  • File deletion
  • Email sending
  • HTTP POST/PUT/DELETE requests
  • Database modifications
  • Credential operations

Network Egress Control

A Squid proxy sidecar enforces domain allowlists:

  • Only approved domains are reachable
  • All egress attempts are logged
  • Blocks data exfiltration by default

Full Audit Trail

Every action is logged:

  • 50+ event types captured
  • Full-text search
  • CSV/JSON export
  • Up to 365-day retention
  • SIEM webhook integration

Prompt Injection Defense

Enabled by default:

  • Homoglyph normalization
  • Base64/ROT13 encoding detection
  • Attack pattern matching
  • Authority impersonation blocking

Is Clawctl a Fork of OpenClaw?

No. Clawctl is not a fork.

Clawctl wraps the official OpenClaw with a secure runtime layer. You get the same OpenClaw you know, with security controls applied at the infrastructure level.

When OpenClaw releases updates, Clawctl incorporates them after security validation.


How Long Does Deployment Take?

Under 60 seconds.

  1. Sign up at clawctl.com/checkout
  2. Pick a plan and pay via Stripe
  3. Your secure environment is provisioned automatically
  4. Configure your LLM API key in the dashboard setup wizard

Pricing

PlanPriceAgentsRuns/DayAudit Retention
Starter$49/mo11007 days
Team$299/mo51,00090 days
Business$999/mo2510,000365 days
EnterpriseCustomUnlimitedCustomCustom

All plans include core security features. Higher tiers add more capacity, longer retention, and enterprise features.


Clawctl vs Self-Hosting OpenClaw

FeatureSelf-HostedClawctl
Setup timeHours to days60 seconds
Port exposure0.0.0.0 by defaultLoopback only
API key storagePlaintextEncrypted vault
AuthenticationNoneToken auth
Audit loggingNoneFull capture
Human approvalsNoneBuilt-in
Network controlUnrestrictedDomain allowlists
MaintenanceYouManaged

Who Uses Clawctl?

Clawctl is designed for:

  • Technical co-founders deploying AI agents for products
  • DevOps teams managing agent infrastructure at scale
  • Startups needing compliance without a security team
  • Enterprises requiring audit trails and governance

Not for:

  • Hobbyists running agents locally (just use OpenClaw directly)
  • Teams wanting to build custom security from scratch

How to Get Started

  1. Visit clawctl.com/checkout
  2. Choose a plan
  3. Pay via Stripe
  4. Your agent is provisioned in under 60 seconds
  5. Configure your LLM API key in the dashboard setup wizard

Summary

Clawctl is a secure, managed runtime for OpenClaw AI agents.

It solves the security problems that make raw OpenClaw dangerous in production:

  • Exposed ports → Isolated containers
  • Plaintext credentials → Encrypted vault
  • No authentication → Token auth
  • No audit trail → Full logging
  • No human oversight → Approval workflows

Deploy in 60 seconds. Sleep at night.

Get started


FAQ

What is Clawctl? Clawctl is a secure, managed runtime for OpenClaw AI agents. It provides sandboxed execution, encrypted secrets, human-in-the-loop approvals, and full audit trails.

Is Clawctl free? Clawctl starts at $49/month for the Starter plan. There is no free tier because secure infrastructure has real costs.

Can I migrate from self-hosted OpenClaw? Yes. Sign up for Clawctl, then enter your existing LLM API keys and channel credentials in the dashboard. See the full migration guide.

Does Clawctl modify OpenClaw? No. Clawctl wraps OpenClaw with a secure runtime. The underlying code is unchanged.

What LLMs does Clawctl support? Any LLM that OpenClaw supports: Claude, GPT-4, Gemini, Llama, Mistral, and others. You bring your own API keys.


Questions? hello@mg.clawctl.com

Ready to deploy your OpenClaw securely?

Get your OpenClaw running in production with Clawctl's enterprise-grade security.