VPS / Hetzner

Install on a VPS

Deploy OpenClaw on a remote VPS (Ubuntu, Debian, or Hetzner Cloud) and connect Lobster Shell over an SSH tunnel.

Prerequisites

A VPS with SSH access (Ubuntu 22.04+ or Debian 12+ recommended)

Docker and Docker Compose installed on the VPS

An API key for your preferred LLM provider

A local machine with SSH client

Steps

SSH into your VPS

Connect to your server.

ssh root@your-vps-ip

Install Docker (if not already installed)

Use the official Docker install script.

curl -fsSL https://get.docker.com | sh

Start OpenClaw

Clone and start OpenClaw the same way as a local Docker install.

git clone https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw.git
cd openclaw
./docker-setup.sh

Follow the on-screen prompts to configure your LLM API key.

Install the Lobster Shell plugin

Run the install command inside the container.

docker compose exec openclaw-gateway openclaw plugins install @spikelabs/lobster-shell-plugin

Restart the gateway

Restart to load the plugin.

docker compose restart openclaw-gateway

Access the gateway from your browser

You need browser access to the gateway to complete the OAuth flow. Use either Tailscale or an SSH tunnel.

# Option A: Tailscale (recommended if already installed)
# Access directly via your VPS's Tailscale hostname:
open http://your-vps.tail1234.ts.net:18789/lobster/setup

# Option B: SSH tunnel
# On your local machine, forward port 18789:
ssh -L 18789:localhost:18789 root@your-vps-ip
open http://localhost:18789/lobster/setup

The plugin detects the hostname you use in your browser and builds the OAuth callback URL to match, so both Tailscale and SSH tunnels work automatically.

Connect to Lobster Shell

Click "Connect to Lobster Shell" on the setup page. You'll be redirected to lobstershell.ai to sign in, then back to the gateway with a confirmation.

Choose a shell and start chatting

Head to your Lobster Shell dashboard, pick an avatar, and start talking to your bot.

Troubleshooting

SSH tunnel won't connect

Make sure port 18789 isn't already in use locally. Try: ssh -L 18790:localhost:18789 your-user@your-vps-ip and then visit http://localhost:18790/lobster/setup

Gateway is unreachable after restarting

Wait 10-20 seconds for the container to start. Check with: docker compose ps and docker compose logs openclaw-gateway --tail=20

Plugin install times out

VPS may have limited bandwidth. Retry the install command. If it persists, check that DNS resolution works inside the container: docker compose exec openclaw-gateway nslookup registry.npmjs.org

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