Deploy NemoClaw to a Headless Server

Run NemoClaw on a remote Linux server through SSH without exposing the OpenShell gateway or dashboard to the network. This guide covers unattended onboarding, verified readiness, routine updates, and manual recovery after a host reboot.

Headless Describes Operation, Not a Provider

A Linux VM that you provision through Brev is one example of a headless server. These instructions also apply to Linux hosts on other clouds, VPS services, or on-premises infrastructure. NemoClaw setup starts after server provisioning and does not depend on Brev or its web UI.

Host Reboot Recovery Is Manual

NemoClaw does not guarantee that Docker, the OpenShell gateway, sandboxes, tunnels, or host forwards start automatically after a host reboot. Use the manual recovery sequence after each reboot. Do not install an unofficial service unit as a substitute for this sequence.

Check the Server

Use a Linux host that meets the supported NemoClaw prerequisites. The primary tested server path is Linux with Docker.

Resource	Minimum	Recommended
CPU	4 vCPU	4 or more vCPU
RAM	8 GB	16 GB
Free disk	20 GB	40 GB

The image build, Docker daemon, and OpenShell gateway can exhaust a smaller host during onboarding. If the host has less than 8 GB of RAM, configure at least 8 GB of swap before onboarding.

Run these checks from the remote host:

$ uname -m
$ . /etc/os-release
$ printf '%s %s\n' "$ID" "$VERSION_ID"
$ docker info
$ docker_root=$(docker info --format '{{.DockerRootDir}}')
$ df -h "$HOME" "$docker_root"
$ free -h
$ swapon --show

docker info must succeed for the same account that runs NemoClaw. Membership in the docker group grants root-level control of the Docker daemon, so grant it only to trusted accounts.

The host firewall must allow the outbound DNS, HTTPS, image-registry, package-registry, and inference-provider traffic selected during onboarding. The OpenShell policy controls traffic from the sandbox and does not replace the host firewall. Keep inbound dashboard and OpenShell gateway ports closed when you use SSH forwarding.

Keep Remote Access on Loopback

The OpenShell gateway binds to 127.0.0.1 by default. Dashboard and API forwards also stay on loopback outside WSL unless you explicitly change the bind setting.

Connect to the server from your workstation:

$ ssh <user>@<server>

After onboarding, keep the server-side forward on loopback and create a second SSH tunnel from your workstation. The default dashboard port is 18789, but NemoClaw can select the next free port through 18799. Use the port printed by nemoclaw headless-agent dashboard-url.

$ ssh -N -L 18789:127.0.0.1:18789 <user>@<server>

Then open the loopback URL printed by nemoclaw headless-agent dashboard-url --quiet on your workstation. Replace both 18789 values when NemoClaw selected another port.

Do not open port 8080 for remote access. Do not bind the dashboard to every interface when an SSH tunnel meets the access requirement.

Protect a Long Onboarding Run

Run onboarding inside a tmux or screen session so an SSH disconnect does not terminate the host process. To start a tmux session, run:

$ tmux new-session -s nemoclaw-onboard

Detach with Ctrl-b, then d while onboarding continues. After you reconnect through SSH, reattach to the session:

$ tmux attach-session -t nemoclaw-onboard

To use screen instead, start a session:

$ screen -S nemoclaw-onboard

Detach with Ctrl-a, then d while onboarding continues. After you reconnect through SSH, reattach to the session:

$ screen -r nemoclaw-onboard

Do not enable shell tracing with set -x in a session that contains credentials. Do not save the session transcript when it can contain a dashboard URL or token.

If the onboarding process exited after it saved a resumable session, export the same required credential variables and resume it:

$ NEMOCLAW_NON_INTERACTIVE=1 \
> NEMOCLAW_ACCEPT_THIRD_PARTY_SOFTWARE=1 \
> nemoclaw onboard --resume --yes-i-accept-third-party-software --yes

--resume uses the provider, model, sandbox name, agent, and completed non-secret choices from the saved session. Raw credentials are not stored in the onboarding session. If resume reports a missing credential variable, inject that variable again and repeat the command. Use --fresh only when you intend to discard the saved onboarding session and start again.

Run Unattended Onboarding

Select a reviewed NemoClaw commit and set its full 40-character SHA before unattended installation. The example uses that SHA in both the immutable bootstrap URL and NEMOCLAW_INSTALL_REF, so the bootstrap and cloned installer payload come from the same repository state. Do not use the mutable lkg or latest references as the primary install source for a persistent server. Inject provider credentials from your secret manager into the host environment before you run this example. The example fails before the network install if the commit SHA or NVIDIA_INFERENCE_API_KEY is missing or invalid.

$ export NEMOCLAW_AGENT=openclaw

$ export NEMOCLAW_INSTALL_REF="<reviewed-40-character-commit-sha>"
$ : "${NVIDIA_INFERENCE_API_KEY:?Inject NVIDIA_INFERENCE_API_KEY from a secret store}"
$ [[ "$NEMOCLAW_INSTALL_REF" =~ ^[0-9a-f]{40}$ ]] || {
>   echo "NEMOCLAW_INSTALL_REF must be a reviewed full commit SHA" >&2
>   exit 1
> }
$ export NEMOCLAW_PROVIDER=build
$ export NEMOCLAW_SANDBOX_NAME=headless-agent
$ export NEMOCLAW_POLICY_TIER=balanced
$ 
$ curl -fsSL "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/NVIDIA/NemoClaw/${NEMOCLAW_INSTALL_REF}/install.sh" | \
>   NEMOCLAW_INSTALL_REF="$NEMOCLAW_INSTALL_REF" \
>   NEMOCLAW_NON_INTERACTIVE=1 \
>   NEMOCLAW_ACCEPT_THIRD_PARTY_SOFTWARE=1 \
>   NEMOCLAW_AGENT="$NEMOCLAW_AGENT" \
>   NEMOCLAW_PROVIDER="$NEMOCLAW_PROVIDER" \
>   NVIDIA_INFERENCE_API_KEY="$NVIDIA_INFERENCE_API_KEY" \
>   NEMOCLAW_SANDBOX_NAME="$NEMOCLAW_SANDBOX_NAME" \
>   NEMOCLAW_POLICY_TIER="$NEMOCLAW_POLICY_TIER" \
>   NEMOCLAW_WEB_SEARCH_PROVIDER=none \
>   bash

Pass every onboarding NEMOCLAW_* value on the bash side of the pipeline so the downloaded installer can read it. The commit pin also appears in the bootstrap URL so no mutable tag selects the code that enters the pipeline. Do not put a credential before curl, in a command-line argument, or in a committed script. Unset the credential from the interactive shell after onboarding completes:

$ unset NVIDIA_INFERENCE_API_KEY

Use the matching credential variable when you select another provider. Refer to the CLI commands reference for provider-specific variables and accepted values.

Variable	Requirement	Secret	Purpose
`NEMOCLAW_NON_INTERACTIVE=1`	Required for unattended use	No	Disables interactive onboarding prompts.
`NEMOCLAW_ACCEPT_THIRD_PARTY_SOFTWARE=1`	Required for unattended use	No	Records explicit acceptance for the current run.
`NEMOCLAW_AGENT`	Required when the agent must not use the default	No	Selects `openclaw`, `hermes`, or `langchain-deepagents-code`.
`NEMOCLAW_PROVIDER`	Required for a deterministic provider selection	No	Selects the inference provider.
Provider credential	Required for providers that authenticate	Yes	Registers the credential with the OpenShell gateway.
`NEMOCLAW_SANDBOX_NAME`	Required for a deterministic sandbox name	No	Names the sandbox and its host registry entry.
`NEMOCLAW_POLICY_TIER`	Optional, default `balanced`	No	Selects the initial policy tier.
`NEMOCLAW_WEB_SEARCH_PROVIDER`	Optional	No	Selects a supported search provider or `none`.
`NEMOCLAW_INSTALL_REF`	Required for this unattended server flow	No	Selects the reviewed full commit SHA used by both the bootstrap URL and installer.
`NEMOCLAW_INSTALL_TAG`	Optional convenience path, default `lkg`	No	Selects a tag only when `NEMOCLAW_INSTALL_REF` is unset. Mutable tags are not the primary persistent-server path.

Verify Readiness

Do not use process presence as the sandbox-ready signal. The authoritative OpenShell signal is the exact row for headless-agent in phase Ready or Running. The substring NotReady is not a ready state.

Run each verification on the remote host:

$ openshell sandbox list
$ nemoclaw headless-agent status
$ nemoclaw headless-agent connect --probe-only

nemoclaw headless-agent status exits nonzero when the sandbox, gateway, local container, or authoritative inference route is not verified. Its main Inference line probes https://inference.local/v1/models from inside the sandbox. HTTP 200 through 499 reports reachable, while HTTP 500 through 599 reports unhealthy.

connect --probe-only waits up to 300 seconds by default for a cold sandbox to become ready. It then verifies or repairs the in-sandbox agent process and host forwards without opening a shell. It does not restart or replace the shared host OpenShell gateway.

Readiness requires all of these results:

The exact OpenShell sandbox row is Ready or Running.
nemoclaw headless-agent status exits with status 0 and reports the inference route as reachable.
nemoclaw headless-agent connect --probe-only exits with status 0.

Access the Dashboard and API

Retrieve dashboard URLs and API tokens only when you need them. Do not write either value to logs, shell history, support bundles, or version control.

Print the complete authenticated dashboard URL:

$ nemoclaw headless-agent dashboard-url --quiet

Use the raw gateway token only for automation that cannot use the tokenized dashboard URL. This example authenticates the supported Control UI configuration endpoint on the server loopback interface:

$ TOKEN=$(nemoclaw headless-agent gateway-token --quiet)
$ curl -fsS -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
>   "http://127.0.0.1:18789/__openclaw/control-ui-config.json"
$ unset TOKEN

An unauthenticated request to this endpoint returns 401. The static path controlui.bootstrap.config.json does not exist and returns 404.

OpenClaw generates a new gateway token each time the sandbox container starts. Retrieve the dashboard URL or token again after the container restarts or a replacement sandbox is created.

Understand Credential and State Boundaries

NemoClaw separates provider credentials, host metadata, and sandbox state.

Boundary	Stored data	Rebuild behavior
OpenShell gateway	Provider credentials and provider registrations	Reused when the gateway and exact provider binding remain available. Raw values cannot be read back.
`~/.nemoclaw/` on the host	Sandbox registry, provider names, policy metadata, and onboarding session state	Preserved by normal updates. The directory contains metadata, not provider credential values.
Agent configuration in the sandbox	Generated inference routes, OpenShell resolver placeholders, and agent-specific settings	Regenerated from host registry and OpenShell state. Generated files are not a credential store.
Manifest-defined sandbox state	Agent workspace, memory, skills, and agent-specific durable files	Snapshotted and restored according to the selected agent manifest.
Arbitrary environment and profile edits	Direct shell exports and edits outside the manifest contract	Not guaranteed. Export host variables again and use documented host commands for durable configuration.

NemoClaw holds an environment-supplied provider credential in memory while it registers the value with OpenShell. The sandbox receives a resolver placeholder, and OpenShell substitutes the raw value at egress. For details, refer to Credential Storage.

Install a declarative agent skill through the supported host command:

$ nemoclaw headless-agent skill install ./my-skill/

The skill directory must contain SKILL.md with a name field in its YAML frontmatter. Do not assume that packages, shell exports, or profile edits made by a skill survive a rebuild.

Add a Least-Privilege Policy

Use an additive custom preset when the sandbox needs a destination that the current policy does not allow. Scope the host, port, method, path, and executable to the smallest required set.

Save a reviewed preset as ./presets/internal-status.yaml, preview it, then apply it without a prompt:

$ nemoclaw headless-agent policy-add --from-file ./presets/internal-status.yaml --dry-run
$ nemoclaw headless-agent policy-add --from-file ./presets/internal-status.yaml --yes
$ nemoclaw headless-agent policy-list

--yes skips the confirmation prompt but does not skip schema, destination, or SSRF validation. NemoClaw records the full validated YAML content in the sandbox registry. Snapshot restore and rebuild replay that recorded preset even when the original host file is unavailable. Keep the source YAML in your configuration repository so operators can review and change it. For the preset schema and removal workflow, refer to Network Policies.

Plan for Updates and Rebuilds

Create a named snapshot before host maintenance or a manual update:

$ nemoclaw headless-agent snapshot create --name before-maintenance
$ export NEMOCLAW_INSTALL_REF="<next-reviewed-40-character-commit-sha>"
$ [[ "$NEMOCLAW_INSTALL_REF" =~ ^[0-9a-f]{40}$ ]] || {
>   echo "NEMOCLAW_INSTALL_REF must be a reviewed full commit SHA" >&2
>   exit 1
> }
$ curl -fsSL "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/NVIDIA/NemoClaw/${NEMOCLAW_INSTALL_REF}/install.sh" | \
>   NEMOCLAW_INSTALL_REF="$NEMOCLAW_INSTALL_REF" \
>   bash
$ nemoclaw upgrade-sandboxes --check

Use a newly reviewed commit SHA for each planned update instead of relying on the mutable installer default. The installer requires current backups before it changes an existing managed installation. Use nemoclaw headless-agent rebuild when you need the current agent image while preserving supported state.

Item	Same-container restart	Snapshot and restore	Rebuild or sandbox upgrade
Provider configuration	Preserved	Provider names are recorded, but raw credentials are not in the snapshot	Regenerated from registry and OpenShell provider state
Custom preset YAML applied with `policy-add`	Preserved in registry	Stored content is included in snapshot metadata	Replayed from stored content
Manifest-defined user and agent state	Preserved	Preserved	Preserved when backup and restore succeed
Arbitrary files outside manifest state	Usually remain in the same writable layer	Not preserved	Not preserved
Manually installed system or global packages	Usually remain in the same writable layer	Not preserved	Not preserved
Direct edits to generated profile, config, or environment files	May remain until regeneration	Agent-specific and usually excluded or filtered	Regenerated or filtered by the current manifest
OpenClaw gateway token	Rotated when the container starts	Not captured; a replacement sandbox generates a new token	Rotated for the replacement sandbox
Host tunnel process	Not applicable to a container restart	Not preserved	Not preserved
Dashboard, API, messaging, and agent forwards	Preserved only while their host processes remain active	Re-established during supported recovery	Re-established and verified after rebuild

Snapshot only the state that the current agent manifest declares. Download any required file outside that contract before a destructive operation. Refer to Understand Sandbox State and Create and Restore Snapshots for agent-specific exclusions.

Recover After a Host Reboot

Use this sequence after every reboot until NemoClaw documents an automatic boot-persistence contract.

Start Docker first:

$ sudo systemctl start docker
$ docker info

Ask NemoClaw to select the sandbox’s recorded OpenShell gateway and report the current failure layer:

$ nemoclaw headless-agent status

If status reports that the sandbox container exists but is stopped, start it:

$ nemoclaw headless-agent start

Wait for authoritative readiness and repair sandbox-scoped processes and forwards:

$ openshell sandbox list
$ nemoclaw headless-agent connect --probe-only
$ nemoclaw headless-agent status

If the sandbox is ready but the in-sandbox agent gateway or host forward remains unhealthy, run:

$ nemoclaw headless-agent recover

recover, start, and connect --probe-only do not restart the shared host OpenShell gateway. If they report a host gateway RPC error, follow the printed openshell status, named gateway start, or onboarding guidance.

If the registry entry remains but the sandbox container is missing, rebuild from recorded metadata and the latest valid snapshot:

$ nemoclaw headless-agent rebuild --yes

Do not destroy the registry entry before this recovery attempt because rebuild needs that metadata. If you intentionally deleted the sandbox and want a new installation, destroy the stale registry entry and run onboarding again. For failure-specific recovery boundaries, refer to Recover and Rebuild Sandboxes.

Restart any operator-managed SSH or cloud tunnel after the sandbox and forwards pass verification.

Troubleshoot a Headless Deployment

Use the failure layer from nemoclaw headless-agent status before you choose a recovery action.

Onboarding Was Interrupted

Reattach to the tmux or screen session first. If the process exited with a resumable session, inject the required credentials and use onboard --resume. Do not use --fresh unless discarding the saved choices and progress is intentional.

The Sandbox Is Missing or Not Ready

Run openshell sandbox list and inspect the exact row for headless-agent. NotReady does not satisfy readiness. Run nemoclaw headless-agent status, then use its start, connect --probe-only, or rebuild --yes guidance.

Inference Returns HTTP 5xx

An HTTP status from 500 through 599 makes the authoritative inference.local route unhealthy. Check the configured provider and host egress, then run:

$ nemoclaw headless-agent doctor
$ nemoclaw headless-agent logs --tail 200
$ nemoclaw headless-agent status

Do not treat a running agent process as proof that inference works.

Dashboard or Token Retrieval Fails

Run nemoclaw headless-agent status and connect --probe-only before retrieving the URL or token again. The token command exits nonzero when the sandbox is not registered, not running, or cannot expose its agent-specific token. Do not paste a token into diagnostics.

For Docker, DNS, port, memory, provider, and recovery errors, refer to Troubleshooting.

Update Sandboxes explains the maintained-release update path.
Credential Storage explains the OpenShell provider boundary.
CLI Commands Reference lists every command and environment variable.