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Deploy Clawdbot on Render using Infrastructure as Code. The included render.yaml Blueprint defines your entire stack declaratively, service, disk, environment variables, so you can deploy with a single click and version your infrastructure alongside your code.

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Prerequisites

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Deploy with a Render Blueprint

Deploy to Render Clicking this link will:
  1. Create a new Render service from the render.yaml Blueprint at the root of this repo.
  2. Prompt you to set SETUP_PASSWORD
  3. Build the Docker image and deploy
Once deployed, your service URL follows the pattern https://<service-name>.onrender.com.

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Understanding the Blueprint

Render Blueprints are YAML files that define your infrastructure. The render.yaml in this repository configures everything needed to run Clawdbot: 
services:
  - type: web
    name: clawdbot
    runtime: docker
    plan: starter
    healthCheckPath: /health
    envVars:
      - key: PORT
        value: "8080"
      - key: SETUP_PASSWORD
        sync: false          # prompts during deploy
      - key: CLAWDBOT_STATE_DIR
        value: /data/.clawdbot
      - key: CLAWDBOT_WORKSPACE_DIR
        value: /data/workspace
      - key: CLAWDBOT_GATEWAY_TOKEN
        generateValue: true  # auto-generates a secure token
    disk:
      name: clawdbot-data
      mountPath: /data
      sizeGB: 1
Key Blueprint features used:
FeaturePurpose
runtime: dockerBuilds from the repo’s Dockerfile
healthCheckPathRender monitors /health and restarts unhealthy instances
sync: falsePrompts for value during deploy (secrets)
generateValue: trueAuto-generates a cryptographically secure value
diskPersistent storage that survives redeploys

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Choosing a plan

PlanSpin-downDiskBest for
FreeAfter 15 min idleNot availableTesting, demos
StarterNever1GB+Personal use, small teams
Standard+Never1GB+Production, multiple channels
The Blueprint defaults to starter. To use free tier, change plan: free in your fork’s render.yaml (but note: no persistent disk means config resets on each deploy).

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After deployment

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Complete the setup wizard

  1. Navigate to https://<your-service>.onrender.com/setup
  2. Enter your SETUP_PASSWORD
  3. Select a model provider and paste your API key
  4. Optionally configure messaging channels (Telegram, Discord, Slack)
  5. Click Run setup

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Access the Control UI

The web dashboard is available at https://<your-service>.onrender.com/clawdbot.

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Render Dashboard features

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Logs

View real-time logs in Dashboard → your service → Logs. Filter by:
  • Build logs (Docker image creation)
  • Deploy logs (service startup)
  • Runtime logs (application output)

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Shell access

For debugging, open a shell session via Dashboard → your service → Shell. The persistent disk is mounted at /data.

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Environment variables

Modify variables in Dashboard → your service → Environment. Changes trigger an automatic redeploy.

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Auto-deploy

If you use the original Clawdbot repository, Render will not auto-deploy your Clawdbot. To update it, run a manual Blueprint sync from the dashboard.

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Custom domain

  1. Go to Dashboard → your service → Settings → Custom Domains
  2. Add your domain
  3. Configure DNS as instructed (CNAME to *.onrender.com)
  4. Render provisions a TLS certificate automatically

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Scaling

Render supports horizontal and vertical scaling:
  • Vertical: Change the plan to get more CPU/RAM
  • Horizontal: Increase instance count (Standard plan and above)
For Clawdbot, vertical scaling is usually sufficient. Horizontal scaling requires sticky sessions or external state management.

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Backups and migration

Export your configuration and workspace at any time: 
https://<your-service>.onrender.com/setup/export
This downloads a portable backup you can restore on any Clawdbot host.

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Troubleshooting

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Service won’t start

Check the deploy logs in the Render Dashboard. Common issues:
  • Missing SETUP_PASSWORD — the Blueprint prompts for this, but verify it’s set
  • Port mismatch — ensure PORT=8080 matches the Dockerfile’s exposed port

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Slow cold starts (free tier)

Free tier services spin down after 15 minutes of inactivity. The first request after spin-down takes a few seconds while the container starts. Upgrade to Starter plan for always-on.

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Data loss after redeploy

This happens on free tier (no persistent disk). Upgrade to a paid plan, or regularly export your config via /setup/export.

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Health check failures

Render expects a 200 response from /health within 30 seconds. If builds succeed but deploys fail, the service may be taking too long to start. Check:
  • Build logs for errors
  • Whether the container runs locally with docker build && docker run