Setting up OpenClaw the traditional way means spinning up a VPS, installing Docker, configuring SSH keys, setting environment variables, and debugging Telegram pairing — easily 60+ minutes if you know what you're doing, and hours if you don't.

ClawTank eliminates all of that. Here's how to go from zero to a working OpenClaw instance in under 1 minute.

The Traditional Way (60+ minutes)

Here's what a typical self-hosted OpenClaw setup looks like:

Purchase a VPS (DigitalOcean, Hetzner, etc.) — 15 min
Create and configure SSH keys — 10 min
Connect to the server via SSH — 5 min
Install Node.js and dependencies — 5 min
Install OpenClaw — 7 min
Configure openclaw.json — 10 min
Set up your AI provider API key — 4 min
Pair with Telegram — 4 min

Total: ~60 minutes for a technical user. If you're non-technical, multiply by 10.

The ClawTank Way (Under 1 Minute)

Step 1: Choose Your AI Model

Visit clawtank.dev and select your preferred AI model. Currently Claude Opus 4.6 is available, with GPT-4.1 and Gemini 2.5 Flash coming soon.

Step 2: Connect Telegram

Click the Telegram button and follow the quick setup:

Open Telegram and message @BotFather
Send /newbot and follow the prompts
Copy your bot token
Paste it into ClawTank

That's it — BotFather gives you a token in about 30 seconds.

Step 3: Sign In and Deploy

Click "Sign in with Google" and your OpenClaw instance starts provisioning immediately. Within 40 seconds, your AI assistant is live and responding on Telegram.

What You Get

Managed hosting — no server maintenance, no Docker, no SSH
Auto-TLS — your instance gets a secure HTTPS subdomain automatically
Telegram integration — pre-configured and ready to chat
Claude Opus 4.6 — the most capable AI model powering your assistant
Dashboard — monitor logs, manage settings, view memory graph

What About Cost?

ClawTank comes with a 7-day free trial. Your main ongoing cost is AI API usage, which typically runs $5-30/month depending on how actively you use your assistant.

Compare that to self-hosting:

VPS: $4-12/month
Your time setting it up: priceless (or rather, expensive)
Debugging Docker issues at 2 AM: not fun

Ready to Deploy?

Head to clawtank.dev and have your OpenClaw assistant running in under 1 minute. No terminal required.