clawdbot/docs/platforms/fly.md

title, description

title	description
Fly.io	Deploy Clawdbot on Fly.io

Fly.io Deployment

Goal: Clawdbot Gateway running on a Fly.io machine with persistent storage, automatic HTTPS, and Discord/channel access.

What you need

• flyctl CLI installed
• Fly.io account (free tier works)
• Model auth: Anthropic API key (or other provider keys)
• Channel credentials: Discord bot token, Telegram token, etc.

Beginner quick path

1. Clone repo → customize fly.toml
2. Create app + volume → set secrets
3. Deploy with fly deploy
4. SSH in to create config or use Control UI

1) Create the Fly app

# Clone the repo
git clone https://github.com/clawdbot/clawdbot.git
cd clawdbot

# Create a new Fly app (pick your own name)
fly apps create my-clawdbot

# Create a persistent volume (1GB is usually enough)
fly volumes create clawdbot_data --size 1 --region lhr

Tip: Choose a region close to you. Common options: lhr (London), iad (Virginia), sjc (San Jose).

2) Configure fly.toml

Edit fly.toml to match your app name and requirements:

app = "my-clawdbot"  # Your app name
primary_region = "lhr"

[build]
  dockerfile = "Dockerfile"

[env]
  NODE_ENV = "production"
  CLAWDBOT_PREFER_PNPM = "1"
  CLAWDBOT_STATE_DIR = "/data"
  NODE_OPTIONS = "--max-old-space-size=1536"

[processes]
  app = "node dist/index.js gateway --allow-unconfigured --port 3000 --bind lan"

[http_service]
  internal_port = 3000
  force_https = true
  auto_stop_machines = false
  auto_start_machines = true
  min_machines_running = 1
  processes = ["app"]

[[vm]]
  size = "shared-cpu-2x"
  memory = "2048mb"

[mounts]
  source = "clawdbot_data"
  destination = "/data"

Key settings:

Setting	Why
--bind lan	Binds to 0.0.0.0 so Fly's proxy can reach the gateway
--allow-unconfigured	Starts without a config file (you'll create one after)
memory = "2048mb"	512MB is too small; 2GB recommended
CLAWDBOT_STATE_DIR = "/data"	Persists state on the volume

3) Set secrets

# Required: Gateway token (for non-loopback binding)
fly secrets set CLAWDBOT_GATEWAY_TOKEN=$(openssl rand -hex 32)

# Model provider API keys
fly secrets set ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-...

# Optional: Other providers
fly secrets set OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-...
fly secrets set GOOGLE_API_KEY=...

# Channel tokens
fly secrets set DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN=MTQ...

Notes:

• Non-loopback binds (--bind lan) require CLAWDBOT_GATEWAY_TOKEN for security.
• Treat these tokens like passwords.

4) Deploy

fly deploy

First deploy builds the Docker image (~2-3 minutes). Subsequent deploys are faster.

After deployment, verify:

fly status
fly logs

You should see:

[gateway] listening on ws://0.0.0.0:3000 (PID xxx)
[discord] logged in to discord as xxx

5) Create config file

SSH into the machine to create a proper config:

fly ssh console

Create the config directory and file:

mkdir -p /data/.clawdbot
cat > /data/.clawdbot/clawdbot.json << 'EOF'
{
  "agents": {
    "defaults": {
      "model": {
        "primary": "anthropic/claude-opus-4-5"
      },
      "models": {
        "anthropic/claude-opus-4-5": {},
        "anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-5": {}
      },
      "maxConcurrent": 4
    },
    "list": [
      {
        "id": "main",
        "default": true
      }
    ]
  },
  "channels": {
    "discord": {
      "enabled": true
    }
  }
}
EOF

Restart to apply:

exit
fly machine restart <machine-id>

6) Access the Gateway

Control UI

Open in browser:

fly open

Or visit https://my-clawdbot.fly.dev/

Paste your gateway token (the one from CLAWDBOT_GATEWAY_TOKEN) to authenticate.

Logs

fly logs              # Live logs
fly logs --no-tail    # Recent logs

SSH Console

fly ssh console

Troubleshooting

"App is not listening on expected address"

The gateway is binding to 127.0.0.1 instead of 0.0.0.0.

Fix: Add --bind lan to your process command in fly.toml.

OOM / Memory Issues

Container keeps restarting or getting killed.

Fix: Increase memory in fly.toml:

[[vm]]
  memory = "2048mb"

Gateway Lock Issues

Gateway refuses to start with "already running" errors.

This happens when the container restarts but the PID lock file persists on the volume.

Fix: Delete the lock file:

fly ssh console
rm /data/.clawdbot/run/gateway.*.lock
exit
fly machine restart <machine-id>

Config Not Being Read

If using --allow-unconfigured, the gateway creates a minimal config. Your custom config at /data/.clawdbot/clawdbot.json should be read on restart.

Verify the config exists:

fly ssh console --command "cat /data/.clawdbot/clawdbot.json"

Updates

# Pull latest changes
git pull

# Redeploy
fly deploy

# Check health
fly status
fly logs

Notes

• Fly.io uses x86 architecture (not ARM)
• The Dockerfile is compatible with both architectures
• For WhatsApp/Telegram onboarding, use fly ssh console
• Persistent data lives on the volume at /data

Cost

With the recommended config (shared-cpu-2x, 2GB RAM):

• ~$10-15/month depending on usage
• Free tier includes some allowance

See Fly.io pricing for details.