Install and run OpenClaw on Zo Computer with Tailscale private networking, browser Control UI, and Zo MCP tools via mcporter. Use this skill whenever the user wants to set up OpenClaw on their Zo, install OpenClaw, run OpenClaw, host OpenClaw, or asks about getting OpenClaw running on Zo. Also use when the user mentions "openclaw", "open claw", "personal agent framework", or asks about running a persistent AI agent on their Zo with Telegram/Discord/WhatsApp access. Handles Tailscale setup, OpenClaw installation, mcporter setup for Zo tools, two-phase gateway bootstrap, reprovision-safe service registration, and health verification. NOT for general Zo agent setup (use heartbeats and native Zo skills instead).
Install and run OpenClaw on Zo Computer with Tailscale private networking, browser Control UI, and Zo MCP tools via mcporter. Use this skill whenever the user wants to set up OpenClaw on their Zo, install OpenClaw, run OpenClaw, host OpenClaw, or asks about getting OpenClaw running on Zo. Also use when the user mentions "openclaw", "open claw", "personal agent framework", or asks about running a persistent AI agent on their Zo with Telegram/Discord/WhatsApp access. Handles Tailscale setup, OpenClaw installation, mcporter setup for Zo tools, two-phase gateway bootstrap, reprovision-safe service registration, and health verification. NOT for general Zo agent setup (use heartbeats and native Zo skills instead).
compatibility
Requires Zo Computer, Node.js (pre-installed on Zo), npm, curl, jq
metadata
{"author":"skeletorjs","category":"Integration","display-name":"Install OpenClaw on Zo","tags":"openclaw, agent, tailscale, personal-agent, framework"}
zopenclaw
Install OpenClaw on Zo Computer with Tailscale private networking.
What This Sets Up
OpenClaw agent framework (persistent, 24/7)
Tailscale private mesh network (secure access to Control UI + SSH)
Browser-based Control UI via HTTPS on your tailnet
Gateway registered as a Zo User Service (survives reprovisions and crashes)
Zo MCP tools bridged into OpenClaw via mcporter (web search, Gmail, Calendar, media generation, etc.)
Prerequisites
Zo Computer account (any tier)
Tailscale account (free tier works)
API key from an LLM provider (Anthropic, OpenAI, OpenRouter, etc.)
A messaging channel token (Telegram bot, Discord bot, or WhatsApp)
Tailscale Serve enabled for this node (required for Control UI over HTTPS)
When to Read References
references/architecture.md -- When debugging, when the user asks WHY something works the way it does, or when you need to understand the two-phase bootstrap, Tailscale networking mode, or the register_user_service pattern
references/troubleshooting.md -- When something isn't working: gateway crashes, Tailscale not connecting, tools.profile reverting, port conflicts, reprovision issues, or workspace size limits
How to Run This Skill
There are six steps. Steps 1 and 3 require user action. Steps 2, 4, 5, and 6 are automated by Zo.
Step 1: Save your Tailscale auth key (user action)
Wait for Tailscale to connect (~10 seconds), then verify:
tailscale status
Important: Enable Tailscale Serve (user action). Serve must be enabled for this node before the Control UI will work over HTTPS. Get the node ID and give the user the enablement link:
If Serve is not enabled, the Control UI will fail with "requires device identity" because only insecure origins will reach the gateway. Do not proceed to Step 3 until the user confirms Serve is enabled.
Step 3: Run OpenClaw onboarding (user action)
The user opens Zo's terminal panel and runs:
openclaw onboard
This is interactive -- the user picks their LLM provider, model, and messaging channel. Do NOT try to automate this. Do NOT use --install-daemon (we use register_user_service instead).
Wait for the user to confirm onboarding is complete before proceeding.
OpenClaw does not have native MCP client support (it's an open feature request). mcporter bridges MCP servers into OpenClaw's tool system, giving your agent access to Zo's 50+ tools (web search, Gmail, Calendar, Drive, media generation, etc.).
The user can now ask their OpenClaw agent to use Zo tools (search the web, check email, manage calendar, generate images, etc.) via the mcporter bridge.
Telegram Group Messages (Important)
If OpenClaw warns:
channels.telegram.groupPolicy is "allowlist" but groupAllowFrom is empty
then group chats will be silently dropped. Fix one of these:
Add allowed sender IDs to channels.telegram.groupAllowFrom (or channels.telegram.allowFrom)
Set channels.telegram.groupPolicy to open
If any checks fail, read references/troubleshooting.md for diagnosis and fixes.
