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What is OpenClaw?

OpenClaw is a setup tool that lets Knotie Agency Partners deploy a production-ready AI assistant for their customers — on a VPS they control, routed through the Knotie AI Gateway. Think of it as a “one-click deploy” for an AI agent that:
  • Runs on your customer’s own server (Linux VPS)
  • Is accessible only over a private Tailscale network (no public internet exposure)
  • Comes pre-configured with CRM integrations, calendar sync, and memory
  • Lets the partner earn a margin on every AI call their customer makes

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How it works

Customer pays partner for AI agent service
         │
         ▼
   Partner's VPS (OpenClaw)
         │
    AI requests routed through
         │
         ▼
   Knotie AI Gateway (partner earns margin)
         │
         ▼
   AI response returned to customer
The partner sets the pricing for their customer — Knotie bills the partner at wholesale rates, and the partner marks up for profit.

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Prerequisites

Before running the setup, you need:
RequirementWhere to get it
Knotie API KeyPartner Portal → Settings → API Keys
Tailscale Auth Keytailscale.com/admin/settings/keys
Knotie MCP TokenPartner Portal → Settings → MCP Tokens
Linux VPSUbuntu 22.04 or 24.04 (KVM recommended: Hostinger, Contabo)
Domain (optional)For custom branding

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Setting up Tailscale

  1. Create a free account at tailscale.com
  2. Go to Settings → Keys and create an auth key
  3. Save the key — you’ll paste it during the setup script
[SCREENSHOT: Tailscale auth key creation in admin panel]

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Creating Knotie credentials

  1. In the Partner Portal, go to Settings → API Keys
  2. Create a new key with AI Gateway scope
  3. Go to Settings → MCP Tokens and create a token for the customer
  4. Keep both ready — you’ll need them during setup

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Running the setup

Connect to your VPS as root (or with sudo access), then run: 
curl -fsSL https://setup.knotie.ai/openclaw/install.sh | bash
The script will ask for:
  • Customer name — used as the agent’s display name and slug
  • Knotie API Key — your partner API key
  • Model ID — defaults to claude-opus-4-6
  • Tailscale auth key — from your Tailscale admin panel
  • Tailscale hostname — e.g. openclaw-acme-corp
  • Knotie MCP Token — from the Partner Portal
[SCREENSHOT: OpenClaw install script running in terminal]

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What the script installs

The setup script installs and configures:
ComponentPurpose
OpenClawThe AI agent runtime
TailscaleEncrypted private network so the gateway is accessible only from your devices
QMD MemoryQuick Memory Daemon for persistent conversation memory
Lossless-clawContext engine that prevents memory loss during long sessions
Knotie MCP ServerGives the agent tools: CRM (GoHighLevel), calendars (Google, Calendly), SMS/Email
Agent Browser SkillEnables web browsing capabilities
Knotie Gateway EnforcerHourly cron that ensures the agent only routes through Knotie (not direct to Anthropic/OpenAI)

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Managing deployed agents

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Check gateway status

openclaw gateway status

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View agent logs

openclaw logs

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Restart the gateway

openclaw gateway restart

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Run the health enforcer manually

bash /usr/local/bin/knotie-guard.sh

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Access the gateway UI

The gateway is only accessible over Tailscale — not on the public internet. Once Tailscale is connected, access it at: 
https://your-hostname.ts.net
On first access, you’ll need to approve the device: 
openclaw devices list
openclaw devices approve <request-id>
[SCREENSHOT: Agent deployed and visible in Tailscale admin panel]

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Updating the agent

To re-run the setup (e.g., to update the model or MCP token): 
curl -fsSL https://setup.knotie.ai/openclaw/install.sh | bash
The script detects existing installations and skips already-configured steps. To do a full reset and clean uninstall: 
curl -fsSL https://setup.knotie.ai/openclaw/install.sh | bash -- --reset-clean
This removes OpenClaw, Tailscale, all config, and the memory/workspace directory. A backup archive is saved to /tmp/openclaw-backup-YYYYMMDD-HHMMSS.tar.gz.

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Configuration reference

These values are set during install and stored in ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json:
SettingDefaultDescription
contextWindow200,000 tokensMaximum context size
maxTokens16,000 tokensMaximum response length
gatewayPort18,789Local port the gateway listens on
heartbeatInterval30 minutesHow often the agent does a health check
sessionMaxIdleDays7 daysSessions expire after this long without activity

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Troubleshooting

Tailscale serve not working
  • Check that Tailscale Serve is enabled in your tailnet: login.tailscale.com/admin/settings
  • Look for: Allow nodes to connect to the Tailnet Service (Serve) and Funnel
  • Re-run the setup script after enabling
Gateway not responding 
curl http://127.0.0.1:18789/healthz
openclaw gateway status
openclaw doctor
Agent not using Knotie Gateway The knotie-guard.sh cron runs hourly and will restore the correct config automatically. To manually check: 
jq '.models.providers' ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json
Only knotie-provider should be present. Support