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Sign in and connect
Sign in with Google and connect your provider — bring your own API key or use OAuth. No key resale, no proxy.
For self-hosters
The managed alternative to self-hosting OpenClaw
You didn't want to run a VPS, Docker, Tailscale, and a gateway. You wanted an agent. Somewhere in there you accidentally signed up to be its SRE.
In one line
Lobsterland runs the same open-source OpenClaw runtime as a managed, isolated instance — so you stop owning the VPS, the patching, the tunnels, and the gateway. Bring your model keys, keep your workspace, export any time.
Same runtime
The open-source OpenClaw, run for you. No fork. No lock-in — export your workspace whenever you want.
Your keys
BYO provider (Anthropic, OpenAI, Gemini, OpenRouter, Ollama, and more) by API key or OAuth. You pay your provider directly.
Same runtime
Open-source OpenClaw — we just run the pod.
Zero infra
No VPS to provision, patch, or monitor.
No lock-in
Export your workspace any time. View plans.
The stack you stop maintaining
What you hand off when you stop self-hosting
| What you run today | Self-hosted | Managed |
|---|---|---|
| VPS + OS + updates | You provision, harden, and patch it | Managed daily rollouts |
| Tailscale / tunnels | You wire and maintain the tunnel | Optional managed Tailscale sidecar |
| The OpenClaw gateway | You own pairing, websocket, and restarts | Managed — no gateway to babysit |
| Credential files | You secure keys on the box | Encrypted at rest (AES-256-GCM), kept off the runtime |
| Network exposure | You lock down ports and access | Isolated instance, no public IP |
| Isolation | Whatever your box happens to give you | Own K8s deployment, RWO volume, per-instance network policy |
The failure modes you stop owning
We hit these too — and fixed them so you don't page yourself
These are the real things that take a self-hosted OpenClaw agent down. None of them is the model. Each is a page from our own runbook:
Stuck OAuth refresh lock
A stale lock deadlocks token refresh and every turn stalls — a restart doesn't fix it.
Session file lockedA leftover lock file blocks the session until you know exactly which one to clear.
Silent on TelegramThe agent types, then never replies — a poller conflict you find out about days later.
WebSocket 4008The control UI won't connect — a gateway/origin problem that's non-obvious to trace.
How the move works
3 steps off your own server
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Bring your workspace
Import your OpenClaw workspace or start fresh. Secrets and tokens are excluded from exports, so nothing sensitive travels in the file.
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Chat and reconnect channels
Chat from the browser immediately, then reconnect Telegram, Slack, or WhatsApp. No server, no gateway, no tunnel.
What you keep
You give up the ops, not the control
- Your own model keys: BYO provider by API key or OAuth — Lobsterland never resells tokens or model access.
- Your skills and workspace: ClawHub skills, the workspace editor for AGENTS.md/MEMORY.md, cron, and multi-agent routing all come with you.
- No lock-in: export your workspace any time. Same open-source runtime you were already running.
- Cost visibility: per-model token and cost tracking in the dashboard, so there are no billing surprises.
The honest trade
Self-hosting looks like $6–35/mo of VPS plus your model keys — until you price the setup hours and the monthly maintenance at your own rate. Managed hosting starts at $6.90/mo and takes the on-call rotation off your desk.
FAQ
Questions self-hosters ask before moving
If your time is worth more than the VPS bill, yes. A Light instance is $6.90/month and you stop owning setup, patching, tunnels, the gateway, and the 2am incidents. You still bring your own model keys.
The same open-source OpenClaw runtime (github.com/openclaw/openclaw). Lobsterland is the managed host; OpenClaw is the runtime it runs. No fork, no lock-in.
Yes. Import your workspace, and export it again any time. Secrets and tokens are excluded from exports for security.
Yes. Lobsterland is BYO-provider (Anthropic, OpenAI, Gemini, OpenRouter, Ollama, and more) via API key or OAuth. Lobsterland does not resell tokens.
Each instance runs in its own Kubernetes deployment with a dedicated ReadWriteOnce volume, a per-instance network policy, encrypted credentials (AES-256-GCM), and no public IP.
Keep reading
Where to go next
Managed vs self-hosted
The side-by-side of what you hand off and what you keep.
Managed OpenClaw hostingPlans, security defaults, and onboarding in one place.
OpenClaw cloud hostingThe VPS alternative, with the runtime and security details.
For engineering teamsPer-instance isolation and shared business accounts.
Ready
Take the pager off your desk.
Same OpenClaw runtime. No VPS, no gateway, no 2am. Bring your keys and go.