Understanding the AutoClaw architecture

How It Works

AutoClaw provides managed hosting for OpenClaw, handling all infrastructure and operations so you can focus on using your AI assistant.

Architecture Overview

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                      AutoClaw                            │
│  ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────┐    │
│  │              Your OpenClaw Instance              │    │
│  │                                                  │    │
│  │   ┌──────────┐    ┌──────────┐    ┌──────────┐  │    │
│  │   │ Gateway  │────│ AI Agent │────│  Skills  │  │    │
│  │   └────┬─────┘    └──────────┘    └──────────┘  │    │
│  │        │                                         │    │
│  │   ┌────┴─────────────────────────────────────┐  │    │
│  │   │              Chat Channels                │  │    │
│  │   │  WebChat │ WhatsApp │ Telegram │ ...     │  │    │
│  │   └──────────────────────────────────────────┘  │    │
│  └─────────────────────────────────────────────────┘    │
│                          │                               │
│  ┌───────────────────────┴───────────────────────────┐  │
│  │           AutoClaw Management Layer                │  │
│  │  • Provisioning  • Updates  • Monitoring  • Costs  │  │
│  └───────────────────────────────────────────────────┘  │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Components

OpenClaw Gateway

The Gateway is the core of your OpenClaw instance. It:

  • Manages all chat channel connections (WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord, etc.)
  • Routes messages to the AI agent
  • Handles tool execution and responses
  • Provides the WebSocket control plane

AI Agent

Your AI assistant (powered by Claude or GPT) that:

  • Processes incoming messages
  • Uses available skills and tools
  • Maintains conversation context and memory
  • Generates responses

Skills

Integrations that extend your agent's capabilities:

  • Communication — Gmail, Calendar
  • Development — GitHub, Coding Agent
  • Utilities — Browser, Weather, Notes
  • Smart Home — Hue, Sonos, and more

Chat Channels

The messaging platforms you can use to talk to your agent:

  • Web — Built-in WebChat interface (available immediately)
  • Mobile — WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal, iMessage
  • Work — Slack, Discord, MS Teams, Google Chat
  • More — Matrix, Mattermost, and others

What AutoClaw Manages

Infrastructure

  • Server provisioning — We deploy your instance on reliable cloud infrastructure
  • Networking — Tailscale VPN for secure, private access
  • Storage — Persistent data for conversations and configuration
  • Backups — Regular backups of your instance state

Operations

  • Automatic updates — We keep OpenClaw up-to-date with the latest stable release
  • Health monitoring — Continuous monitoring of your instance health
  • Security patches — Critical security updates applied promptly
  • Uptime management — Automatic restarts if the Gateway crashes

Security

  • Vetted skills only — Every skill is reviewed by our team before inclusion
  • Hardened defaults — Secure configuration out of the box
  • API key encryption — Your credentials are encrypted at rest
  • Audit logging — Track all actions in your instance

Tailscale Networking

AutoClaw uses Tailscale for secure networking:

  • Private by default — Your instance is not exposed to the public internet
  • End-to-end encryption — All traffic is encrypted
  • Easy access — Connect from anywhere via your Tailnet
  • No port forwarding — Works behind NATs and firewalls

Cost Model

AutoClaw uses a simple, predictable pricing model:

  • Platform fee — Monthly subscription for managed hosting
  • AI costs — You pay your AI provider directly (BYOK) or use pooled credits
  • No hidden fees — What you see is what you pay

See the cost tracking page for details on monitoring your usage.