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Moltbot/docs/install/exe-dev.md
Seb Slight c18452598a docs: restructure Get Started tab and improve onboarding flow (#9950)
* docs: restructure Get Started tab and improve onboarding flow

- Flatten nested Onboarding group into linear First Steps flow
- Add 'What is OpenClaw?' narrative section to landing page
- Split wizard.md into streamlined overview + full reference (reference/wizard.md)
- Move Pairing to Channels > Configuration
- Move Bootstrapping to Agents > Fundamentals
- Move macOS app onboarding to Platforms > macOS companion app
- Move Lore to Help > Community
- Remove duplicate install instructions from openclaw.md
- Mirror navigation changes in zh-CN tabs
- No content deleted — all detail preserved or relocated

* docs: move deployment pages to install/, fix Platforms tab routing, clarify onboarding paths

- Move deployment guides (fly, hetzner, gcp, macos-vm, exe-dev, railway, render,
  northflank) from platforms/ and root to install/
- Add 'Hosting and deployment' group to Install tab
- Slim Gateway & Ops 'Remote access and deployment' down to 'Remote access'
- Swap Platforms tab before Gateway & Ops to fix path-prefix routing
- Move macOS app onboarding into First steps (parallel to CLI wizard)
- Rename sidebar titles to 'Onboarding: CLI' / 'Onboarding: macOS App'
- Add redirects for all moved paths
- Update all internal links (en + zh-CN)
- Fix img tag syntax in onboarding.md
2026-02-05 17:45:01 -05:00

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Markdown

---
summary: "Run OpenClaw Gateway on exe.dev (VM + HTTPS proxy) for remote access"
read_when:
- You want a cheap always-on Linux host for the Gateway
- You want remote Control UI access without running your own VPS
title: "exe.dev"
---
# exe.dev
Goal: OpenClaw Gateway running on an exe.dev VM, reachable from your laptop via: `https://<vm-name>.exe.xyz`
This page assumes exe.dev's default **exeuntu** image. If you picked a different distro, map packages accordingly.
## Beginner quick path
1. [https://exe.new/openclaw](https://exe.new/openclaw)
2. Fill in your auth key/token as needed
3. Click on "Agent" next to your VM, and wait...
4. ???
5. Profit
## What you need
- exe.dev account
- `ssh exe.dev` access to [exe.dev](https://exe.dev) virtual machines (optional)
## Automated Install with Shelley
Shelley, [exe.dev](https://exe.dev)'s agent, can install OpenClaw instantly with our
prompt. The prompt used is as below:
```
Set up OpenClaw (https://docs.openclaw.ai/install) on this VM. Use the non-interactive and accept-risk flags for openclaw onboarding. Add the supplied auth or token as needed. Configure nginx to forward from the default port 18789 to the root location on the default enabled site config, making sure to enable Websocket support. Pairing is done by "openclaw devices list" and "openclaw device approve <request id>". Make sure the dashboard shows that OpenClaw's health is OK. exe.dev handles forwarding from port 8000 to port 80/443 and HTTPS for us, so the final "reachable" should be <vm-name>.exe.xyz, without port specification.
```
## Manual installation
## 1) Create the VM
From your device:
```bash
ssh exe.dev new
```
Then connect:
```bash
ssh <vm-name>.exe.xyz
```
Tip: keep this VM **stateful**. OpenClaw stores state under `~/.openclaw/` and `~/.openclaw/workspace/`.
## 2) Install prerequisites (on the VM)
```bash
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install -y git curl jq ca-certificates openssl
```
## 3) Install OpenClaw
Run the OpenClaw install script:
```bash
curl -fsSL https://openclaw.ai/install.sh | bash
```
## 4) Setup nginx to proxy OpenClaw to port 8000
Edit `/etc/nginx/sites-enabled/default` with
```
server {
listen 80 default_server;
listen [::]:80 default_server;
listen 8000;
listen [::]:8000;
server_name _;
location / {
proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:18789;
proxy_http_version 1.1;
# WebSocket support
proxy_set_header Upgrade $http_upgrade;
proxy_set_header Connection "upgrade";
# Standard proxy headers
proxy_set_header Host $host;
proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;
# Timeout settings for long-lived connections
proxy_read_timeout 86400s;
proxy_send_timeout 86400s;
}
}
```
## 5) Access OpenClaw and grant privileges
Access `https://<vm-name>.exe.xyz/?token=YOUR-TOKEN-FROM-TERMINAL` (see the Control UI output from onboarding). Approve
devices with `openclaw devices list` and `openclaw devices approve <requestId>`. When in doubt,
use Shelley from your browser!
## Remote Access
Remote access is handled by [exe.dev](https://exe.dev)'s authentication. By
default, HTTP traffic from port 8000 is forwarded to `https://<vm-name>.exe.xyz`
with email auth.
## Updating
```bash
npm i -g openclaw@latest
openclaw doctor
openclaw gateway restart
openclaw health
```
Guide: [Updating](/install/updating)