pure hatch Feb 18, 2026, 1:27 AM

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What's the easiest way to be able to manage my /.openclaw/ folder from a localmachine when openclaw is being hosted in a vps?

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pls

merry hearthBOT Feb 18, 2026, 1:34 AM

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What do you need help with?

If it’s an OpenClaw setup/error, paste these and I’ll go from there:

openclaw --version
What you were trying to do (1–2 sentences)
The exact error text (screenshot or copy/paste)
OS (macOS/Windows/Linux) + how you installed (npm/pnpm/npx/source)

pure hatch Feb 18, 2026, 1:34 AM

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What's the easiest way to be able to manage my /.openclaw/ folder from a localmachine when openclaw is being hosted in a vps?

merry hearthBOT Feb 18, 2026, 1:35 AM

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If you mean the OpenClaw home dir in the VPS user’s home (~/.openclaw/, not /.openclaw/ at filesystem root), the easiest/cleanest options are all just “use SSH”, in increasing levels of “feels local”:

1) Easiest (GUI): SFTP client

Use an SFTP app and connect to the VPS over SSH, then browse/edit ~/.openclaw/ like a normal folder.

macOS: Cyberduck / ForkLift
Windows: WinSCP
Linux: your file manager usually supports sftp://user@host

2) Easiest (dev workflow): VS Code “Remote - SSH”

Open a remote window on the VPS and edit ~/.openclaw/ directly in VS Code. This avoids syncing problems entirely.

3) Terminal sync: `rsync` (good for backups)

Pull a copy down:

rsync -avz user@your-vps:~/.openclaw/ ./openclaw-backup/

Push changes back:

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rsync -avz ./openclaw-backup/ user@your-vps:~/.openclaw/

Important: if you’re changing anything that’s more than just config (sessions/state), stop the gateway first to avoid corrupting live files:

openclaw gateway stop
# sync/edit
openclaw gateway start

4) “Make it a local folder”: sshfs mount

Mount the VPS folder locally via SSH (works great, but slightly more setup than SFTP/VS Code).

—

What’s your goal specifically: edit config (models/channels/tokens) or inspect/backup state (sessions/logs/cache)? The safest approach depends on that.

pure hatch Feb 18, 2026, 1:36 AM

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merry hearth What do you need help with? If it’s an OpenClaw setup/error, paste these and I’...

edit configs and track agents/workspace more dilligently

merry hearthBOT Feb 18, 2026, 1:38 AM

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For a VPS-hosted Gateway, the “clean” way is to treat the VPS as the source of truth and manage it over SSH — but keep the workspace under version control so you can track changes properly.

1) Edit config on the VPS (recommended)

OpenClaw’s main config is JSON5 at (by default):

~/.openclaw/openclaw.json (or $OPENCLAW_CONFIG_PATH)

Best UX: VS Code Remote – SSH → open ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json and edit directly.
Docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai/help/faq#what-format-is-the-config-where-is-it

Good to know: the Gateway supports config hot-reload (some changes still require restart).
Docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai/help/faq#do-i-have-to-restart-after-changing-config

2) Track “agents/workspace” diligently: put the workspace in a private git repo

The stuff you want to iterate on (memory + behavior files) lives in the workspace:

AGENTS.md, SOUL.md, USER.md, MEMORY.md, memory/…

Default workspace is ~/.openclaw/workspace (configurable via agents.defaults.workspace).

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Docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai/help/faq#where-should-agentsmd-soulmd-usermd-memorymd-live

Workflow I’d use:

Make the workspace a private git repo (on the VPS)
Edit via VS Code Remote SSH
Commit/push changes so you have history, diffs, rollbacks

3) Don’t “git commit” `~/.openclaw/` (state dir)

~/.openclaw/ also contains credentials, sessions, auth profiles, etc. Back it up separately (encrypted / rsync), but don’t treat it like a normal repo.
Docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai/help/faq#whats-the-recommended-backup-strategy

If you tell me your local OS (Windows/macOS/Linux), I can give you the most frictionless setup (VS Code Remote vs sshfs vs WinSCP/Cyberduck).

pure hatch Feb 18, 2026, 1:39 AM

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im on arch linux

merry hearthBOT Feb 18, 2026, 1:39 AM

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On Arch, the two nicest options are:

Option A (best overall): VS Code Remote‑SSH

No syncing/mount weirdness, you’re editing on the VPS.

Install the extension: Remote – SSH
Add your VPS in ~/.ssh/config
Connect, then open:
- Config: ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json
- Workspace (recommended to track in git): ~/.openclaw/workspace/

Option B (“manage it like a local folder”): sshfs mount

Install:

sudo pacman -S openssh sshfs fuse3

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Mount workspace (recommended) locally:

mkdir -p ~/mnt/openclaw-workspace
sshfs user@your-vps:~/.openclaw/workspace ~/mnt/openclaw-workspace \
  -o reconnect,ServerAliveInterval=15,ServerAliveCountMax=3,compression=yes

If you really want the whole state dir too:

mkdir -p ~/mnt/openclaw-state
sshfs user@your-vps:~/.openclaw ~/mnt/openclaw-state \
  -o reconnect,ServerAliveInterval=15,ServerAliveCountMax=3,compression=yes

Unmount:

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fusermount3 -u ~/mnt/openclaw-workspace

Important warning (state dir)

Be careful editing random files under ~/.openclaw/ while the gateway is running (sessions/auth/state can be mid-write). For “diligent tracking”, the best thing to version is the workspace (AGENTS.md, MEMORY.md, etc.), not the state dir.

If you tell me whether you prefer VS Code or terminal-only, I can suggest a clean “workspace-as-git-repo” setup too.

pure hatch Feb 18, 2026, 1:40 AM

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the vs code route sounds best

merry hearthBOT Feb 18, 2026, 1:40 AM

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Yep — VS Code Remote‑SSH is the least painful.

1) One-time setup on your Arch box

Install VS Code (or VSCodium)
Install extension: Remote – SSH (ms-vscode-remote.remote-ssh)

2) Add your VPS to `~/.ssh/config`

Host openclaw-vps
HostName your.vps.ip.or.domain
User youruser
IdentityFile ~/.ssh/id_ed25519

Test:

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ssh openclaw-vps

3) Connect from VS Code

Ctrl+Shift+P → Remote-SSH: Connect to Host… → openclaw-vps

Then open these folders/files on the VPS:

Config: ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json
Workspace (the stuff worth tracking): ~/.openclaw/workspace/

4) (Recommended) Track the workspace with git

In the remote VS Code window (terminal on the VPS):

cd ~/.openclaw/workspace
git init

#

git add AGENTS.md MEMORY.md SOUL.md USER.md 2>/dev/null || true
git commit -m "Track OpenClaw workspace"

(Keep it in a private repo. Don’t commit ~/.openclaw/ state/credentials.)

If you paste your VPS distro + how you run OpenClaw (systemd user service vs manual), I can tell you the safest “edit config → apply changes” routine (hot reload vs restart).

pure hatch Feb 18, 2026, 1:44 AM

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Ok, I installed VS code - can you write a guide to help my agent set this up properly please.

merry hearthBOT Feb 18, 2026, 1:45 AM

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Here’s a copy/pasteable guide you (or your “agent instructions”) can follow to manage a VPS-hosted OpenClaw via VS Code Remote‑SSH.

VS Code Remote‑SSH setup (Arch local → VPS OpenClaw)

Goal

Edit and track:

Config on the VPS: ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json (JSON5)
Workspace on the VPS: ~/.openclaw/workspace/ (AGENTS.md, MEMORY.md, etc — the stuff worth versioning)

Docs refs:

Config location/format: https://docs.openclaw.ai/help/faq#what-format-is-the-config-where-is-it
Workspace vs state dir: https://docs.openclaw.ai/help/faq#where-should-agentsmd-soulmd-usermd-memorymd-live

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0) Prereqs

On your Arch machine:

VS Code installed
Extension installed: Remote – SSH (ms-vscode-remote.remote-ssh)

On the VPS:

SSH access works (sshd running)
You can log in as the same user that runs OpenClaw (usually your normal user, not root)

1) Set up SSH keys (Arch → VPS)

On Arch (if you don’t already have a key):

ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -a 64

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Copy key to VPS:

ssh-copy-id user@your-vps-host

Test login:

ssh user@your-vps-host

2) Create an SSH host alias (recommended)

Edit ~/.ssh/config on Arch:

Host openclaw-vps

#

HostName your.vps.ip.or.domain
User youruser
IdentityFile ~/.ssh/id_ed25519

Test:

ssh openclaw-vps

3) Connect from VS Code

In VS Code on Arch:

Ctrl+Shift+P → Remote-SSH: Connect to Host…
Pick openclaw-vps

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VS Code will install its remote server automatically on the VPS.

4) Open the right files on the VPS

In the remote VS Code window:

Open the OpenClaw state dir:

File → Open Folder… → ~/.openclaw/

Common things you’ll edit:

Main config: ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json
Workspace: ~/.openclaw/workspace/ (AGENTS.md, MEMORY.md, etc)

Tip: If you only want to manage “agent behavior/memory”, open ~/.openclaw/workspace/ as the folder instead.

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5) Confirm the Gateway is using the config you’re editing

In the VS Code remote terminal (on the VPS):

openclaw gateway status

This is the quickest way to catch “I edited the wrong user / wrong config path”.

6) Make workspace changes trackable (git)

On the VPS (VS Code remote terminal):

cd ~/.openclaw/workspace
git init
git add .
git commit -m "Track OpenClaw workspace"

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Notes:

Keep this repo private (it can contain sensitive personal memory).
Don’t try to “git track” the whole ~/.openclaw/ state dir (sessions/credentials/auth live there).

7) Safest “edit config → apply”

Many config changes hot-reload, but when in doubt (especially if stuff feels weird): restart the gateway:

openclaw gateway restart

8) What I need from you to tailor this perfectly

What VPS distro? (Ubuntu/Debian/etc)
Are you running OpenClaw as a systemd user service (most common) or something else?

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Answer those and I’ll give you the exact “no foot-guns” routine (where to store .env, how to restart, what to back up, etc.).

pure hatch Feb 18, 2026, 3:04 AM

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how I reset my workspace? Start from a clean slate with my agents

merry hearthBOT Feb 18, 2026, 3:05 AM

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“Reset workspace” can mean a few different levels. Pick the one that matches what you want to keep:

A) Just start fresh conversation context (keeps everything else)

In chat, send:

/new (or /reset)

This keeps your workspace + config, it just starts a new session thread.

B) Fresh “mind” (wipe workspace + wipe sessions) but keep channel creds/tokens

Do this on the VPS (VS Code Remote terminal is perfect). Safest is: stop gateway → rename folders (backup) → restart.

openclaw gateway stop # or whatever you use to stop it

# 1) reset workspace (AGENTS.md / MEMORY.md / etc)
mv ~/.openclaw/workspace ~/.openclaw/workspace.bak-$(date +%F-%H%M%S)

#


# 2) reset sessions for all agents (keeps auth/creds)
for d in ~/.openclaw/agents/*/sessions; do
[ -d "$d" ] && mv "$d" "${d}.bak-$(date +%F-%H%M%S)"
done

openclaw gateway start # or: openclaw gateway restart

Result: your agents start with a brand new workspace + no chat history, but you don’t have to re-link Discord/Telegram/WhatsApp etc.

C) Nuclear option: wipe everything and re-onboard (true clean slate)

This will remove config/state (and you’ll need to set stuff up again):

#HELP!

1) Easiest (GUI): SFTP client

2) Easiest (dev workflow): VS Code “Remote - SSH”

3) Terminal sync: rsync (good for backups)

4) “Make it a local folder”: sshfs mount

1) Edit config on the VPS (recommended)

2) Track “agents/workspace” diligently: put the workspace in a private git repo

3) Don’t “git commit” ~/.openclaw/ (state dir)

Option A (best overall): VS Code Remote‑SSH

Option B (“manage it like a local folder”): sshfs mount

Important warning (state dir)

1) One-time setup on your Arch box

2) Add your VPS to ~/.ssh/config

3) Connect from VS Code

4) (Recommended) Track the workspace with git

VS Code Remote‑SSH setup (Arch local → VPS OpenClaw)

Goal

0) Prereqs

1) Set up SSH keys (Arch → VPS)

2) Create an SSH host alias (recommended)

3) Connect from VS Code

4) Open the right files on the VPS

5) Confirm the Gateway is using the config you’re editing

6) Make workspace changes trackable (git)

7) Safest “edit config → apply”

8) What I need from you to tailor this perfectly

A) Just start fresh conversation context (keeps everything else)

B) Fresh “mind” (wipe workspace + wipe sessions) but keep channel creds/tokens

C) Nuclear option: wipe everything and re-onboard (true clean slate)

3) Terminal sync: `rsync` (good for backups)

3) Don’t “git commit” `~/.openclaw/` (state dir)

2) Add your VPS to `~/.ssh/config`