setup issues | Friends of the Crustacean 🦞🤝 | Page 1

cosmic seal May 12, 2026, 11:05 PM

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easiest way to install and setup openclaw in docker or sandbox on ubuntu

rocky helmBOT May 12, 2026, 11:05 PM

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sacred bearBOT May 12, 2026, 11:05 PM

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Easiest path depends on what you mean by “sandbox”:

Fastest on Ubuntu (recommended if you just want it working):

curl -fsSL https://openclaw.ai/install.sh | bash
openclaw onboard --install-daemon
openclaw gateway status
openclaw dashboard

That gives you the normal host Gateway + Control UI. Docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai/start/getting-started

Dockerized Gateway:

git clone https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw
cd openclaw
export OPENCLAW_IMAGE="ghcr.io/openclaw/openclaw:latest"

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./scripts/docker/setup.sh

Then open http://127.0.0.1:18789/. You’ll need Docker Engine + Compose v2, and I’d avoid tiny 1GB VPSes — image build/setup can OOM; 2GB+ is the doc baseline. Docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai/install/docker

If you only want agent tool sandboxing: you don’t have to run the whole Gateway in Docker. Install normally, install Docker, then enable agents.defaults.sandbox and build the sandbox image with:

scripts/sandbox-setup.sh

Sandboxing docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai/gateway/sandboxing

My recommendation: normal install first, then enable Docker sandboxing once the dashboard works. Dockerizing the Gateway is best for throwaway/VPS/container deployments, but it adds a few extra moving parts. 🦞

cosmic seal May 12, 2026, 11:26 PM

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does ollama need to be in the docker as well?

sacred bearBOT May 12, 2026, 11:26 PM

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No — Ollama does not have to be inside the OpenClaw Docker container.

It just has to be reachable from the Gateway container.

If Ollama is running on the Ubuntu host, don’t configure OpenClaw with http://127.0.0.1:11434 from inside Docker — that points back at the container itself. Use a host-reachable address instead, for example:

openclaw onboard --non-interactive \
  --auth-choice ollama \
  --custom-base-url "http://host.docker.internal:11434" \
  --accept-risk

On Linux, host.docker.internal may need Docker’s host-gateway mapping in compose, or you can use the host/LAN IP directly, e.g. http://192.168.x.x:11434.

Two important gotchas:

Use the native Ollama URL: http://host:11434 — not /v1.

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Ollama itself must listen on an address the container can reach; if it only binds localhost on the host, the container won’t reach it.

Docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai/providers/ollama

cosmic seal May 12, 2026, 11:35 PM

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would this be the bridge connection?

sacred bearBOT May 12, 2026, 11:35 PM

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Yep — usually that’s Docker’s bridge networking case.

Mental model:

127.0.0.1 inside the OpenClaw container = the container itself
Ollama on the Ubuntu host = outside the container
So the container needs a route across Docker’s bridge to the host

On Docker Desktop, host.docker.internal usually just works. On Linux/Ubuntu, add a host-gateway mapping in compose, then point OpenClaw at it:

extra_hosts:
  - "host.docker.internal:host-gateway"

Then use:

#setup issues