# OpenClaw Guide

OpenClaw is an open-source Node.js agent with 100+ skills, and Maritime runs its official image as a managed agent that sleeps when idle and wakes on the next message.

*Screen recording: Recorded live on Maritime: deploy OpenClaw from a template, open its dashboard, and chat with it, from the first click to the first reply.*

## Overview

[OpenClaw](https://openclaw.ai) is a Node.js-based autonomous AI agent platform with 100+ built-in skills including web browsing, code execution, file management, and more. Maritime deploys the official OpenClaw Docker image directly, so everything in the [upstream OpenClaw docs](https://docs.openclaw.ai) applies to agents running here.

## Docker Image

Image: `ghcr.io/openclaw/openclaw:2026.7.1`

The official image, published from [GitHub Container Registry](https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/pkgs/container/openclaw). Runs the gateway on port 18789.

## How It Works

OpenClaw runs its own gateway server natively, so no wrapper is needed. Maritime pulls and starts the official image with headless mode enabled.

```
# The container runs with:
OPENCLAW_HEADLESS=true
# Gateway listens on port 18789
```

## Environment Variables

No key is required: without one, Maritime injects a per-agent proxy token, whose [model calls](/content/docs/billing#ai-credits/index.html) are paid from your prepaid AI credits. To pay your provider directly instead, set `OPENAI_API_KEY` or `ANTHROPIC_API_KEY` as a secret env var; OpenClaw supports multiple LLM providers.

## Deploy

In the dashboard, open **New agent** and pick the **OpenClaw Agent** template, or:

```
maritime create my-agent --template openclaw
```

## Talk to it

Chat from the terminal (sleeping agents wake on their own):

```
maritime chat my-agent "what can you do?"
```

Or open the agent in the dashboard and click **OpenClaw Dashboard** for OpenClaw's full native UI: sessions, files, cron jobs, and usage alongside the conversation. To reach it from your phone, pair [Telegram or WhatsApp](/content/docs/channels/index.html); to make it act on a schedule, add a [trigger](/content/docs/triggers/index.html).

### Upstream links & resources

- [openclaw.ai](https://openclaw.ai): the official OpenClaw site, covering what the assistant is and its full feature tour.
- [docs.openclaw.ai](https://docs.openclaw.ai): upstream documentation for everything inside the container, including `openclaw.json` configuration, skills, channels (WhatsApp, Telegram, and more), and gateway internals. Maritime handles hosting; this covers the agent itself.
- [openclaw/openclaw](https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw): the source repository, with release notes for the version pinned here, the issue tracker, and the skill catalog.
- [ghcr.io/openclaw/openclaw](https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/pkgs/container/openclaw): the exact container image Maritime deploys, with all published tags.