Flowly: One-Click OpenClaw Deployment — Skip the SSH, Keep the Power

OpenClaw has taken the world by storm. With 310,000+ GitHub stars, it's now the most-starred software project on GitHub — surpassing even React. And for good reason: OpenClaw turns your messaging apps into a powerful AI agent that can browse the web, manage files, run commands, and automate your life.

But here's the thing most people don't talk about: deploying OpenClaw is still painful.

You need to rent a VPS. SSH into it. Install Node.js. Clone the repo. Configure API keys. Set up systemd services. Fix IPv6 issues. Connect Telegram. And pray nothing breaks.

What if you could skip all of that?

Meet Flowly: OpenClaw Deployment in 60 Seconds

Flowly automates the entire OpenClaw deployment process. No terminal. No config files. No DevOps experience required.

Here's what happens when you click "Deploy" on Flowly:

A Hetzner Cloud VPS is provisioned automatically — the right specs for your plan, in your preferred region (Frankfurt, Nuremberg, Helsinki, or Falkenstein).
Node.js is installed on the server.
OpenClaw is installed via npm (npm i -g openclaw).
Network issues are fixed — including the infamous Hetzner IPv6/Telegram bug that blocks API calls.
Your AI model and API keys are configured — Claude Sonnet, Claude Haiku, MiniMax, GLM-5, Kimi, or bring your own key.
A systemd service is created — OpenClaw runs 24/7, survives reboots, auto-restarts on crash.
The gateway token is generated — so you can chat with your bot directly from Flowly's dashboard.

All of this happens in the background. You see real-time deployment logs. When it's done, your OpenClaw bot is live and ready to chat.

Total time: about 3-5 minutes. Compare that to the 30-60 minutes of manual setup — if everything goes right the first time.

The Deploy Wizard: Choose Your Bot, Model, and Integrations

Flowly's deployment wizard walks you through everything in 4-5 simple steps:

Step 1: Choose Your Bot Type

You have two options:

OpenClaw — The open-source AI agent you know and love. Node.js-based, lightweight, community-driven. Perfect if you want the full OpenClaw experience with zero setup hassle.
Flowly Bot — Our own AI bot built on Python and LiteLLM. Faster relay-based communication (no SSH tunnel needed), 8 built-in personas (Jarvis, Friday, Pirate, Samurai, Professor, and more), plus additional integrations like Slack, Voice calls, X/Twitter, and Groq speech-to-text.

Step 2: Pick Your AI Model

Don't see your preferred model? Use BYOK (Bring Your Own Key) mode to connect your own OpenRouter, OpenAI, Anthropic, Moonshot, or Z.AI API key. You get access to 200+ models through OpenRouter alone.

Step 3: API Key Mode

Flowly Credits — Use the API credits included in your plan. Simple, no extra accounts needed.
BYOK — Bring your own API key for maximum cost control. Power users love this option.

Step 4: Persona (Flowly Bot Only)

If you chose Flowly Bot, pick a personality for your assistant:

Default — Professional and helpful
Jarvis — Tony Stark's AI butler
Friday — Friendly and proactive
Pirate — Arrr, AI with attitude
Samurai — Disciplined and precise
Casual — Relaxed, conversational
Professor — Academic and thorough
Butler — Formal and attentive

Step 5: Review & Deploy

Confirm your settings, enter your server password, and hit Deploy. That's it. Go grab a coffee — your bot will be live by the time you're back.

Connect Everything: 10+ Integrations, One Dashboard

Once your OpenClaw (or Flowly Bot) is deployed, connecting integrations is just as easy. Flowly provides guided wizards for each platform:

Telegram — Enter your bot token from @BotFather, get a pairing code, done.
WhatsApp — Enter your phone number, scan a QR code.
Discord — Paste your bot token.
Slack — Bot token + App token (Flowly Bot only).
Gmail — OAuth authentication, real-time email sync.
Trello — API key + token for project management.
Web Search — Brave Search API for real-time web browsing.
Voice Calls — Twilio integration for phone conversations (Flowly Bot only).
X/Twitter — Bearer token for social media (Flowly Bot only).
Groq STT — Speech-to-text transcription (Flowly Bot only).

Each integration shows real-time status (connected, pending, error) and can be disconnected or reconfigured at any time.

Chat With Your Bot — Right From the Dashboard

No need to switch to Telegram to test your bot. Flowly includes a real-time chat interface that connects directly to your OpenClaw gateway via WebSocket.

Features include:

Streaming responses — See your bot's reply as it's generated, word by word.
Markdown rendering — Code blocks, links, formatting — all rendered beautifully.
File attachments — Send images and documents to your bot.
Starred messages — Bookmark important responses.
Execution approvals — When your bot wants to run a command, you get an approval prompt with a countdown timer. Allow once, allow always, or deny.

This isn't a simplified preview. It's the full OpenClaw experience, right in your browser (or app).

Monitor Everything: Usage, Credits, Server Health

Flowly's dashboard gives you complete visibility:

Server status — Running, stopped, provisioning, or error — with color-coded badges.
Resource usage — CPU, RAM, disk, uptime.
API credit tracking — See how much you've used, how much is left, broken down by plan credits and bonus credits.
Daily/weekly/all-time stats — Request counts, token usage, estimated cost.

Available on Web, Desktop, and iOS

Flowly isn't just a web app. You can manage your OpenClaw deployment from anywhere:

Web App

The full experience. Server provisioning, bot deployment, SSH terminal (xterm.js), VNC access, billing management, and more. Built with Next.js 16, React 19, and TailwindCSS.

Desktop App (macOS, Windows, Linux)

Everything the web app offers, plus exclusive features:

Local OpenClaw installation — Run OpenClaw on your own machine without a VPS. Flowly handles Node.js installation, config generation, and process management.
Voice assistant — Press Option+Space to activate push-to-talk. Ask your AI anything via voice from the menu bar.
System tray controls — Start, stop, and restart OpenClaw from the tray icon.
Screenshot delegation — Your AI can take screenshots via Flowly's secure HTTP server.
Activity tracking — View cron jobs, subagent runs, and session history.

iOS App (Coming Soon)

A native SwiftUI app that mirrors the web dashboard:

Create and manage servers from your iPhone.
Deploy bots with the same guided wizard.
Chat with your AI via WebSocket streaming.
Connect integrations on the go.
End-to-end encrypted conversations for local bots.
Light/dark mode, English/Turkish localization.

Pricing: Cheaper Than You Think

Here's where Flowly really shines. Setting up OpenClaw manually means renting a Hetzner VPS (~$7/month for a CX23) and then managing everything yourself. Add a chatbot platform like Botpress ($89/month) and you're looking at ~$96/month.

Need more credits? Buy bonus packs ($5, $10, $25, $50) that never expire.

Prefer to use your own API keys? BYOK mode means you pay the AI provider directly — Flowly just handles the infrastructure and deployment.

Why Not Just Do It Manually?

You absolutely can. OpenClaw is open source and free. If you enjoy server administration, go for it.

But if you'd rather spend your time using your AI assistant instead of setting it up, Flowly removes the friction:

Get Started in 5 Minutes

Sign up at useflowlyapp.com — no credit card required.
Choose a plan — Starter ($15/mo) is perfect to begin.
Create your server — Pick a name and region. Done in 2-3 minutes.
Deploy OpenClaw — Follow the wizard. Choose your model and API key mode.
Connect Telegram — Enter your bot token. Start chatting.

Your AI assistant is now live on Telegram, running on your own dedicated server, with your data never leaving your infrastructure.

No shared cloud. No vendor lock-in. No DevOps degree required.