description:Harden OpenClaw self-hosted environments with baseline host controls, auth tightening, secret handling, network segmentation, and safe update/rollback workflows. Use when deploying OpenClaw in home labs, startups, or production-like local AI infrastructure.
license:MIT
metadata:
author:devops-skills
version:"1.0"
---
# OpenClaw Security Hardening
Use this skill to reduce exposure in self-hosted OpenClaw deployments before opening access to teammates or external networks.
## Build a Threat Model First
Map the highest-risk assets and paths:
- Admin/API endpoints for OpenClaw
- Provider API keys and model credentials
- Prompt/response logs containing sensitive business data
- Host-level access (SSH, local admin accounts, remote desktop)
Prioritize controls that reduce credential theft, remote code execution blast radius, and data exfiltration.
## Apply Baseline Host Hardening
1. Keep OS and package dependencies patched on a regular cadence.
2. Run OpenClaw as a dedicated non-admin user account.
3. Enable full-disk encryption and secure boot features where available.
4. Remove unnecessary services and block inbound ports by default.
5. Lock down remote admin (key-only SSH, no password login, limited source CIDRs).
Example Linux baseline checks:
```bash
id openclaw
sudo ss -tulpn
sudo ufw status verbose
sudo systemctl --failed
```
## Harden Application Runtime
- Bind OpenClaw to localhost or private VLAN by default.
- Place a reverse proxy in front of OpenClaw for TLS, auth, and rate limits.
- Enforce authentication on every non-health endpoint.
- Disable debug/dev modes in persistent environments.
- Restrict outbound egress to only required providers (LLM API, telemetry sink, package mirror).
Example reverse proxy controls to enforce:
- TLS 1.2+ only
- strict transport security header
- request body size limits
- request timeout and upstream timeout guardrails
- per-IP and per-token rate limiting
## Protect Secrets and Tokens
- Store secrets in a vault or platform secret manager, not committed `.env` files.
- Rotate provider and admin tokens on a fixed interval and after any incident.
