OpenClaw + xCloud
Manage Your Hosting from OpenClaw with xCloud
OpenClaw is an open-source AI agent runtime that you run yourself, talk to through chat apps such as WhatsApp, Telegram, Slack and Discord, and schedule with built-in automations. Connected to xCloud through a ClawHub skill and the MCP client, it deploys, backs up, updates and diagnoses your servers and sites from a message, and on a timer it reads, scans and reports, leaving the changes for a message you can approve.
- Install the xCloud skill from ClawHub
- MCP client with a built-in probe to check it
- Run checks on a schedule with automations
YouAny pending WordPress updates on my sites?
sites_wordpress_updatesread-only
Agentblog.example.com has 3 plugin updates. I will back it up first, then apply them. Go ahead?
YouYes.
sites_wordpress_updateneeds approval
AgentBackup finished and 3 updates applied. blog.example.com answers 200.
. Keep a human in the loop: xCloud stops and asks before anything that creates, deploys, updates, reboots, deletes or buys.
Setup
How Do I Connect OpenClaw to xCloud?
Point OpenClaw at the xCloud MCP server, approve access in your browser, then ask. The whole thing takes a couple of minutes. The xCloud Agent Skills are an optional layer on top of that connection: they teach the agent the workflows, they do not replace it.
Install the xCloud skill from ClawHub
This installs the nine xCloud skills into the active workspace skills folder. Add --global to install them into ~/.openclaw/skills for every local agent. The clawhub CLI installs the same listing with clawhub install xcloud.
openclaw skills install @asif2bd/xcloudAdd the xCloud MCP server and sign in
Run these on the installation that owns the connector. The --auth oauth flag matters: openclaw mcp login only runs for HTTP servers saved with OAuth, so without it the login is refused. The login prints an authorization URL, and OpenClaw normally captures the redirect on a loopback address and saves the credentials; Settings, MCP, Sign in in the Control UI does the same. On the xCloud approval screen tick the teams and choose Read-only or Full access.
openclaw mcp add xcloud \ --url https://app.xcloud.host/mcp \ --transport streamable-http \ --auth oauth openclaw mcp login xcloudCheck the skill and the connection
The first command lists the skills that are eligible to run in this environment, and xcloud should be among them. The second opens a live connection and reports the tools the server offers. A saved server entry proves nothing until the probe passes. Then ask who am I on xCloud.
openclaw skills list --eligible openclaw mcp doctor xcloud --probeCheck it worked
openclaw mcp login signs you in with OAuth and saves the credentials on the installation that owns the connector, so automations reuse them. The skill's GET-only REST fallback, if you use it, reads XCLOUD_API_TOKEN from the agent's secret store, never from chat.
Who am I on xCloud?
Three surfaces
Which Way Should I Connect OpenClaw to xCloud?
The MCP server exposes one tool per customer-facing xCloud operation and leaves out eleven internal ones that only the Public API carries; the skills add workflow know-how on top of an MCP connection and, on their own, only read access. All three are free with every account and differ in what you set up and what holds the credentials.
| xCloud MCP server | xCloud Agent Skills | Public API | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Terminal needed | No (recommended for OpenClaw) | Yes for the plugin or ClawHub install | Yes |
| Authentication | OAuth sign-in, or an API key with mcp:invoke plus read or write abilities (recommended for OpenClaw) | The MCP connection, or a read-scoped API token | API token with scoped abilities |
| What it adds | One tool per customer-facing xCloud operation (188 today) (recommended for OpenClaw) | Workflow know-how: routing, dry run, confirm, poll, diagnose | Raw REST for your own code |
| Changes to your infrastructure | Yes, after confirmation (recommended for OpenClaw) | Only through a connected MCP tool, after confirmation | Yes, with write scopes |
| Best for | Most people; every MCP client (recommended for OpenClaw) | Agents that run shell commands and read skills | CI jobs, dashboards and long-running loops |
Background
What Is OpenClaw?
OpenClaw is an open-source AI agent runtime that you run on your own machine or server. You talk to it through chat apps such as WhatsApp, Telegram, Slack and Discord, or from its Control UI and CLI. It loads skills, which are Markdown files that teach the agent how and when to use tools, and it connects to MCP servers whose tools pass through the same tool policy as everything else.
OpenClaw has two ways to reach xCloud, and this page uses both. The xCloud Agent Skills package on ClawHub, its public skills registry, teaches OpenClaw xCloud's workflows: which operation to use, how to preview and confirm, how to poll a long job and how to diagnose a failure. The MCP client then gives the agent the tools themselves, one for each xCloud operation.
OpenClaw also has a built-in scheduler called automations, with openclaw cron as an alias, that wakes the agent at set times and delivers the output to a chat channel. That is what sets it apart for hosting work: a check can run every Monday morning and land in your Telegram without you opening a terminal.
Why OpenClaw with xCloud?
Hosting from your chat app
Message OpenClaw on WhatsApp, Telegram, Slack or Discord and it calls xCloud for you. A site that goes down while you are away from your desk gets looked at from your phone.
Skill and tools together
The ClawHub skill carries the judgement, such as a backup before an update and a dry run before a deploy. The MCP client carries the tools. OpenClaw's probe command tells you when both are in place.
Automations that run unattended
Create an automation with a cron expression and a prompt, and OpenClaw runs it in an isolated session and announces the result in a channel. Use it for audits and reports that should never need you to ask.
Guides
What Can OpenClaw Do on xCloud?
One guide per hosting job, each with the OpenClaw setup, the xCloud tools involved, a settings reference, example prompts and the limits that apply.
- Deploy from Git with OpenClawTurn a GitHub, GitLab or Bitbucket repository into a live site on a server you already have.
- Run Docker apps with OpenClawRun a Dockerfile or Docker Compose app on a Docker server, keep it backed up and recover it when a deploy fails.
- Install one-click apps with OpenClawPick an app from the xCloud catalogue, check it fits your server, install it and get the login details.
- Manage WordPress with OpenClawKeep WordPress sites updated, scanned and healthy, and create new ones, by asking in plain words.
- Back up and stage sites with OpenClawCheck that your sites are backed up, take a backup before a risky change, and open a staging copy to test it on.
- Manage SSL and domains with OpenClawCheck a site's certificate and DNS, install or renew HTTPS, and see which domains point at it.
- Manage servers with OpenClawSee how your servers are doing, change services and runtimes, tighten security and reboot with proof it worked.
- Troubleshoot a broken site with OpenClawFind out why a site returns a 500, 502 or 503, shows a critical error or has stopped answering.
- Speed up a slow site with OpenClawFind out why a site is slow, from real numbers, and learn which fix is a dashboard switch.
- Secure sites and servers with OpenClawFind vulnerable sites, manage server firewall rules and banned IPs, and see which protections are on.
Example prompts
What Can You Ask OpenClaw to Do on xCloud?
Type these as written and swap in your own site and server names. Reads and routine actions such as backups, cache purges, PageSpeed scans and vulnerability scans run straight away; creating, deploying, updating, rebooting, deleting, buying or starting a broken-link scan stops and asks first.
Deploy https://github.com/example/shop to my Frankfurt server and show me the dry run before you create anything.Which of my sites have pending WordPress updates? Back each one up first, then list what each update changes.Is example.com up, is its SSL certificate healthy and are there any known vulnerabilities? Reply in two lines.The API site returns a 502. Read the recent events and logs and tell me the likely cause.Every Monday at 8am, audit all my sites and post a summary here. Change nothing.Good to know
- Run the mcp commands on the installation that owns the connector. A Gateway or agent running on another host needs its own openclaw mcp reload, config publish or restart before it sees the xcloud server.
- The skill alone is not a connection to xCloud. Without the MCP server it falls back to a GET-only REST wrapper that needs bash, curl, jq and an XCLOUD_API_TOKEN, and it cannot make changes.
- openclaw skills install puts the skill in the active workspace. Other agents with their own workspace do not see it unless you install with --global or add it to their skills allowlist.
- Scheduled runs have no one watching. Keep automations to reads, PageSpeed and vulnerability scans and reports. Start a backup only from a message you are watching, because a Docker backup stops the app while it captures, and ask for changes, and for a broken-link scan, in a message you can approve.
Run a weekly hosting audit with OpenClaw automations
Automations are OpenClaw's built-in scheduler, and openclaw cron is an alias for the same commands. This job runs every Monday in an isolated session, checks your sites and announces the result in a Telegram chat. List past runs with openclaw automations runs followed by the job ID. Keep the prompt to reads and reports, because anything that creates, deploys, updates or deletes still needs your approval.
openclaw automations create "0 8 * * 1" \
"Use xCloud to check every site: is it up, is SSL healthy, any known vulnerabilities. Report only and change nothing." \
--name "Monday hosting audit" \
--tz "Europe/Berlin" \
--session isolated \
--announce --channel telegram --to "-1001234567890"More prompts, grouped by job: What you can ask xCloud MCP to do.
OpenClaw and xCloud: Frequently Asked Questions
Short answers about connecting OpenClaw, what it may change and what it costs.
How do I connect OpenClaw to xCloud?
Run openclaw skills install @asif2bd/xcloud, then openclaw mcp add xcloud --url https://app.xcloud.host/mcp --transport streamable-http --auth oauth and openclaw mcp login xcloud. Approve access in the browser, then run openclaw mcp doctor xcloud --probe to confirm the connection and ask who am I on xCloud.
Do I need both the xCloud skill and the MCP server in OpenClaw?
The MCP server is the connection and gives OpenClaw every xCloud tool. The skill adds xCloud's workflows on top: routing, previews, confirmation, polling and diagnosis. Without MCP the skill can only read through a GET-only REST wrapper, so install both.
Does OpenClaw need an xCloud API key?
Not when you sign in with openclaw mcp login. An API key matters only for the skill's GET-only REST fallback, which reads XCLOUD_API_TOKEN from the agent's secret store. Keep that token out of chat messages and create it with a read-only scope.
How do I check that OpenClaw can reach xCloud?
Run openclaw mcp doctor xcloud --probe. It validates the saved server entry, opens a live connection and reports the tools xCloud offers. Run openclaw skills list --eligible as well to confirm the xcloud skill is ready in this environment.
Can OpenClaw run xCloud tasks on a schedule?
Yes. OpenClaw automations run a prompt on a cron expression, for example openclaw automations create followed by a schedule, a prompt and a --name, and they can announce the result in a chat channel. Keep scheduled jobs to reads, PageSpeed and vulnerability scans and reports, with backups left to a message you are watching because a Docker backup stops the app while it captures, and say so in the prompt: xCloud stops for confirmation before it creates, deploys, updates, reboots or deletes and before a broken-link scan, but routine actions such as a backup, a cache purge or a service restart run without that step, so a job with nobody watching could carry them out.
Can OpenClaw change my servers without asking?
Not for the operations xCloud gates. Reads run straight away, and routine actions such as cache purges, backups, PageSpeed and vulnerability scans run without a prompt. Creating a site or server, deploying, updating plugins, rebooting, deleting or buying is refused by xCloud unless the call carries an explicit confirmation, so OpenClaw asks you first.
What is ClawHub and is the xCloud skill safe to install?
ClawHub is OpenClaw's public skills registry, and the xCloud Agent Skills listing is published there by asif2bd. Run openclaw skills verify @asif2bd/xcloud to ask ClawHub for the skill's trust envelope, and read the security scan state on the listing page before you install.
Can I run OpenClaw itself on an xCloud server?
Yes, that is a separate product: xCloud can host OpenClaw on your own server, and there is a guide to deploy it. This page is the other direction, where OpenClaw manages your xCloud servers and sites through the skill and the MCP connection.
Is it free to use OpenClaw with xCloud?
The xCloud side is free: the MCP server, the skills and the Public API are included with every xCloud account, including the free plan. OpenClaw is open source, and any model usage is billed by the provider you configure in OpenClaw.
Other agents
Also Works With
The same xCloud account, the same operations, a guide for each client.
- Claude CodeAnthropic's terminal coding agent. One claude mcp add command, plus the xCloud skills plugin with nine skills on top.
- ClaudeAnthropic's chat assistant on the web and desktop. Add xCloud as a custom connector, no terminal needed.
- Claude CoworkAnthropic's desktop agent for delegated work. Add the xCloud connector, then hand off hosting jobs.
- CursorThe AI code editor. One mcp.json entry with the compact URL, because Cursor stops at 40 tools.
- CodexOpenAI's coding agent for the terminal. A codex mcp add command or a config.toml entry, then codex mcp login.
- OpenCodeThe open-source terminal coding agent. One remote MCP entry, then opencode mcp auth xcloud.
- Hermes AgentNous Research's agent with memory and a built-in scheduler. An mcp_servers entry in config.yaml and one login.
- WindsurfThe Cognition editor, now Devin Desktop. devin mcp add for the Devin Local agent, a serverUrl entry for legacy Cascade.
- GitHub CopilotCopilot agent mode in VS Code. One .vscode/mcp.json entry, or the Agent Plugins package.
- Gemini CLIGoogle's terminal agent. One gemini mcp add command, OAuth found automatically.
- ChatGPTOpenAI's chat assistant. A developer-mode app with the xCloud MCP URL and OAuth.
- ChatGPT dotsOpenAI's always-on agent in ChatGPT. Uses the xCloud MCP plugin you add in ChatGPT, with custom rules and scheduled tasks.
- GrokxAI's terminal agent, Grok Build. One grok mcp add command or a config.toml entry.
- Grok BotxAI's always-on Bots on a cloud computer. One Remote HTTPS MCP plugin, OAuth sign-in, routines on a schedule.
- KiroAWS's agentic IDE. One url entry in .kiro/settings/mcp.json, plus the portable xCloud Agent Plugins package.
- AntigravityGoogle's agentic IDE. One serverUrl entry in mcp_config.json and a browser sign-in.
- ZedThe Zed editor's Agent Panel. One context_servers entry in settings.json and a browser sign-in.
Run Your Hosting from OpenClaw
xCloud MCP, the Agent Skills and the Public API are free with every account. Connect once and ask.