Originally published at hafiz.dev
If you've been anywhere near developer Twitter in the last two weeks, you've seen the lobster. OpenClaw (formerly Clawdbot, then Moltbot, then OpenClaw... the naming saga is a whole story) has taken over. 185K+ GitHub stars. A Wikipedia page already. People calling it "agentic AI's ChatGPT moment."
And on February 2nd, Taylor Otwell dropped a quiet tweet: you can now spin up OpenClaw servers directly from Laravel Forge.
No blog post. No keynote. Just another feature shipping, the way the Laravel ecosystem always does it.
I've been watching OpenClaw closely because it touches something I care about: the shift from AI as a chatbot to AI as an agent that actually does things on your behalf. As someone who's spent years integrating AI into Laravel applications, this feels like a real inflection point.
So here's my take on what OpenClaw is, why the Forge integration matters, and how you can get your own AI assistant running in about five minutes.
What is OpenClaw (And Why Should You Care)?
OpenClaw is an open-source AI agent created by Peter Steinberger (the founder of PSPDFKit). Unlike ChatGPT or Claude, which you interact with through a browser, OpenClaw runs on your own hardware and connects to the messaging apps you already use. Telegram, WhatsApp, Discord, Slack, Signal, even iMessage.
Here's the thing that makes it different from every other AI wrapper out there. It doesn't just answer questions. It executes tasks.
You can text it "check my inbox and summarize the important emails" and it actually does that. Ask it to scaffold a Laravel controller, run your test suite, update a Google Sheet, or deploy code. It has access to your filesystem, can run shell commands, and integrates with 50+ services through its skills system.
Think of it as having a junior developer on call 24/7, accessible through Telegram while you're grabbing coffee.
The catch? Running it on your personal MacBook comes with real security concerns. Cisco's security research team found that third-party OpenClaw skills could perform data exfiltration without user awareness. One of OpenClaw's own maintainers warned on Discord that if you can't understand how to run a command line, this project is too dangerous for you to use safely.
That's exactly where Laravel Forge comes in.
Why Laravel Forge + OpenClaw Makes Sense
Most OpenClaw tutorials tell you to either install it on your personal Mac (risky), buy a dedicated Mac Mini (expensive), or set up a raw VPS on DigitalOcean and configure everything manually (tedious).
Forge takes a different approach. The same approach it's been taking for 11 years with Laravel apps: make infrastructure boring.
Here's what you get with the Forge integration:
Isolation from your personal machine. Your OpenClaw instance runs on a separate server. If something goes wrong, if a malicious skill tries to access files it shouldn't, it's contained. You nuke the server, spin up a fresh one, and you're back in five minutes. Try doing that with your personal laptop.
Managed infrastructure you already trust. If you're a Laravel developer, chances are you've used Forge before. Same SSH key management. Same server provisioning flow. Same monitoring. The OpenClaw server type slots right into your existing workflow.
Hourly billing. Laravel VPS charges by the hour. Want to test OpenClaw for an afternoon? That'll cost you less than a cup of coffee. Don't like it? Delete the server. Done.
In-browser terminal. No need to configure SSH clients or deal with key management. Forge's built-in terminal lets you complete the entire OpenClaw onboarding without leaving your browser.
Christoph Rumpel, Laravel's DevRel engineer, walked through the entire process in a recent video. Worth noting: Christoph literally wrote the book on building chatbots with PHP. His BotMan framework has over 6K GitHub stars. When he says this setup works, he's speaking from deep experience in exactly this space.
Step-by-Step: Deploying OpenClaw on Laravel Forge
Here's the full process. It's almost suspiciously easy.
Step 1: Create an OpenClaw Server
Log into your Forge dashboard and click "Create Server." Choose Laravel VPS as your provider. This is important: the OpenClaw server type only appears when you select Laravel VPS. You won't see it if you're using DigitalOcean or AWS directly through Forge.
Select OpenClaw as the server type. Pick your region (choose something geographically close for lower latency) and make sure you've got at least 4GB of RAM. OpenClaw can technically run on 2GB but you'll feel the squeeze.
Hit create. Forge provisions the server in a couple of minutes. Store your credentials while you wait.
Step 2: Access the Server Terminal
Once provisioned, open the Forge Terminal. You can do this directly from your browser, no SSH client needed. The server comes pre-configured with Homebrew and OpenClaw already installed.
When you connect, OpenClaw's onboarding wizard starts automatically. No manual installation required.
Step 3: Configure Your AI Provider
The wizard asks which AI model provider you want to use. Your options include:
- Anthropic (Claude) - My recommendation for Laravel developers. The Laravel AI SDK already integrates well with Anthropic, and Claude's code generation is excellent.
- OpenAI (GPT) - Solid alternative, good for general tasks.
- Synthetic (Kimi K2.5) - Some users report this as the best value for the cost.
- Local models via Ollama - Free but requires more RAM and gives weaker results.
You'll need to authenticate with your chosen provider. For Anthropic, you can use either a standard API key or the newer setup token flow. In Christoph's walkthrough, he chose the setup token option, which requires running a quick command in a separate terminal to generate a one-time token. It's a bit more secure than pasting a raw API key.
Keep in mind that API costs are separate from Forge's server costs. Heavy usage can add up fast. One user reported spending $170 in a single day running Claude Opus on complex tasks. Start with a cheaper model like Claude Sonnet for everyday tasks and save the heavy models for specific coding work.
Step 4: Set Up Your Messaging Channel
Next, choose how you'll communicate with your OpenClaw instance. Telegram is the easiest option:
- Open Telegram and search for
@BotFather - Send
/newbotand follow the prompts to create a bot - Copy the bot token BotFather gives you
- Paste it into the OpenClaw wizard
That's it. Your AI assistant is now accessible through Telegram.
Step 5: Complete the Onboarding
OpenClaw will ask you a few more questions: what to call you, what personality the bot should have (you can make it funny, formal, sarcastic, whatever fits your style), and which skills to enable.
My advice? Start minimal. Skip most skills during initial setup. You can always add more later, and each skill you enable is another potential security surface.
Send your first message through Telegram. If it responds, you're done.
What Can Laravel Developers Actually Do With This?
Here's where it gets practical. Beyond the hype, what does OpenClaw actually solve for us?
Automated monitoring. Set up a cron job inside OpenClaw to check your Laravel app's health endpoint every 30 minutes. If something breaks, it texts you on Telegram with the error details. I've been using similar approaches with real-time notifications in Laravel, but OpenClaw makes the setup conversational rather than code-heavy.
Code scaffolding on the go. Text your bot "create a new Laravel resource controller for Products with full CRUD" and it generates the code. Not groundbreaking if you're at your desk, but useful when you're reviewing requirements on your phone and want to get a head start.
DevOps shortcuts. "Check if my queue workers are running." "What's the disk usage on server X?" "Run the migration on staging." These are tasks I'd normally SSH into a server for. Now it's a Telegram message.
Documentation assistance. "Summarize the last 5 commits on the main branch." "What changed in the config files this week?" OpenClaw's GitHub integration makes this trivial.
Client communication prep. Before a client call, ask your bot to pull the latest project stats, recent deployments, and open issues. It compiles everything into a briefing.
The Security Reality (Don't Skip This)
I need to be direct about this. OpenClaw is powerful because it has deep access to the system it runs on. That same power is exactly what makes it dangerous if misconfigured.
Here's what you should do:
Never run OpenClaw on your primary development machine. That's the whole point of the Forge deployment. Isolation matters. If a malicious skill or a prompt injection through an email tries to access sensitive files, it only has access to the OpenClaw server, not your laptop with your SSH keys, browser sessions, and source code.
Create separate accounts for OpenClaw. Use a fresh email, a new Telegram bot, dedicated API keys. Generate strong unique passwords with a password generator and store them in a password manager. Don't give it access to your personal Gmail or your main GitHub account. Christoph Rumpel specifically recommends this in his walkthrough and it's solid advice.
Review skills before installing. OpenClaw's ClawHub registry now has 5,700+ community-built skills. Many are useful. Some haven't been properly audited. OpenClaw recently partnered with VirusTotal for skill security scanning. Always check the VirusTotal report before installing a skill.
Start with sandbox mode. OpenClaw can run commands in a Docker sandbox instead of directly on the host. Use this until you understand what your bot is doing and why.
Watch your API costs. Set spending limits on your AI provider account. OpenClaw can be chatty with tokens, especially if you enable proactive features like cron jobs and background tasks.
OpenClaw vs Running AI Locally: When to Use What
Not everything needs a VPS. Here's my quick take on when each approach makes sense:
Use Forge + OpenClaw when:
- You want 24/7 availability (your laptop sleeps, a server doesn't)
- Security isolation is important to you
- You're running proactive automations (cron jobs, webhooks, monitoring)
- Multiple team members need access to the same assistant
Use a local installation when:
- You're just experimenting and want zero cost beyond API tokens
- You need macOS-specific integrations (iMessage, Apple Notes, Reminders)
- You want to run local models with zero cloud dependency
- You're comfortable with the security implications
Use nothing yet when:
- You don't have a clear use case beyond "it's cool"
- Your AI workflow is already working fine with Claude Code or Cursor
- You're not comfortable with command-line tools
That last point is real. OpenClaw's own maintainer said it plainly: if you can't understand how to run a command line, this is far too dangerous of a project for you. The Forge integration reduces friction, but it doesn't eliminate the need to understand what you're deploying.
The Bigger Picture for Laravel Developers
What makes this interesting isn't just OpenClaw itself. It's what the Forge integration signals.
Laravel Forge has managed nearly a million servers and performed over 56 million deployments. Its customer list includes OpenAI, The Guardian, Intel, the NFL. When Forge adds a new server type, it's not chasing a trend. It's recognizing that AI agents are becoming infrastructure, the same way databases and cache servers are infrastructure.
For Laravel developers, this is worth paying attention to. The AI SDK that Laravel shipped handles AI at the application level. OpenClaw operates at the infrastructure level. They're complementary, not competitive.
We're moving from "AI features inside your app" to "AI assistants managing your entire development workflow." Whether that excites you or scares you probably depends on how comfortable you are with the security implications of AI-generated code.
Either way, the tools are here. And setting them up has never been easier.
FAQ
How much does it cost to run OpenClaw on Laravel Forge?
Forge starts at $12/month for the management platform. The Laravel VPS server costs start at around $6/month (billed hourly, so you can test for a few hours and pay almost nothing). On top of that, you'll pay for AI model API usage, which varies based on your provider and usage patterns. Budget $20-50/month for moderate usage with Claude Sonnet.
Can I use my Claude Pro or Max subscription instead of an API key?
OpenClaw recently added support for Anthropic setup tokens, which lets you use your existing Claude subscription. Check OpenClaw's documentation for the current authentication options, as this is evolving quickly.
Is OpenClaw safe to use?
It depends on how you configure it. Running it on an isolated server (like through Forge), using separate accounts, reviewing skills before installation, and enabling sandbox mode makes it reasonably safe. Running it on your personal machine with full system access and your real accounts is risky. Treat it like any powerful tool: respect what it can do.
Do I need a Mac Mini to run OpenClaw?
No. That's the beauty of the Forge approach. Laravel VPS runs Ubuntu servers, so you get OpenClaw running on Linux infrastructure without buying dedicated hardware. You only need a Mac if you want macOS-specific features like iMessage integration.
Can I use OpenClaw to manage my Laravel applications?
Yes, but be thoughtful about it. OpenClaw can run Artisan commands, manage deployments, monitor logs, and interact with your codebase through GitHub. Start with read-only operations (checking status, pulling logs) before giving it write access to production systems.
Wrapping Up
OpenClaw is the most interesting AI tool I've seen since Laravel's AI SDK dropped. The Forge integration takes it from "cool experiment" to "production-ready infrastructure" in the way only the Laravel ecosystem can.
If you're curious, spin up a Laravel VPS through Forge, play with it for an hour, and delete the server. Total cost: maybe €2. That's the lowest-risk way to experience what everyone's talking about.
And if you're building an AI-powered product and need help with the Laravel backend, let's talk. I've been shipping AI integrations into production Laravel apps for years now, and this space is moving fast.
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