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Moltbot on Oracle Cloud (OCI)

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Goal

Run a persistent Moltbot Gateway on Oracle Cloud’s Always Free ARM tier. Oracle’s free tier can be a great fit for Moltbot (especially if you already have an OCI account), but it comes with tradeoffs:
  • ARM architecture (most things work, but some binaries may be x86-only)
  • Capacity and signup can be finicky

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Cost Comparison (2026)

ProviderPlanSpecsPrice/moNotes
Oracle CloudAlways Free ARMup to 4 OCPU, 24GB RAM$0ARM, limited capacity
HetznerCX222 vCPU, 4GB RAM~ $4Cheapest paid option
DigitalOceanBasic1 vCPU, 1GB RAM$6Easy UI, good docs
VultrCloud Compute1 vCPU, 1GB RAM$6Many locations
LinodeNanode1 vCPU, 1GB RAM$5Now part of Akamai

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Prerequisites

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1) Create an OCI Instance

  1. Log into Oracle Cloud Console
  2. Navigate to Compute → Instances → Create Instance
  3. Configure:
    • Name: moltbot
    • Image: Ubuntu 24.04 (aarch64)
    • Shape: VM.Standard.A1.Flex (Ampere ARM)
    • OCPUs: 2 (or up to 4)
    • Memory: 12 GB (or up to 24 GB)
    • Boot volume: 50 GB (up to 200 GB free)
    • SSH key: Add your public key
  4. Click Create
  5. Note the public IP address
Tip: If instance creation fails with “Out of capacity”, try a different availability domain or retry later. Free tier capacity is limited.

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2) Connect and Update

# Connect via public IP
ssh ubuntu@YOUR_PUBLIC_IP

# Update system
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y
sudo apt install -y build-essential
Note: build-essential is required for ARM compilation of some dependencies.

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3) Configure User and Hostname

# Set hostname
sudo hostnamectl set-hostname moltbot

# Set password for ubuntu user
sudo passwd ubuntu

# Enable lingering (keeps user services running after logout)
sudo loginctl enable-linger ubuntu

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4) Install Tailscale

curl -fsSL https://tailscale.com/install.sh | sh
sudo tailscale up --ssh --hostname=moltbot
This enables Tailscale SSH, so you can connect via ssh moltbot from any device on your tailnet — no public IP needed. Verify: 
tailscale status
From now on, connect via Tailscale: ssh ubuntu@moltbot (or use the Tailscale IP).

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5) Install Moltbot

curl -fsSL https://molt.bot/install.sh | bash
source ~/.bashrc
When prompted “How do you want to hatch your bot?”, select “Do this later”.
Note: If you hit ARM-native build issues, start with system packages (e.g. sudo apt install -y build-essential) before reaching for Homebrew.

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6) Configure Gateway (loopback + token auth) and enable Tailscale Serve

Use token auth as the default. It’s predictable and avoids needing any “insecure auth” Control UI flags. 
# Keep the Gateway private on the VM
moltbot config set gateway.bind loopback

# Require auth for the Gateway + Control UI
moltbot config set gateway.auth.mode token
moltbot doctor --generate-gateway-token

# Expose over Tailscale Serve (HTTPS + tailnet access)
moltbot config set gateway.tailscale.mode serve
moltbot config set gateway.trustedProxies '["127.0.0.1"]'

systemctl --user restart moltbot-gateway

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7) Verify

# Check version
moltbot --version

# Check daemon status
systemctl --user status moltbot-gateway

# Check Tailscale Serve
tailscale serve status

# Test local response
curl http://localhost:18789

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8) Lock Down VCN Security

Now that everything is working, lock down the VCN to block all traffic except Tailscale. OCI’s Virtual Cloud Network acts as a firewall at the network edge — traffic is blocked before it reaches your instance.
  1. Go to Networking → Virtual Cloud Networks in the OCI Console
  2. Click your VCN → Security Lists → Default Security List
  3. Remove all ingress rules except:
    • 0.0.0.0/0 UDP 41641 (Tailscale)
  4. Keep default egress rules (allow all outbound)
This blocks SSH on port 22, HTTP, HTTPS, and everything else at the network edge. From now on, you can only connect via Tailscale.

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Access the Control UI

From any device on your Tailscale network: 
https://moltbot.<tailnet-name>.ts.net/
Replace <tailnet-name> with your tailnet name (visible in tailscale status). No SSH tunnel needed. Tailscale provides:
  • HTTPS encryption (automatic certs)
  • Authentication via Tailscale identity
  • Access from any device on your tailnet (laptop, phone, etc.)
With the VCN locked down (only UDP 41641 open) and the Gateway bound to loopback, you get strong defense-in-depth: public traffic is blocked at the network edge, and admin access happens over your tailnet. This setup often removes the need for extra host-based firewall rules purely to stop Internet-wide SSH brute force — but you should still keep the OS updated, run moltbot security audit, and verify you aren’t accidentally listening on public interfaces.

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What’s Already Protected

Traditional StepNeeded?Why
UFW firewallNoVCN blocks before traffic reaches instance
fail2banNoNo brute force if port 22 blocked at VCN
sshd hardeningNoTailscale SSH doesn’t use sshd
Disable root loginNoTailscale uses Tailscale identity, not system users
SSH key-only authNoTailscale authenticates via your tailnet
IPv6 hardeningUsually notDepends on your VCN/subnet settings; verify what’s actually assigned/exposed
  • Credential permissions: chmod 700 ~/.clawdbot
  • Security audit: moltbot security audit
  • System updates: sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade regularly
  • Monitor Tailscale: Review devices in Tailscale admin console

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Verify Security Posture

# Confirm no public ports listening
sudo ss -tlnp | grep -v '127.0.0.1\|::1'

# Verify Tailscale SSH is active
tailscale status | grep -q 'offers: ssh' && echo "Tailscale SSH active"

# Optional: disable sshd entirely
sudo systemctl disable --now ssh

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Fallback: SSH Tunnel

If Tailscale Serve isn’t working, use an SSH tunnel: 
# From your local machine (via Tailscale)
ssh -L 18789:127.0.0.1:18789 ubuntu@moltbot
Then open http://localhost:18789.

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Troubleshooting

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Instance creation fails (“Out of capacity”)

Free tier ARM instances are popular. Try:
  • Different availability domain
  • Retry during off-peak hours (early morning)
  • Use the “Always Free” filter when selecting shape

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Tailscale won’t connect

# Check status
sudo tailscale status

# Re-authenticate
sudo tailscale up --ssh --hostname=moltbot --reset

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Gateway won’t start

moltbot gateway status
moltbot doctor --non-interactive
journalctl --user -u moltbot-gateway -n 50

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Can’t reach Control UI

# Verify Tailscale Serve is running
tailscale serve status

# Check gateway is listening
curl http://localhost:18789

# Restart if needed
systemctl --user restart moltbot-gateway

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ARM binary issues

Some tools may not have ARM builds. Check: 
uname -m  # Should show aarch64
Most npm packages work fine. For binaries, look for linux-arm64 or aarch64 releases.

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Persistence

All state lives in:
  • ~/.clawdbot/ — config, credentials, session data
  • ~/clawd/ — workspace (SOUL.md, memory, artifacts)
Back up periodically: 
tar -czvf moltbot-backup.tar.gz ~/.clawdbot ~/clawd

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See Also