There are now at least 14 services offering to set up OpenClaw for you — ranging from $99 to $6,000. The price difference is real, but so is the quality difference. Before you hand over access to your server (and your AI agent), ask these questions.
Why this matters: A bad OpenClaw setup isn't just inconvenient — it can mean an exposed gateway, broken channels, runaway API spend, or an agent that doesn't actually know anything about your business. You'll spend more fixing it than you saved hiring cheap.
The 9 Questions
Question 1
"What do you do about gateway security on every install?"
✓ Good answer: Auth token generation, bind address lockdown, firewall rules, reverse proxy with HTTPS — they describe the specific steps unprompted.
✗ Red flag: "We follow the official docs" or vague reassurance without specifics. The official docs don't cover this adequately.
Question 2
"How do you handle breaking updates after the setup is done?"
✓ Good answer: They explain their update process — changelog review, backup before updates, testing afterward — or offer a managed care plan that covers this.
✗ Red flag: "That's on you after we're done." OpenClaw ships breaking changes every few days. A setup with no update plan is a ticking clock.
Question 3
"Will you configure my SOUL.md and AGENTS.md, or just get the software running?"
✓ Good answer: They ask about your business, your workflows, and your communication style — and use that to build your identity files. The software is 20% of the value; the configuration is 80%.
✗ Red flag: They don't know what SOUL.md is, or they say "we'll get OpenClaw installed and you can customize it yourself."
Question 4
"How do you set API spending limits, and do you do it on every install?"
✓ Good answer: Yes, always. They explain where to set limits on Anthropic and OpenAI dashboards and how to configure model-level cost controls in openclaw.json.
✗ Red flag: Any hesitation or "we recommend you do that yourself." A rogue heartbeat loop can generate a $200+ charge overnight without limits.
Question 5
"Do you set up process supervision and auto-restart?"
✓ Good answer: Yes — they install a systemd unit (Linux) or equivalent so OpenClaw restarts automatically after reboots or crashes.
✗ Red flag: "You can just start it manually when you need it." This means your agent is dead every time your server reboots.
Question 6
"How many OpenClaw installs have you done?"
✓ Good answer: A real number — ideally 20+. Bonus if they can describe common failure modes they've learned from experience.
✗ Red flag: Vague ("many"), inflated claims, or pivoting to credentials that aren't OpenClaw-specific. The platform is new enough that anyone claiming 500 installs is lying.
Question 7
"What do you need from me to get started, and what access will you require?"
✓ Good answer: Server SSH access (temporary), your API keys (added directly, not shared in chat), and a call to understand your workflow. They explain how access is handled securely.
✗ Red flag: Asking you to email API keys, requesting permanent admin access, or not explaining their access protocol at all.
Question 8
"What does the handoff look like — what documentation do I get?"
✓ Good answer: Written documentation of everything installed, configured, and why. You should be able to understand your own setup without calling them.
✗ Red flag: No documentation — or documentation designed to keep you dependent on them for every change.
Question 9
"What's your turnaround time and what happens if something breaks in the first 30 days?"
✓ Good answer: Specific turnaround (ClawReady is 48 hours), clear support policy, and a guarantee or at minimum a commitment to fix issues caused by the setup.
✗ Red flag: "We'll get to it when we can" or no post-setup support at all.
How ClawReady Answers These Questions
Since we wrote this list, it's only fair we answer it ourselves:
- Security: Auth token, firewall rules, nginx reverse proxy with Let's Encrypt — every install.
- Updates: We offer a managed care plan ($99–$199/mo) that covers every update, CVE patch, and breaking change.
- SOUL.md / AGENTS.md: We do a 30-minute intake call to understand your business before we write a single line of config.
- API limits: Set on every key before anything goes live — non-negotiable.
- Auto-restart: systemd unit installed and tested on every Linux install.
- Experience: 50+ installs across real estate investors, accountants, landlords, freelancers, and business operators.
- Access: Temporary SSH, API keys entered directly by you, access revoked at handoff.
- Documentation: Full written runbook of your specific setup delivered at handoff.
- Turnaround: 48 hours. 30-day fix guarantee on anything caused by our setup.
Setup starts at $99. If you've already decided you want OpenClaw running properly and just need someone to do it — book a free 20-minute call and we'll get started this week.