Raspberry Pi 5 + OpenClaw Setup

📋 Overview

This is my complete guide to setting up OpenClaw AI assistant on Raspberry Pi 5. I'll cover hardware, software, configuration, and all the services I run alongside it.

🎯 Hardware Setup

Component	Model	Notes
Main Server	Raspberry Pi 5 (8GB)	Runs OpenClaw, nginx, monitoring
Proxy Server	Phicomm N1	OpenWrt + OpenClash
Router	Redmi Router	Room router (192.168.51.1)
Storage	SSD via USB 3.0	Faster than SD card

📊 Network Topology

Internet → ChinaNet (192.168.1.1)
         ↓
    Redmi Router (192.168.51.1)
         ↓
    ┌────┴────┐
    ↓         ↓
Pi5 (51.74)  N1 (51.2)
- OpenClaw   - Clash Proxy
- nginx      - OpenWrt
- Monitoring
- Pi-hole

🛠️ Software Stack

Core Services

Service	Port	Purpose
OpenClaw Gateway	18789	AI assistant backend
OpenClaw TUI	-	Terminal interface
nginx	8080	Reverse proxy, web server
PM2	-	Process management

Supporting Services

Service	Port	Purpose
Pi-hole	53, 8082	DNS ad-blocker
Uptime Kuma	3001	Service monitoring
Cloudflare Tunnel	-	Remote access
Docker	-	Container runtime

🚀 Installation Steps

1. Install OpenClaw

npm install -g openclaw
openclaw configure

2. Configure AI Model

I use Bailian/Qwen models:

# Default model
bailian/qwen3.5-plus

# For coding tasks
bailian/qwen3-coder-plus

# For complex analysis
bailian/qwen3-max-2026-01-23

3. Install Supporting Services

# Docker (for Pi-hole)
curl -fsSL https://get.docker.com | sh

# PM2 (process management)
npm install -g pm2

# Uptime Kuma
git clone https://github.com/louislam/uptime-kuma.git
cd uptime-kuma
npm run setup
pm2 start npm --name uptime-kuma -- start

⚙️ Configuration

OpenClaw Config

Location: ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json

{
  "models": {
    "providers": {
      "bailian": {
        "apiKey": "your-api-key",
        "models": [
          {"id": "qwen3.5-plus", "name": "qwen3.5-plus"}
        ]
      }
    }
  }
}

Proxy Configuration

For users in China, configure proxy in OpenClaw:

# In openclaw.json
{
  "proxy": "http://192.168.51.2:7890"
}

📝 Creating Skills

Skills are instruction files that tell OpenClaw how to handle specific tasks.

Example: Proxy Failover Skill

# Location: skills/proxy-for-blocked-services/SKILL.md

## Description
Use proxy failover for blocked services

## Use When:
- Accessing Google services
- Accessing Telegram API
- Any GFW-blocked service

## Steps:
1. Try primary proxy (192.168.51.2:7890)
2. If fails, try backup (192.168.31.11:7890)
3. Report status to user

🔧 Automation

Systemd Timers

I use systemd timers for scheduled tasks:

# Proxy failover check (every 2 minutes)
proxy-failover.timer

# Daily backups (2 AM)
auto-backup.service

# Weekly summary (Monday 9 AM)
weekly-summary.service

PM2 Process Management

# Start services
pm2 start ecosystem.config.js

# Auto-start on boot
pm2 startup
pm2 save

# View status
pm2 status

📊 Monitoring Setup

Uptime Kuma Monitors

Pi Dashboard (HTTP, 60s)
Website (HTTP, 60s)
OpenClaw Gateway (HTTP, 60s)
SSH (TCP, 60s)
Alibaba Cloud API (HTTP, 300s)

Custom Dashboard

I built a custom dashboard showing:

Real-time system stats
Uptime Kuma monitor status
Proxy status
Service health

🔐 Security Considerations

Firewall (UFW)

# Allow SSH from local network only
sudo ufw allow from 192.168.51.0/24 to any port 22

# Allow specific services
sudo ufw allow 8080/tcp
sudo ufw allow 3001/tcp

API Keys

Store in ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json
Never commit to git
Use environment variables for sensitive data

💡 Key Learnings

SSD over SD card: Much faster and more reliable
PM2 is essential: Auto-restart crashed services
Monitor everything: You can't fix what you don't measure
Document as you go: You'll forget why you made certain decisions
Start simple: Add complexity gradually
Backup regularly: Automated daily backups

🖥️ My Self-Hosted Setup: Raspberry Pi 5 + OpenClaw