An instance is one hosted OpenClaw runtime. Think of it as its own computer: filesystem, browser, terminal, web search, preloaded frontier models, and a scheduler for recurring work. You upload files and the agent can read them. You add a secret and the agent can reach any HTTP service. If a person at a computer can do it, the instance can do it. Every agent lives on one instance. The two are paired, so the instance’s workspace, skills, and memory all belong to that agent.Documentation Index
Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.operator.io/llms.txt
Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
What an instance can do
Browse the web
Navigate pages, extract data, fill forms, take screenshots.
Run code
Execute scripts, install packages, run shell commands.
Read and write files
Upload, download, and edit files in the workspace from the Files page.
Call any HTTP service
Provide credentials in Environment and the agent can reach the service.
Search the web
Find information, datasets, and documentation.
Use frontier models
Managed access to reasoning, video, image, and audio models.
No dedicated integration is required for every service. Store credentials and describe what you want the agent to do. It will figure out the calls.
Prebuilt and blank instances
- Prebuilt
- Blank
Comes with Operator’s managed defaults:
- Managed agent configuration and connected search
- Managed
AGENTS.mdprompt and bootstrap ritual - Preloaded skills for common tools (files, HTTP, media generation)
- Preloaded provider access for every frontier model
Where things live on disk
Inside every instance, files sit under a predictable tree that you can browse from the Files page:| Path | Contents |
|---|---|
.openclaw/workspace/ | The agent’s project files: drafts, references, data, renders |
.openclaw/workspace/skills/ | Custom skills you and the agent authored |
.openclaw/sessions/ | Transcripts of chat and subagent runs |
.openclaw/cron/jobs/ | Scheduled automations |
.openclaw/agents/ | Per-agent metadata |
/mnt/openclaw/ | Mount path visible from inside the container |
.openclaw/workspace/ from the dashboard. Managed config, sessions metadata, and operator-generated skills outside the workspace stay read-only.
Secrets are separate from skills
Read Environment and Integrations together for how this lines up in practice.One agent per paid plan
Basic, Pro, and Max each run one agent on one instance. The difference between them is compute, storage, and the monthly credit allowance, not the number of agents.| Plan | Price | Agent | CPU | RAM | Storage | Monthly credits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | $20/mo | 1 | 1 vCPU | 2 GB | 15 GB | 1M |
| Pro | $50/mo | 1 | 2 vCPU | 4 GB | 50 GB | 5M |
| Max | $175/mo | 1 | 4 vCPU | 8 GB | 200 GB | 20M |
instanceLimit, compute tier, storage quota, and credit allowance tailored to the fleet. Reach out to [email protected] to set that up.
See Billing for how credits and top-ups work on the self-serve plans.
Security and persistence
- Instance configuration is encrypted at rest (AES-256-GCM).
- Secrets are stored separately from config and granted to instances by name.
- Suspending an instance removes the running container but preserves every workspace file for later recovery.
Related docs
Agents
The identity that lives on the instance.
Files
Browse, upload, and download workspace files.
Environment
Credentials and access control.
Integrations
Connect external services through secrets.