Running OpenClaw for multiple users requires isolation and security layers

A developer shared their experience running OpenClaw for multiple users, highlighting that while OpenClaw works well as a personal assistant for single users, scaling to multiple users introduces significant security and operational challenges.

Key Challenges with Multi-User OpenClaw

The developer identified several specific problems when trying to run OpenClaw for multiple users:

• Isolating users properly
• Keeping secrets out of the runtime
• Giving agents files without sharing a real filesystem
• Exposing bash without giving away the machine
• Keeping state while not having a 24/7 running instance

The developer noted that Peter (likely OpenClaw creator) has said OpenClaw is meant more like a personal assistant, not a multi-user business system.

The Infrastructure Solution

To address these challenges, the developer built a thin infrastructure layer around OpenClaw with these components:

• One gateway for Slack, Telegram, WhatsApp, and Discord integration
• One isolated worker per user/thread
• Virtual bash (just-bash sandboxing) instead of broad host access
• A virtual filesystem per worker
• Secrets kept in the gateway, not inside workers, with outbound traffic proxied/filtered
• Persistent state with scale-to-zero workers

The developer used this setup for wedding planning, tax return help, prenup/agreement drafting, and small business administration workflows. They also set up OpenClaw for two friends getting married, though maintenance and upgrading proved challenging.

Open Source Project

The solution is available as a fully open-source project at https://github.com/lobu-ai/lobu.

The developer notes that getting OpenClaw to run wasn't the hard part—the challenge was making it usable for multiple people without creating security and operational problems.