OpenClaw Local Development with Kind

💡 Quick Answer: Run ./scripts/k8s/create-kind.sh to create a local Kind cluster (auto-detects Docker or Podman), then export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="..." && ./scripts/k8s/deploy.sh to deploy OpenClaw. Access via kubectl port-forward svc/openclaw 18789:18789 -n openclaw.

The Problem

You want to test OpenClaw on Kubernetes before deploying to a real cluster, but setting up a full K8s environment is heavy. You need a lightweight, disposable local cluster that works with either Docker or Podman and tears down cleanly when you’re done.

The Solution

Step 1: Install Prerequisites

# Install Kind
go install sigs.k8s.io/kind@latest
# Or via package manager
brew install kind  # macOS

# Verify container runtime
docker info  # or podman info
kubectl version --client
kind version

Step 2: Create the Kind Cluster

The OpenClaw bootstrap script auto-detects your container engine:

./scripts/k8s/create-kind.sh

Under the hood, it creates a single-node cluster:

kind: Cluster
apiVersion: kind.x-k8s.io/v1alpha4
nodes:
- role: control-plane
  labels:
    openclaw.dev/role: control-plane
  # Uncomment to expose services on host ports:
  # extraPortMappings:
  # - containerPort: 30080
  #   hostPort: 8080
  #   protocol: TCP

The script handles:

• Engine detection — tries Podman first, falls back to Docker
• Existing cluster check — skips creation if already running
• Node readiness — waits up to 120s for all nodes to be Ready
• Context switching — sets kubectl context to kind-openclaw

Step 3: Deploy OpenClaw

export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="sk-ant-..."
./scripts/k8s/deploy.sh

The deploy script:

1. Creates the openclaw namespace
2. Generates a gateway token and stores it in a Kubernetes Secret
3. Applies all manifests via Kustomize
4. Waits for rollout to complete

# Access the gateway
kubectl port-forward svc/openclaw 18789:18789 -n openclaw
open http://localhost:18789

# Get the gateway token
kubectl get secret openclaw-secrets -n openclaw \
  -o jsonpath='{.data.OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKEN}' | base64 -d

Step 4: Verify Deployment

# Check all resources
kubectl get all -n openclaw

# Expected output:
# NAME                           READY   STATUS    RESTARTS   AGE
# pod/openclaw-xxx-yyy           1/1     Running   0          60s
#
# NAME               TYPE        CLUSTER-IP     PORT(S)     AGE
# service/openclaw   ClusterIP   10.96.x.x      18789/TCP   60s
#
# NAME                       READY   UP-TO-DATE   AVAILABLE   AGE
# deployment.apps/openclaw   1/1     1            1           60s

# Check logs
kubectl logs -n openclaw deploy/openclaw -f

graph LR
    A[create-kind.sh] -->|Auto-detect| B{Docker or Podman?}
    B -->|Docker| C[Kind + Docker]
    B -->|Podman| D[Kind + Podman]
    C --> E[Kind Cluster]
    D --> E
    E -->|deploy.sh| F[OpenClaw Namespace]
    F --> G[Secret + ConfigMap]
    F --> H[PVC 10Gi]
    F --> I[Deployment]
    F --> J[Service ClusterIP]
    I -->|port-forward| K[localhost:18789]

Expose via Host Ports (Optional)

For testing without port-forward, uncomment extraPortMappings in the Kind config:

nodes:
- role: control-plane
  extraPortMappings:
  - containerPort: 30789
    hostPort: 18789
    protocol: TCP

Then change the Service to NodePort:

apiVersion: v1
kind: Service
metadata:
  name: openclaw
spec:
  type: NodePort
  ports:
    - port: 18789
      nodePort: 30789

Teardown

# Remove OpenClaw only
./scripts/k8s/deploy.sh --delete

# Destroy the entire cluster
./scripts/k8s/create-kind.sh --delete

Common Issues

”Podman is installed but not responding”

Start the Podman machine:

podman machine start

Kind Cluster Creation Hangs

Usually a resource issue. Ensure Docker/Podman has enough memory (≥4GB):

docker info | grep "Total Memory"

PVC Stuck in Pending

Kind uses the standard StorageClass with rancher.io/local-path provisioner by default. If it’s missing:

kubectl get sc
# Should show 'standard (default)'

Best Practices

• Use Kind for testing only — not for production workloads
• Name clusters descriptively — ./scripts/k8s/create-kind.sh --name openclaw-dev
• Clean up after testing — Kind clusters consume container resources
• Use --show-token — ./scripts/k8s/deploy.sh --show-token prints the token for quick local testing
• Test manifest changes locally — always verify in Kind before pushing to production clusters

Key Takeaways

• Kind creates disposable local K8s clusters in seconds using Docker or Podman
• The OpenClaw bootstrap scripts auto-detect your container engine
• Deploy with a single command: export API_KEY=... && ./scripts/k8s/deploy.sh
• Access via kubectl port-forward or host port mappings
• Tear down completely with --delete on both scripts