<\/p>
How do OpenClaw and Ollama work together?<\/strong><\/h2>OpenClaw and Ollama work together by pairing an AI agent gateway (OpenClaw<\/a>) with a local AI model runner (Ollama). This connection lets OpenClaw use Ollama to process prompts and run private AI workflows without commercial API fees.<\/p>When you send a message through Telegram, Slack, or another messaging channel connected to OpenClaw, the OpenClaw Gateway (a background process that manages messaging channels, agent sessions, tools, and model connections) forwards your request to Ollama<\/a>.<\/p>Ollama then processes the request with your selected AI model and sends the response back through the Gateway to the messaging app.<\/p>
This workflow lets you interact with the AI agent directly from your preferred messaging platform without opening the OpenClaw or Ollama interface.<\/p>
This setup offers three main advantages:<\/p>
\n- Greater privacy.<\/strong> Ollama can process prompts and responses on your own infrastructure instead of sending them to a commercial AI provider.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- More predictable costs.<\/strong> You don’t pay per-token API fees, although you still need to cover server, electricity, and maintenance costs.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- More control.<\/strong> You can choose which supported model to run and manage where OpenClaw stores and processes your data.<\/li>\n<\/ul>
How to configure OpenClaw with Ollama on a VPS<\/strong><\/h2>To configure OpenClaw with Ollama on a VPS, check the system requirements, install Ollama on the VPS, configure Ollama in OpenClaw, and choose an AI model. Then, test the connection and secure your setup if needed.<\/p>
1. Check the prerequisites<\/strong><\/h3>Before setting up Ollama with OpenClaw, make sure you have a working OpenClaw installation. The resources you need depend on where Ollama runs and whether you use a local or cloud model.<\/p>
\n- Same VPS<\/strong>. Allow enough RAM, CPU, and storage for OpenClaw, Ollama, and your chosen local model.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Separate servers<\/strong>. Size the OpenClaw VPS for OpenClaw and the Ollama server for the local model. The OpenClaw VPS doesn’t need to load the model itself.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Cloud models:<\/strong> Ollama runs the model remotely, so your VPS doesn’t need enough RAM or storage to load the full model.<\/li>\n<\/ul>
For local Ollama models<\/a>, check the download size to plan storage. Note that RAM requirements also depend on the context window and other running services.<\/p>If you don’t have a VPS to set up OpenClaw<\/a> and Ollama, you can purchase one from a reliable provider such as Hostinger.<\/p>Hostinger offers a preconfigured OpenClaw template<\/a>, so you don’t need to install OpenClaw manually through the command-line interface (CLI).<\/p>Simply choose a VPS plan based on the resource requirements of the model you want to run. For reference, Hostinger’s KVM 4 plan includes 16 GB of RAM. Check your model’s memory use before selecting a plan, especially if OpenClaw and Ollama will share the same VPS.<\/p>
After you complete the purchase, Hostinger will deploy the preconfigured OpenClaw environment for you.<\/p>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/imagedelivery.net\/LqiWLm-3MGbYHtFuUbcBtA\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/02\/VPS-hosting-banner.png\/w=1024,h=1024,fit=scale-down\")
<\/a><\/figure>2. Install Ollama on your VPS<\/strong><\/h3>You can install Ollama<\/a> on the same VPS as OpenClaw, or on a separate one to isolate resource usage and give Ollama access to more powerful hardware.<\/p>The installation process is nearly identical for both setups. First, update the package index and install curl<\/a>:<\/p>sudo apt update && sudo apt install curl -y<\/pre>Then, run Ollama’s official installation script:<\/p>
curl -fsSL https:\/\/ollama.com\/install.sh | sh<\/pre>Run the following command to confirm that Ollama was installed successfully:<\/p>
ollama --version<\/pre>The installation script configures Ollama as a system service. Check its status with:<\/p>
systemctl status ollama<\/pre>If the service isn’t running, start it with:<\/p>
sudo systemctl start ollama<\/pre>You can also configure Ollama to start automatically when the server boots:<\/p>
sudo systemctl enable ollama<\/pre>If you installed Ollama on a separate VPS, note its IP address. You’ll need it later when configuring Ollama as the AI model provider in OpenClaw. Hostinger VPS customers can find the IP address in Hostinger dashboard by going to VPS → Manage → Overview → IP<\/strong>.<\/p>![\"The](\"https:\/\/imagedelivery.net\/LqiWLm-3MGbYHtFuUbcBtA\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/08\/hpanel-vps-ip-highlighted.png\/w=1024,h=1024,fit=scale-down\" "\\"hpanel-vps-ip-highlighted\\"")
When you send a message through Telegram, Slack, or another messaging channel connected to OpenClaw, the OpenClaw Gateway (a background process that manages messaging channels, agent sessions, tools, and model connections) forwards your request to Ollama<\/a>.<\/p> Ollama then processes the request with your selected AI model and sends the response back through the Gateway to the messaging app.<\/p> This workflow lets you interact with the AI agent directly from your preferred messaging platform without opening the OpenClaw or Ollama interface.<\/p> This setup offers three main advantages:<\/p> To configure OpenClaw with Ollama on a VPS, check the system requirements, install Ollama on the VPS, configure Ollama in OpenClaw, and choose an AI model. Then, test the connection and secure your setup if needed.<\/p> Before setting up Ollama with OpenClaw, make sure you have a working OpenClaw installation. The resources you need depend on where Ollama runs and whether you use a local or cloud model.<\/p> For local Ollama models<\/a>, check the download size to plan storage. Note that RAM requirements also depend on the context window and other running services.<\/p> If you don’t have a VPS to set up OpenClaw<\/a> and Ollama, you can purchase one from a reliable provider such as Hostinger.<\/p> Hostinger offers a preconfigured OpenClaw template<\/a>, so you don’t need to install OpenClaw manually through the command-line interface (CLI).<\/p> Simply choose a VPS plan based on the resource requirements of the model you want to run. For reference, Hostinger’s KVM 4 plan includes 16 GB of RAM. Check your model’s memory use before selecting a plan, especially if OpenClaw and Ollama will share the same VPS.<\/p> After you complete the purchase, Hostinger will deploy the preconfigured OpenClaw environment for you.<\/p> You can install Ollama<\/a> on the same VPS as OpenClaw, or on a separate one to isolate resource usage and give Ollama access to more powerful hardware.<\/p> The installation process is nearly identical for both setups. First, update the package index and install curl<\/a>:<\/p> Then, run Ollama’s official installation script:<\/p> Run the following command to confirm that Ollama was installed successfully:<\/p> The installation script configures Ollama as a system service. Check its status with:<\/p> If the service isn’t running, start it with:<\/p> You can also configure Ollama to start automatically when the server boots:<\/p> If you installed Ollama on a separate VPS, note its IP address. You’ll need it later when configuring Ollama as the AI model provider in OpenClaw. Hostinger VPS customers can find the IP address in Hostinger dashboard by going to VPS → Manage → Overview → IP<\/strong>.<\/p>\n
How to configure OpenClaw with Ollama on a VPS<\/strong><\/h2>
1. Check the prerequisites<\/strong><\/h3>
\n
<\/a><\/figure>2. Install Ollama on your VPS<\/strong><\/h3>
sudo apt update && sudo apt install curl -y<\/pre>
curl -fsSL https:\/\/ollama.com\/install.sh | sh<\/pre>
ollama --version<\/pre>
systemctl status ollama<\/pre>
sudo systemctl start ollama<\/pre>
sudo systemctl enable ollama<\/pre>