Symptom

When deploying OpenClaw using Docker, the container exits immediately after starting. Checking the logs reveals the following error:

docker: Error response from daemon: OCI runtime create failed: container_linux.go:345:
starting container process caused: exec: /usr/local/bin/docker-entrypoint.sh: permission denied: unknown.

Or:

Error: ENOENT: no such file or directory, stat '/app/config/openclaw.config.js'

Root Cause Analysis

  1. File Permission Issues: The ENTRYPOINT script in the Dockerfile lacks execution permissions.
  2. Incorrect Mount Paths: The configuration file is not correctly mounted to the specified path inside the container.
  3. Improper Working Directory Setup: The working directory (WORKDIR) of the container is not set correctly.
  4. Missing Environment Variables: Required environment variables are not passed in the docker run command.

Solution

1. Check and Fix the Dockerfile

Ensure the Dockerfile correctly sets the entry script permissions:

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FROM node:18-alpine

WORKDIR /app

COPY package*.json ./
RUN npm install --production

COPY . .

RUN chmod +x docker-entrypoint.sh

ENTRYPOINT ["./docker-entrypoint.sh"]
CMD ["openclaw", "start"]

2. Correctly Mount Configuration Files

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docker run -d \
  --name openclaw \
  -p 3000:3000 \
  -v $(pwd)/openclaw.config.js:/app/config/openclaw.config.js \
  -v openclaw-data:/app/data \
  -e NODE_ENV=production \
  openclaw/openclaw:latest

Create docker-compose.yml:

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version: '3.8'

services:
  openclaw:
    image: openclaw/openclaw:latest
    container_name: openclaw
    ports:
      - "3000:3000"
    volumes:
      - ./openclaw.config.js:/app/config/openclaw.config.js
      - openclaw-data:/app/data
    environment:
      - NODE_ENV=production
      - PORT=3000
    restart: unless-stopped

volumes:
  openclaw-data:

Start the service:

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docker-compose up -d

4. Check Logs to Pinpoint the Issue

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# View container logs
docker logs openclaw

# View logs in real-time
docker logs -f openclaw

# View detailed logs
docker logs --details openclaw

5. Verify File Permissions Inside the Container

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# Enter the container for inspection
docker exec -it openclaw /bin/sh

# Check file permissions
ls -la /app/

# Check configuration files
ls -la /app/config/

Common Errors & Solutions

Error Message Cause Solution
permission denied Script lacks execution permissions Add chmod +x in Dockerfile
ENOENT: no such file Incorrect configuration file path Check the -v mount path
ECONNREFUSED Database connection failed Check environment variables and network configuration
Module not found Dependencies not installed Rebuild the image

Verification

After successful deployment, verify using the following commands:

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# Check container status
docker ps | grep openclaw

# Test API endpoint
curl http://localhost:3000/api/health

# View container resource usage
docker stats openclaw

Additional Information

  • Official Docker Image: openclaw/openclaw
  • Recommended to use Docker Compose for production deployments
  • Regularly update the image to receive the latest security patches