The kubectl plugin for the OpenClaw Kubernetes Operator.
Full lifecycle management for your self-hosted AI agents — create, configure, debug, and operate — all from the terminal.
The OpenClaw operator manages OpenClawInstance custom resources on Kubernetes. This plugin gives you a purpose-built CLI so you never have to wrangle raw YAML to manage your agents.
Set an alias and it feels like a native tool:
alias claw="kubectl openclaw"claw create my-agent --skills web-search --chromium
claw status my-agent
claw logs my-agent -f
claw skills add my-agent code-analysis
claw env set my-agent ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-...
claw enable my-agent ollama --models llama3
claw open my-agent
kubectl krew install openclawbrew install openclaw-rocks/tap/kubectl-openclawDownload from Releases, extract, and place in your $PATH:
# macOS (Apple Silicon)
curl -L https://github.com/openclaw-rocks/kubectl-openclaw/releases/latest/download/kubectl-openclaw-darwin-arm64.tar.gz | tar xz
sudo mv kubectl-openclaw /usr/local/bin/
# macOS (Intel)
curl -L https://github.com/openclaw-rocks/kubectl-openclaw/releases/latest/download/kubectl-openclaw-darwin-amd64.tar.gz | tar xz
sudo mv kubectl-openclaw /usr/local/bin/
# Linux (amd64)
curl -L https://github.com/openclaw-rocks/kubectl-openclaw/releases/latest/download/kubectl-openclaw-linux-amd64.tar.gz | tar xz
sudo mv kubectl-openclaw /usr/local/bin/go install github.com/openclaw-rocks/kubectl-openclaw@latest# 1. Create an agent
claw create my-agent --skills web-search --chromium --python
# 2. Watch it come up
claw status my-agent
claw events my-agent
# 3. Set your API keys (via a Kubernetes Secret)
kubectl create secret generic my-keys --from-literal=ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-...
claw env add-secret my-agent my-keys
# 4. Access the UI
claw open my-agent
# or port-forward if no ingress:
claw port-forward my-agent
# 5. Shell in for debugging
claw exec my-agent
# 6. Tail the logs
claw logs my-agent -f| Command | Description |
|---|---|
claw create NAME |
Create a new instance with flags for image, skills, sidecars, resources |
claw delete NAME |
Delete an instance (prompts for confirmation, backs up by default) |
claw restart NAME |
Restart by recycling pods (StatefulSet recreates them) |
claw upgrade NAME TAG |
Update the container image tag or digest |
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
claw list |
List all instances with phase, readiness, and gateway endpoint |
claw status NAME |
Rich status: phase, endpoints, sidecars, conditions, pods, backup, auto-update |
claw logs NAME |
Stream logs with -f, --tail, --since, --timestamps, -c CONTAINER |
claw events NAME |
Kubernetes events for the instance, its pods, and StatefulSet |
claw config NAME |
View the effective openclaw.json from the managed ConfigMap |
claw config edit NAME |
Edit the inline config in $EDITOR and apply it |
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
claw exec NAME |
Interactive shell (TTY) into the instance pod, or a specific sidecar |
claw port-forward NAME |
Forward gateway (18789) and canvas (18793) to localhost |
claw open NAME |
Open the canvas UI in your browser (detects ingress/LoadBalancer) |
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
claw skills NAME |
List installed skills |
claw skills add NAME SKILL... |
Add ClawHub skills or npm: packages |
claw skills remove NAME SKILL... |
Remove skills |
claw env NAME |
List env vars and envFrom sources |
claw env set NAME KEY=VAL... |
Set environment variables |
claw env unset NAME KEY... |
Remove environment variables |
claw env add-secret NAME SECRET |
Mount a Secret as an environment source |
claw env remove-secret NAME SECRET |
Remove a Secret from environment sources |
claw enable NAME SIDECAR |
Enable a sidecar: chromium, tailscale, ollama, web-terminal |
claw disable NAME SIDECAR |
Disable a sidecar |
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
claw backup NAME |
Show backup schedule, last backup time/path, active jobs |
claw restore NAME PATH |
Trigger a restore from an S3 backup path |
claw doctor |
Cluster checks: CRD installed, operator running, webhooks configured |
claw doctor NAME |
Instance checks: phase, pod health, storage, all 14 condition types |
claw create researcher \
--skills web-search,summarize \
--ollama --ollama-models llama3,codellama \
--cpu 2 --memory 4Gi --storage 50Gi# Create the auth key secret first
kubectl create secret generic ts-key --from-literal=authkey=tskey-auth-...
# Enable Tailscale with Funnel for public access
claw enable my-agent tailscale --auth-secret ts-key --mode funnel --hostname my-agentclaw config edit my-agent
# Opens $EDITOR with the openclaw.json — save and quit to applyclaw doctor my-agent
# === Cluster Checks ===
# [PASS] OpenClawInstance CRD installed
# [PASS] OpenClaw operator running
# [PASS] Webhooks configured
#
# === Instance Checks: my-agent ===
# [PASS] Instance "my-agent" exists
# [FAIL] Instance "my-agent" phase is Running
# Current phase: Degraded
# [PASS] Pod for "my-agent" is healthy
# [PASS] Storage for "my-agent" is ready
# [FAIL] Condition SecretsReady
# Secret "my-api-keys" not found
claw events my-agent
# LAST SEEN TYPE REASON OBJECT MESSAGE
# 2m Warning SecretNotFound OpenClawInstance/my-agent Secret "my-api-keys" not found# Check the last backup
claw backup my-agent
# Last Backup:
# Path: s3://my-bucket/openclaw/my-agent/2026-03-10T020000Z
# Time: 2026-03-10T02:00:00Z (1d ago)
# Restore
claw restore my-agent s3://my-bucket/openclaw/my-agent/2026-03-10T020000Z
# Watch the restore
claw status my-agent# Upgrade to a new release
claw upgrade my-agent v1.5.0
# Add a new capability
claw enable my-agent web-terminal
# Give it a new skill
claw skills add my-agent calendar-management
# Check resource usage and conditions
claw status my-agent
# Restart after config changes
claw restart my-agent# Bash
kubectl-openclaw completion bash > /etc/bash_completion.d/kubectl-openclaw
# Zsh
kubectl-openclaw completion zsh > "${fpath[1]}/_kubectl-openclaw"
# Fish
kubectl-openclaw completion fish > ~/.config/fish/completions/kubectl-openclaw.fish- Kubernetes 1.28+
- OpenClaw operator installed in the cluster
kubectlconfigured with cluster access
- OpenClaw Operator — the Kubernetes operator this plugin manages
- OpenClaw — the AI agent platform
- openclaw.rocks — fully managed OpenClaw hosting
Contributions are welcome. Please open an issue to discuss significant changes before submitting a PR.
git clone https://github.com/openclaw-rocks/kubectl-openclaw.git
cd kubectl-openclaw
make build
make testApache License 2.0 — see LICENSE for details.