Abstract: A SetupClaw deployment is only complete when the customer can operate OpenClaw safely without waiting for vendor intervention. That means handoff is part of the security and reliability model, not an afterthought. This guide explains the practical handoff pack that keeps a Hetzner-hosted OpenClaw setup operable after go-live: access boundaries, command-level runbooks, cron and Telegram SOPs, change-control guardrails, and recovery drills.
Many automation failures appear at ownership handoff, not installation.
The assistant responds in week one, everyone assumes the hard work is done, and then the first real incident arrives. A token rotates, a scheduled job misses, the server restarts, or Telegram behaviour changes in a group. If the team cannot diagnose and recover safely in that moment, the setup was never truly finished.
That is why SetupClaw handoff should be treated as a product deliverable, not documentation hygiene. If the customer cannot run the system after day one, reliability and security are still vendor-dependent.
Start with the most important operational distinction
Before any checklist, the customer needs one clear boundary: state directory versus workspace.
State is where runtime-critical data lives, such as service config, credentials, and session artefacts (for example ~/.openclaw, depending on deployment). Workspace is where runbooks, memory notes, and operational docs live (for example your project workspace path).
If this boundary is unclear, backup and restore become guesswork. Teams often recover one side and forget the other, then discover inconsistent behaviour later. A proper handoff names both paths explicitly and ties each to a backup and restore rule.
Deliverable 1: one-page access map
The access map should answer one question quickly: who can control what, through which path?
Include Telegram control path, gateway/control UI access model, SSH or Tailscale route for operators, and which surfaces are private-only by default. Keep it short enough to use during incidents.
This document reduces risky improvisation when someone needs urgent access.
Deliverable 2: security baseline sheet
This is the “current safe posture” page, not a generic policy document.
It should capture SSH and firewall expectations, gateway auth assumptions, Telegram allowlist and mention-gating defaults, token/key locations, and named rotation owners. It should also include explicit “never do this as a quick fix” guidance.
Under pressure, negative guidance matters as much as positive guidance.
Deliverable 3: “run this first” command card
Non-specialist operators need deterministic first checks.
Provide a short command card for service status, gateway status, logs, doctor checks, channel status, and cron health checks. Include expected healthy output patterns, not just command syntax.
Without expected outputs, operators still guess. With expected outputs, they can classify incidents faster and escalate with better evidence.
Deliverable 4: cron reliability SOP
Scheduled automations are where trust accumulates or collapses.
Your SOP should define timezone assumptions, when to use at versus recurring schedules, timeout and retry defaults, idempotency expectations (safe repeated execution), and post-restart verification steps.
A cron setup without ownership and verification routine usually fails silently first.
Deliverable 5: Telegram operations SOP
Telegram often looks stable until policy drifts.
Document DM policy, group mention-gating behaviour, channel mode choices, and troubleshooting order for delivery failures. Separate transport-level problems from authorization-policy problems so teams do not reboot healthy services to fix policy issues.
This keeps channel incidents contained and easier to resolve.
Deliverable 6: PR-only change-control SOP
Even in small teams, AI-assisted config or code changes need review boundaries.
The handoff should define what the assistant may propose, what requires review, branch protection assumptions, and emergency rollback path. Emergency fixes may happen, but durable fixes should still be auditable.
PR-only habits prevent incident fixes from becoming undocumented future risk.
Deliverable 7: memory governance note
Memory is useful only when curated.
Document what belongs in durable memory, stable runbook constraints, key operating decisions, and what should stay transient or excluded, especially sensitive material. This protects retrieval quality and data hygiene over time.
Unmanaged memory becomes operational noise and privacy risk.
Deliverable 8: incident matrix for recurring failures
A concise incident matrix is one of the highest-value handoff assets.
Cover common failures like auth mismatch, webhook errors, restart regressions, rate limits, cron misses, and browser drift. For each row: symptom, likely cause, command check, expected output, rollback action, escalation owner.
Ownership should be explicit. “Team” is not ownership.
Deliverable 9: backup and restore recipe
Backup claims are easy. Restore confidence is hard.
Document what to back up (state plus workspace), cadence, restore order, and post-restore validation before reopening automation. Include migration path to a fresh Hetzner node as a drill scenario.
Set a minimum restore-test cadence (for example monthly or quarterly) and record proof of the last successful restore.
A backup never tested in restore is an assumption, not a control.
Deliverable 10: ownership and operating cadence
Handoff is operational only when responsibilities are assigned.
Define weekly checks (status/logs/cron), monthly rotations, quarterly recovery drills, and named owners per checklist row. This creates continuity when team members change or priorities shift.
No owner means no action.
Practical implementation steps
Step 1: prepare the handoff template before implementation starts
Use a fixed structure so critical sections are never skipped under time pressure.
Step 2: populate with environment-specific details
Replace placeholders with actual paths, IDs, roles, commands, and expected outputs.
Step 3: run a guided validation session
Walk through status, logs, one cron smoke test, and one Telegram policy check with the customer.
Step 4: run an operator-led drill without intervention
Have the customer execute the same checks independently. Any confusion found here is a handoff gap to fix before sign-off.
Step 5: schedule a 30-day handoff review
Review policy drift, incident trends, token rotation status, and cron reliability. Update the handoff docs as living operational assets.
Pass criteria for sign-off should be explicit: operator completes status/log checks, one cron smoke test, one Telegram policy test, and one rollback simulation without implementer intervention.
This is the practical promise behind SetupClaw Basic Setup (£249): not just a working OpenClaw deployment, but a customer-ready operability pack that keeps the system safe and maintainable after go-live, with clear accountability when incidents happen.