Abstract: A SetupClaw deployment is not finished when the bot responds. It is finished when the customer can run it safely without you in the loop. This deep-dive explains the handoff package that makes OpenClaw operable after go-live: clear access boundaries, command-level runbooks, incident recovery paths, ownership, and validation drills. The goal is practical independence, not documentation for documentation’s sake.
Many expensive failures appear after a successful launch. Not because the platform is fundamentally broken, but because day-two operations are unclear. Someone changes a token, a reboot happens, a cron job misses once, and no one knows what to check first.
That is why handoff is part of the product. In SetupClaw terms, if the customer cannot diagnose and recover safely after day one, the setup is incomplete even if everything looked perfect in the final demo.
The first boundary customers must understand: state directory vs workspace
If this is not clear, backups and recovery become guesswork.
The state directory contains runtime artefacts such as service state, credentials, and session-related data (for example ~/.openclaw, path may vary by deployment). The workspace contains runbooks, memory notes, and operating documentation (for example your project workspace path).
State supports system continuity. Workspace supports operator continuity. A strong handoff documents both explicitly, with backup and restore expectations for each.
Deliverable one: one-page access map
The access map should answer one question quickly: how do approved operators reach and control the system safely?
Include gateway bind/access model, Telegram control path, approved operator identities, and the secure remote access method in use (typically SSH or Tailscale patterns). Keep it concise enough for incident use.
If access guidance is scattered across pages, operators will improvise under pressure.
Deliverable two: security baseline checklist
The baseline should include current SSH/firewall posture, gateway auth expectations, DM and group policy defaults, token rotation ownership, and explicit “do not expose” rules.
The important part is explicit negative guidance. Under stress, teams remember convenience faster than policy.
A good checklist prevents “temporary” unsafe workarounds becoming permanent architecture.
Deliverable three: operations command card
Non-specialist operators need deterministic first commands.
Provide exact command set for status, logs, doctor checks, restart, channel checks, and cron health. Include expected healthy output patterns so operators can distinguish normal from abnormal quickly.
This single artefact reduces panic and shortens mean time to recovery more than most teams expect.
Deliverable four: cron reliability SOP
Automation trust depends on scheduling reliability. Your SOP should define when to use one-shot vs recurring schedules, timezone assumptions, retry/idempotency defaults, and post-restart cron verification.
Idempotency should be explained in plain language: if a task runs twice, it should not create duplicate damage.
Without this, teams often discover cron drift only after a customer-visible miss.
Deliverable five: Telegram safety SOP
Telegram is often the operational surface, so policy drift here creates frequent incidents.
Document allowlist IDs, mention-gating defaults, DM policy, channel mode choice, and troubleshooting order for delivery failures. Separate transport failure checks from authorization-policy checks.
This avoids full-stack panic when the issue is channel policy.
Deliverable six: PR-only change safety SOP
Even non-dev teams need safe change boundaries when AI-assisted workflows touch code or config.
Handoff should define where proposals are made, what review gates apply, and how rollback works. Emergency edits can restore service quickly, but unreviewed permanent fixes are a common source of recurring incidents.
PR-only here is not ceremony. It is controlled memory for system changes.
Deliverable seven: memory governance note
Memory improves operations when curated, and becomes liability when unmanaged.
Document what should be stored durably, stable decisions, runbook facts, policy constraints, and what should stay out, especially sensitive material that does not need durable retention.
This improves retrieval quality and reduces long-term data hygiene risk.
Deliverable eight: top-incident matrix
A concise matrix should cover common failures such as webhook mismatch, auth errors, rate limits, restart regressions, browser drift, and cron misses.
For each incident include symptom, likely cause, exact commands, expected outputs, rollback path, and escalation owner. Ownership should be a named role, not “team”.
This turns debugging from intuition into repeatable operations.
Deliverable nine: backup and restore checklist
Backup plans fail most often at restore time.
Handoff should define what is backed up, cadence, restore test frequency, and migration drill path to a fresh Hetzner node. Set a minimum restore-test cadence (for example monthly or quarterly) and record proof of the last successful restore.
If restore has never been tested, resilience is assumed, not proven.
Deliverable ten: ownership model and operator drill
Document who owns daily ops, security rotations, publishing checks, and approval for risky changes.
Then validate handoff with a 30-minute operator drill where the customer performs status, logs, one cron smoke test, one Telegram policy check, and one rollback simulation without SetupClaw intervention.
Pass criteria: the operator completes this sequence without external help.
Practical implementation steps
Step one: create a fixed handoff template
Use a standard ten-deliverable structure so critical sections are never skipped.
Step two: fill it with deployment-specific values
Replace placeholders with real paths, IDs, owner names, commands, and expected outputs.
Step three: run live verification before sign-off
Walk through command card and incident matrix with the customer to validate documentation quality.
Step four: run an independent operator drill
Observe failure points and update docs immediately based on real operator behaviour.
Step five: schedule a 30-day review
Check for policy drift, token rotation status, cron reliability, and repeat incidents. Update handoff docs as living operational assets.
This handoff-first approach is exactly what SetupClaw Basic Setup (£249) is designed to deliver: a system that stays operable after go-live, with clear ownership, safer recovery, and less hidden support dependency as usage grows.