nemoclaw-setup

SKILL.md

NemoClaw Setup

Install NVIDIA NemoClaw — a sandboxed AI agent platform built on OpenClaw with Landlock + seccomp + network namespace isolation. Runs inside Docker via k3s (OpenShell).

What You Get

Sandboxed AI agent with web UI and terminal CLI

Powered by NVIDIA Nemotron models (cloud or local)

Network-policy-controlled access to external services

Optional remote access via Cloudflare Tunnel

Prerequisites

Requirement
Check
Install

Linux (Ubuntu 22.04+)
uname -a
—

Docker
docker ps
sudo apt install docker.io

Node.js 20+ (22 recommended)
node --version
nvm install 22

NVIDIA GPU (optional but recommended)
nvidia-smi
—

NVIDIA API key
—
https://build.nvidia.com/settings/api-keys

Workflow

Step 1: Pre-flight Checks

# Check Docker
docker ps 2>/dev/null || echo "Docker not running or no access"

# Check Node.js
node --version

# Check if already installed
which nemoclaw && nemoclaw --version
which openshell && openshell --version

If nemoclaw is already installed, skip to Step 4.

Step 2: Install NemoClaw

curl -fsSL https://nvidia.com/nemoclaw.sh | bash

This installs NemoClaw and OpenClaw via npm globally (to ~/.npm-global/bin/).

If the installer can't find Node.js, install it first:

curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_22.x | sudo -E bash -
sudo apt install -y nodejs

Step 3: Install OpenShell

curl -LsSf https://raw.githubusercontent.com/NVIDIA/OpenShell/main/install.sh | sh

Installs to ~/.local/bin/openshell.

Step 4: Fix Docker Permissions and cgroup

Docker group — the user must be in the docker group:

sudo usermod -aG docker $USER
newgrp docker
# or log out and back in

cgroup v2 fix — required for k3s inside Docker:

# Check if needed
grep cgroup2 /proc/filesystems && echo "cgroup v2 detected — fix needed"

# Apply fix (needs sudo)
sudo $HOME/.npm-global/bin/nemoclaw setup-spark

This adds "default-cgroupns-mode": "host" to /etc/docker/daemon.json and restarts Docker.

IMPORTANT: The nemoclaw setup-spark command also asks for an NVIDIA API key. Have it ready (starts with nvapi-). Get one at https://build.nvidia.com/settings/api-keys.

Step 5: Run Onboarding

PATH=$HOME/.npm-global/bin:$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH nemoclaw onboard

The interactive wizard will:

Check Docker and OpenShell

Start the OpenShell gateway (k3s in Docker)

Ask for a sandbox name — use claw or any name

Configure the NVIDIA API key

Set up inference (Nemotron 3 Super 120B via cloud API)

Launch OpenClaw inside the sandbox

Apply network policy presets — select the ones you need

Common port conflict: If port 8080 is in use, find and kill the process:

fuser -k 8080/tcp

Step 6: Verify

# Check sandbox is running
PATH=$HOME/.npm-global/bin:$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH nemoclaw claw status

# Connect via terminal
PATH=$HOME/.npm-global/bin:$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH nemoclaw claw connect

Step 7: Set Up Web UI Access

The web UI runs inside the sandbox and needs a port forward:

PATH=$HOME/.npm-global/bin:$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH openshell forward start 18789 claw

Then open: http://127.0.0.1:18789/

Known bug (OpenClaw ≤ v2026.3.11): "device identity required" error. Workaround — append the gateway token to the URL:

# Get the token
ssh -F /tmp/nemoclaw-ssh-config openshell-claw \
  "python3 -c \"import json; print(json.load(open('/sandbox/.openclaw/openclaw.json'))['gateway']['auth']['token'])\""

Then visit: http://127.0.0.1:18789/#token=<gateway-token>

Fix: Update to OpenClaw v2026.3.12+ (see Updating section below).

Step 8: Make the Port Forward Persistent

Create a health-checked keepalive script:

cat > ~/.local/bin/nemoclaw-keepalive.sh << 'KEEPALIVE'
#!/bin/bash
export PATH="$HOME/.npm-global/bin:$HOME/.local/bin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/bin"
cleanup() { kill %1 2>/dev/null; exit 0; }
trap cleanup SIGTERM SIGINT
while true; do
    fuser -k 18789/tcp 2>/dev/null; sleep 1
    openshell forward start 18789 claw &
    FORWARD_PID=$!; sleep 3
    while kill -0 $FORWARD_PID 2>/dev/null; do
        if ! curl -sf -o /dev/null --connect-timeout 3 http://127.0.0.1:18789/ 2>/dev/null; then
            echo "$(date): Health check failed, restarting..."
            kill $FORWARD_PID 2>/dev/null; wait $FORWARD_PID 2>/dev/null; break
        fi
        sleep 10
    done
    echo "$(date): Forward died, restarting in 3s..."; sleep 3
done
KEEPALIVE
chmod +x ~/.local/bin/nemoclaw-keepalive.sh

Create the systemd service:

sudo tee /etc/systemd/system/nemoclaw-forward.service << 'SERVICE'
[Unit]
Description=NemoClaw Port Forward with Health Check
After=docker.service
Requires=docker.service

[Service]
Type=simple
User=$USER
Group=docker
Environment=PATH=/home/$USER/.npm-global/bin:/home/$USER/.local/bin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/bin
ExecStart=/home/$USER/.local/bin/nemoclaw-keepalive.sh
Restart=always
RestartSec=5
KillMode=control-group

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target
SERVICE

sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable nemoclaw-forward
sudo systemctl start nemoclaw-forward

Step 9: Remote Access via Cloudflare Tunnel (Optional)

If you have a Cloudflare Tunnel already running, add NemoClaw to it.

Add DNS route:

cloudflared tunnel route dns <tunnel-name> nemoclaw.<domain>

Update tunnel config (/etc/cloudflared/config.yml):

  - hostname: nemoclaw.<domain>
    service: http://localhost:18789
    originRequest:
      httpHostHeader: "127.0.0.1:18789"

Restart tunnel:

sudo systemctl restart cloudflared

Update sandbox allowed origins — SSH into the sandbox and add your domain:

openshell sandbox ssh-config claw > /tmp/nemoclaw-ssh-config

ssh -F /tmp/nemoclaw-ssh-config openshell-claw 'python3 -c "
import json
with open(\"/sandbox/.openclaw/openclaw.json\") as f:
    config = json.load(f)
config[\"gateway\"][\"controlUi\"][\"allowedOrigins\"].append(\"https://nemoclaw.<domain>\")
config[\"gateway\"][\"trustedProxies\"] = [\"127.0.0.1\", \"::1\", \"172.0.0.0/8\", \"10.0.0.0/8\"]
config[\"gateway\"][\"allowRealIpFallback\"] = True
with open(\"/sandbox/.openclaw/openclaw.json\", \"w\") as f:
    json.dump(config, f, indent=2)
print(\"Done. Token:\", config[\"gateway\"][\"auth\"][\"token\"])
"'

Protect with Cloudflare Access — add the hostname to your Access application in the Zero Trust dashboard.

Access URL: https://nemoclaw.<domain>/#token=<gateway-token>

Step 10: Install Custom Skills

Skills are markdown files in /sandbox/.openclaw/skills/<name>/SKILL.md. SSH into the sandbox to create them:

ssh -F /tmp/nemoclaw-ssh-config openshell-claw
mkdir -p /sandbox/.openclaw/skills/my-skill
cat > /sandbox/.openclaw/skills/my-skill/SKILL.md << 'EOF'
---
name: my-skill
description: What this skill does.
tools: [exec, read, write]
---
# My Skill
Instructions for the agent...
EOF

Verify with: openclaw skills list

Step 11: Configure the Workspace

Update the workspace files so the agent knows who you are:

/sandbox/.openclaw/workspace/USER.md — your profile, preferences

/sandbox/.openclaw/workspace/TOOLS.md — available tools and access

/sandbox/.openclaw/workspace/SOUL.md — agent personality and behaviour

Updating OpenClaw

The sandbox bundles OpenClaw at install time. To update:

# 1. Update host-side packages
npm install -g openclaw@latest

# 2. Destroy and recreate sandbox
nemoclaw claw destroy
nemoclaw onboard

# 3. Reconfigure remote access (Step 9) and skills (Step 10)

Note: Sandbox network policies block npm/PyPI inside the sandbox. Updates must be done by rebuilding.

Troubleshooting

Issue
Cause
Fix

Docker is not running
Docker service stopped or user not in docker group
sudo systemctl start docker then newgrp docker

cgroup v2 detected
Docker not configured for cgroupns=host
sudo nemoclaw setup-spark

Port 8080 in use
Another service on that port
fuser -k 8080/tcp

nemoclaw: command not found
Not in PATH
PATH=$HOME/.npm-global/bin:$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH

device identity required
Bug in OpenClaw ≤ v2026.3.11
Append #token=<gateway-token> to URL, or update to v2026.3.12+

gateway token mismatch
Token changed after sandbox rebuild
Get new token from sandbox config

too many failed auth attempts
Rate limited from old token attempts
Restart gateway: ssh -F /tmp/nemoclaw-ssh-config openshell-claw 'pkill -f "openclaw gateway"; sleep 2; openclaw gateway &'

origin not allowed
Domain not in allowedOrigins
Add to gateway.controlUi.allowedOrigins in sandbox config

Port 18789 not responding
SSH tunnel died
sudo systemctl restart nemoclaw-forward (auto-recovers within 13s)

npm 403 Forbidden inside sandbox
Network policy blocking TLS
Cannot install packages inside sandbox — rebuild instead

Tunnel not found on DNS route
Wrong Cloudflare account/cert
Check cloudflared tunnel list matches your cert

Error 502 on Cloudflare
Tunnel connections dropped
sudo systemctl restart cloudflared

Assets 404 via Cloudflare
Browser not authenticated for sub-requests
Hard refresh (Ctrl+Shift+R) after Cloudflare Access login

Architecture

Docker (openshell-cluster-<name>)
  └─ k3s cluster
      ├─ NVIDIA device plugin
      └─ OpenShell sandbox
          ├─ OpenClaw agent
          ├─ NemoClaw plugin
          ├─ Gateway (WebSocket + REST)
          └─ Workspace (SOUL.md, USER.md, TOOLS.md, skills/)

Port forward (systemd): localhost:18789 ←SSH tunnel→ sandbox:18789
Cloudflare Tunnel (optional): nemoclaw.domain → localhost:18789

References

NemoClaw GitHub

OpenShell GitHub

OpenClaw docs

NemoClaw quickstart

awesome-nemoclaw presets

awesome-openclaw-skills

device auth bug fix