RepoAssistant logoRepoAssistant
← All guides

Multi-agent deployment guide

Run multiple OpenClaw agents on one VPS without resource wars

OpenClawVPSDocker

Short answer

A fleet of 3-6 specialized OpenClaw agents running 24/7 on a single VPS, each with its own identity, channels, and workspace, auto-restarting on failure.

Why this matters

Running multiple AI agents on one machine without process isolation leads to resource contention, crashed agents, and lost context. Each agent needs its own config, workspace, and port.

Walkthrough

  1. 01

    Design your agent roles

    Decide which agents you need and what each one owns before writing any config.

    • Define roles: coordinator, coder, support, research, QA, marketing.
    • Each agent gets its own port, workspace directory, and channel bot tokens.
    • The coordinator manages task routing; specialists execute.
  2. 02

    Create isolated workspaces per agent

    OpenClaw stores memory, config, and credentials per workspace. Duplicate the structure for each agent.

    • Create directories: mkdir -p ~/openclaw/{coordinator,coder,support}/data
    • Each workspace has its own SOUL.md, MEMORY.md, AGENTS.md, and TOOLS.md.
    • Assign a unique port per agent: coordinator on 18789, coder on 18790, support on 18791.
  3. 03

    Deploy with Docker Compose multi-service

    Define all agents as separate services in one docker-compose.yml for single-command management.

    • Each service uses the same image but different volume mounts and ports.
    • Set AGENT_NAME and AGENT_ROLE environment variables per service.
    • Use --restart unless-stopped so every agent survives reboots.
  4. 04

    Rate-limit across agents

    Six agents hitting the same API provider will hit rate limits. Build a failover chain.

    • Primary provider: highest-quality model (Claude Sonnet).
    • Secondary provider: same tier, different API key for overflow.
    • Tertiary provider: cheaper model (GPT-4o-mini) as emergency fallback.
  5. 05

    Monitor the fleet

    An unmonitored multi-agent setup fails silently. Add health checks and alerts.

    • Each container gets a health check endpoint on its assigned port.
    • Use Uptime Robot or a cron script to check every 5 minutes.
    • Post alerts to a dedicated Telegram or Discord channel.

Where RepoAssistant fits

Setting up a multi-agent fleet requires careful config. RepoAssistant deploys and wires your entire OpenClaw team on one VPS: fixed price.

Primary sources