How to Fix OpenClaw Docker Container Crashing
Docker containers crashing in restart loops are particularly challenging to debug because logs may not persist between crashes. Whether your OpenClaw container is being OOMKilled, failing on startup due to missing volumes, or crashing from network connectivity issues, this guide provides a systematic approach to diagnosis and resolution.
Why This Is Hard to Do Yourself
These are the common pitfalls that trip people up.
OOMKilled by Docker daemon
Container exceeds memory limits and is killed, restarting indefinitely
Missing or corrupt volume mounts
Database files, config files, or skill directories not properly mounted
Network connectivity failures
Cannot reach LLM provider APIs, database, or other services
Mismatched image versions
Using :latest tag that pulled breaking changes, or pinned to broken version
Step-by-Step Guide
Check container exit status
Identify whether the container is crashing or being killed by Docker.
# See all containers including stopped ones:
docker ps -a | grep openclaw
# Check exit code:
docker inspect openclaw --format='{{.State.ExitCode}}'
# Exit codes:
# 0 = clean exit (shouldn't restart)
# 137 = SIGKILL, often OOMKilled
# 139 = SIGSEGV, segmentation fault
# 1 = general error
# Check if OOMKilled:
docker inspect openclaw --format='{{.State.OOMKilled}}'Examine container logs
Review logs from the crashed container to find error messages and stack traces.
# Get logs from last crash:
docker logs openclaw --tail 200
# Follow logs in real-time:
docker logs -f openclaw
# Get logs from all restart attempts:
docker logs openclaw --since 1h
# Look for:
# - "Cannot find module" (missing dependencies)
# - "ENOENT" (missing files/volumes)
# - "ECONNREFUSED" (network issues)
# - "JavaScript heap out of memory" (needs more RAM)Increase container memory limits
If being OOMKilled, allocate more memory to the container.
# Check current memory limit:
docker inspect openclaw --format='{{.HostConfig.Memory}}'
# Stop and remove container:
docker stop openclaw
docker rm openclaw
# Recreate with higher memory limit:
docker run -d \
--name openclaw \
--memory="4g" \
--memory-swap="4g" \
-p 3000:3000 \
openclaw/openclaw:latest
# Or update docker-compose.yml:
services:
openclaw:
mem_limit: 4g
mem_reservation: 2gVerify volume mounts and permissions
Ensure all required volumes are mounted and accessible inside the container.
# Inspect mounted volumes:
docker inspect openclaw --format='{{json .Mounts}}' | jq .
# Check if volumes exist on host:
ls -la /var/lib/openclaw/data
ls -la /var/lib/openclaw/config
# Test volume access inside container:
docker exec openclaw ls -la /app/data
docker exec openclaw cat /app/config/config.json
# Fix permissions if needed:
sudo chown -R 1000:1000 /var/lib/openclaw
# Recreate with correct volumes:
docker run -d \
-v /var/lib/openclaw/data:/app/data \
-v /var/lib/openclaw/config:/app/config \
openclaw/openclaw:latestPin to stable image version
Stop using :latest and lock to a known-good version to prevent auto-updates breaking your setup.
# List available tags:
curl -s https://registry.hub.docker.com/v2/repositories/openclaw/openclaw/tags | jq .
# Pull specific version:
docker pull openclaw/openclaw:1.2.3
# Update docker-compose.yml:
services:
openclaw:
image: openclaw/openclaw:1.2.3 # Not :latest
# Or in docker run:
docker run -d openclaw/openclaw:1.2.3
# Document which version is running:
docker exec openclaw cat /app/VERSIONTest container in interactive mode
Run the container interactively to see startup errors in real-time.
# Stop the crashing container:
docker stop openclaw
# Run interactively with shell:
docker run -it --rm \
--name openclaw-debug \
-p 3000:3000 \
openclaw/openclaw:latest \
/bin/bash
# Inside container, manually start OpenClaw:
node server.js
# Or:
python main.py
# Watch for startup errors
# Once working, exit and recreate with -d (detached)Stuck in Restart Loop Hell?
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