Security Hardening for OpenClaw on Azure

🛡️ Why Security Matters for AI Gateways

OpenClaw sits between your AI models and your messaging platforms. A compromised gateway means:

• Unauthorized access to your AI model API keys
• Ability to impersonate your bot on connected channels
• Access to conversation history and user data
• Potential API cost exposure

OpenClaw takes security seriously with multiple layers of protection. Let’s configure them properly for Azure.

🔐 Layer 1: Gateway Authentication Token

The gateway token is the first line of defense. It’s auto-generated during docker-setup.sh and stored in .env:

cd ~/openclaw
grep OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKEN .env

Best practices

• Never share the token in plain text
• Rotate it periodically:

  # Generate a new token
  NEW_TOKEN=$(openssl rand -hex 32)
  echo "New token: $NEW_TOKEN"
  
  # Update .env
  sed -i "s/OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKEN=.*/OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKEN=$NEW_TOKEN/" .env
  
  # Restart
  docker compose down
  docker compose up -d

• Use a strong token — at least 32 hex characters

📱 Layer 2: Device Pairing

OpenClaw requires browsers to pair with the gateway before accessing the Control UI. This creates a device identity tied to the browser’s secure context.

How device pairing works

1. Browser requests access → generates a device identity (requires HTTPS or localhost)
2. Gateway stores the request as “pending”
3. Operator approves via CLI
4. Browser is paired and can authenticate

Managing devices

# List all paired and pending devices
docker compose run --rm openclaw-cli devices list

# Approve a pending device
docker compose run --rm openclaw-cli devices approve <requestId>

# Revoke a device (if supported)
docker compose run --rm openclaw-cli devices list

Break-glass access

If you’re locked out and can’t pair (e.g., no HTTPS, no localhost):

# Generate a direct dashboard URL with token
docker compose run --rm openclaw-cli dashboard --no-open

Warning: The following flags should only be used temporarily for debugging:

• gateway.controlUi.allowInsecureAuth — allows token-only auth over HTTP
• gateway.controlUi.dangerouslyDisableDeviceAuth — disables device checks entirely

🌐 Layer 3: Network Security (Azure NSG)

Azure Network Security Groups (NSGs) are your perimeter defense.

Recommended NSG rules

Setting up via Azure CLI

# Allow SSH from your IP only
az network nsg rule create \
  --resource-group rg-openclaw \
  --nsg-name vm-openclaw-01NSG \
  --name AllowSSH \
  --priority 1000 \
  --destination-port-ranges 22 \
  --source-address-prefixes "<YOUR_IP>" \
  --protocol Tcp --access Allow

# Allow OpenClaw from your IP only (skip if using SSH tunnel)
az network nsg rule create \
  --resource-group rg-openclaw \
  --nsg-name vm-openclaw-01NSG \
  --name AllowOpenClaw \
  --priority 1001 \
  --destination-port-ranges 18789 18790 \
  --source-address-prefixes "<YOUR_IP>" \
  --protocol Tcp --access Allow

If using SSH tunnel only

You don’t need the OpenClaw NSG rule at all — just allow SSH:

OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_BIND=loopback  # in .env

🔒 Layer 4: CORS Origin Enforcement

When the gateway binds to non-loopback, OpenClaw enforces browser origin checks.

Explicit origins (recommended)

docker compose run --rm openclaw-cli config set \
  gateway.controlUi.allowedOrigins \
  '["https://openclaw.yourdomain.com"]'

Dangerous flags to avoid in production

🔏 Layer 5: HTTPS with Tailscale (Optional but Recommended)

For production deployments with remote access, HTTPS is the gold standard. Tailscale Serve is the easiest way to add HTTPS to OpenClaw:

Install Tailscale on the VM

curl -fsSL https://tailscale.com/install.sh | sh
sudo tailscale up

Expose OpenClaw via Tailscale Serve

sudo tailscale serve https / http://127.0.0.1:18789

Now access the Control UI at:

https://<your-machine-name>.<your-tailnet>.ts.net/

Benefits:

• Automatic HTTPS certificates
• No public ports needed
• Device authentication works properly (secure context)
• Access from any Tailscale-connected device

🔍 Layer 6: Built-in Security Audit

OpenClaw includes a security audit command that checks your configuration:

docker compose run --rm openclaw-cli security audit

This command checks for:

Example audit output

The audit will report findings with severity levels and remediation suggestions. Address all critical findings before going to production.

📋 Security Checklist

Before running OpenClaw in production on Azure:

• Gateway token is strong (32+ hex chars) and stored securely
• .env file has restricted permissions (chmod 600 .env)
• NSG rules restrict access to your IP(s) only
• Bind mode is loopback (SSH tunnel) or lan with explicit allowedOrigins
• No dangerous* flags enabled in production
• Device pairing is active (not disabled)
• security audit reports no critical findings
• Bot tokens (Discord, etc.) are valid and not exposed
• HTTPS via Tailscale Serve or reverse proxy (for remote access)
• Regular token rotation schedule established

⏭️ Next Steps

Now let’s look at common deployment issues: Troubleshooting OpenClaw Docker Deployments.