How to enable SSH access on your server

What is SSH access?

SSH (Secure Shell) is a way to connect to your server from a terminal on your own computer and run commands directly. With SSH, you have sudo-level access to the operating system on your dedicated VPS, including reading and writing files, installing extra packages, inspecting processes, and editing configuration outside of what the OneClickClaw dashboard offers.

OneClickClaw uses dedicated VPS instances on Webdock infrastructure in Denmark. SSH access talks straight to that VPS over an encrypted connection. It does not go through any OneClickClaw shared services. This works the same on OpenClaw and Hermes Agent servers. On a Hermes Agent server your SSH user has sudo, while on a newly built server the agent itself runs as an ordinary user without administrator rights.

Why is it opt-in?

OneClickClaw is designed as a fully managed service. The dashboard and our automation cover everything most customers ever need. Direct SSH access lets you change things our automation does not know about, which is great when you want full control, and it also means changes you make are your responsibility.

For that reason, SSH access is off by default. You opt in only if you actually want it. SSH access comes with every paid plan. On the free trial it is locked: the tab shows Locked on the free trial and a See plans button.

How to enable it

Open the SSH Access tab

From your dashboard, open the server you want SSH on, then click the SSH Access tab on the server page. The tab appears once the server is ready.

Click Enable SSH Access

Click Enable SSH Access. A window explains what changes: you leave the "fully managed" experience for what you change yourself, you are responsible for what you do on the server, and you agree to keep the server within our Infrastructure Terms. It also tells you that we take a safety snapshot first.

Tick both boxes and confirm

Tick both checkboxes ("I understand SSH access takes me out of the managed-service umbrella" and "I agree to keep my server within the Infrastructure Terms"), then click Enable SSH Access.

What changes after you enable it

The following happens when you confirm:

We try to take a safety snapshot of your server first, so you can roll back to this moment later. The Safety snapshot panel shows whether it was taken.
We create your own shell user on the server, with sudo. Its name looks like occcust_1428. Until you add a key, no one can log in with it.
The tab now shows SSH Access is on, your connection details (username, server IP and the command to connect), and room for up to 5 keys.
You leave the "fully managed" coverage for the changes you make yourself. We are not responsible for problems caused by changes you make over SSH.
We record when SSH is turned on or off, key changes, and when a key was last used, see our Privacy Policy.

Note

Turning SSH on sends no email. We email you each time a key is added or removed.

The safety snapshot

The Safety snapshot panel in the SSH Access tab shows the snapshot we took before SSH was enabled. If something you changed breaks your server, click Restore from snapshot, type RESTORE to confirm, and click Restore. Your server rolls back to the moment right before SSH access was enabled: every change made since then is erased, including files you uploaded, configuration you changed and SSH keys you added. The Safety snapshot panel updates by itself when the restore is done.

How to disable it

In the SSH Access tab, click Disable SSH. The window explains that your SSH user and all keys are removed from the server, that anyone currently using SSH is disconnected, and that you need to add keys again if you re-enable SSH later. Type DISABLE and click Disable SSH Access. No email is sent.

Note

Disabling SSH does not roll back any changes you made while SSH was on. To undo them, use Restore from snapshot in the Safety snapshot panel, or contact support.