Quick Start

Pick an agent, launch it, connect your channels. About 60 seconds.

Prerequisites

• A LaunchPod account (sign up free)
• An API key from your preferred LLM provider (Anthropic, OpenAI, OpenRouter, etc.)
• A messaging channel token if you want bots on Telegram/Discord

That's it. No Node, no Docker, no SSH keys. The web dashboard handles everything.

Web Dashboard — the easy path

The fastest way to launch a bot is from the dashboard at launchpod.dev/account.

1. Sign in — click "Sign Up" on the homepage and log in with email, Google, or GitHub.
2. Start your trial — drop in a payment method. First month free, cancel anytime.
3. Click "Create Instance" — pick a framework from the list of 4, confirm, and we'll spin up a dedicated VM in about 60 seconds.
4. Open the browser terminal — once your instance shows "running", click the terminal button. An xterm.js session opens right in your browser — no SSH client needed.
5. Run the onboard wizard — inside the terminal, follow the prompts to paste your LLM key and connect a messaging channel.

Supported Frameworks

LaunchPod supports 4 open-source agent frameworks. Pick one at instance creation — you can always spin up a new instance to try a different one.

OpenClaw ships with the latest 2026.4.8 release, which patches 8 critical CVEs and adds a bunch of new integrations.

CLI (optional, for power users)

Prefer the terminal? The LaunchPod CLI does everything the dashboard does, plus tailing logs and shell access. Install it with npm:

Then run:

You now have a full bash shell on your VM. From here you can run the framework's onboard wizard and connect your channels.

Onboard Your Agent

Each framework has its own onboarding flow. For OpenClaw, the wizard runs automatically when you first connect:

For other frameworks, check that project's own README for setup — LaunchPod installs the framework cleanly on a fresh Ubuntu 24.04 VM, so any steps the upstream docs mention will work as-is.

Managing Your Instance

You can manage your instance from the web dashboard or the CLI — both hit the same API.

From the web dashboard

Head to launchpod.dev/account. You'll see your instance status, resource usage, and a terminal button that opens an xterm.js session right in your browser. No SSH setup, no local config.

From the CLI

If you closed your terminal, reconnect anytime:

Check status and resource usage:

Tail logs in real time:

To disconnect from a terminal session, type exit or press Ctrl+D. Your instance keeps running in the background.

Plan & Specs

One plan, $9/mo, first month free. Every agent runs on a dedicated Hetzner Cloud VM.

Every instance runs Ubuntu 24.04 LTS with Node.js 22 + Python, Cloudflare tunnels (no exposed ports), automated daily backups, browser terminal, and CLI access.

Need more AI credits? Buy extra packs anytime — 500 for $5, 1,200 for $10, or 3,500 for $25.

Billing

Manage your subscription from the web dashboard or the CLI:

From the Stripe billing portal you can:

• View your current plan and billing history
• Update your payment method
• Cancel your subscription

If you cancel during the free first month, you pay nothing. After that, cancellations take effect at the end of your current billing cycle — your instance stays live until then.

Troubleshooting

Common issues and quick fixes.

Terminal connection keeps dropping

Symptoms: The browser or CLI terminal closes unexpectedly.

Fixes:

• Check your internet connection — the terminal needs a stable WebSocket.
• If the instance just provisioned, SSH may take a few seconds to initialize. The dashboard and CLI retry automatically.
• Reload the browser tab, or run launchpod connect <name> again.
• Terminal access is only available when the instance status is awaiting_setup or running.

Can't connect to instance

Error: Terminal connection failed

Fixes:

• Verify the instance is running at launchpod.dev/account or via launchpod status <name>.
• If status is failed, cancel and create a new instance.
• If you're behind a corporate VPN or firewall, check that WebSocket connections aren't blocked.

CLI login fails or times out

Symptoms: launchpod login opens your browser but never completes.

Fixes:

• Finish the sign-in flow in the browser window.
• Make sure popups aren't blocked for api.launchpod.dev.
• Try again — the CLI polls for up to 2 minutes.

Commands fail with "Unauthorized"

Error: Failed to authenticate. Please run: launchpod login

Fix: Your session probably expired (CLI tokens last 30 days). Re-authenticate:

Instance stuck in "provisioning"

Symptoms: Instance shows "provisioning" for more than 5 minutes.

Fixes:

• Refresh the dashboard or run launchpod list.
• If stuck for more than 10 minutes, email hello@santuri.io with your instance name.
• As a last resort, cancel via the billing portal and recreate the instance.

"No active subscription" when creating an instance

Fix: Start your free trial from the account page:

This opens Stripe checkout. After subscribing, try again.

Subscription is active but instance creation still fails

Fixes:

• Wait 1–2 minutes for the Stripe webhook to process.
• Log out and back in to refresh your session.
• If it's still failing after 5 minutes, email hello@santuri.io.

Terminal shows a blank screen

Fixes:

• Press Enter to trigger a prompt.
• Resize the terminal window (triggers a refresh).
• Disconnect and reconnect.

Still stuck?

Email hello@santuri.io — real humans respond. Include your instance name and we'll dig in.

CLI Reference

All available commands in the LaunchPod CLI: