Known Limitations

What you can and can't do in the managed ClawBlitz environment.

ClawBlitz provides a fully managed OpenClaw hosting environment. This means you get a ready-to-use AI bot without worrying about servers, updates, or infrastructure — but it also means there are some things you cannot customize or control directly. This page documents all known limitations.

No Package Installation

You cannot run pip install, npm install, or install any system packages. The bot environment comes with all supported skills pre-installed.

$ pip install requests
ERROR: Operation not permitted. Packages cannot be installed in the managed environment.

If you need a skill or package that isn't available, contact support and we'll evaluate adding it to the platform.

No Root or SSH Access

You do not have root access and cannot SSH into your bot. All interaction with your bot happens through the chat interface (via your bot's URL with gateway token) or through the ClawBlitz dashboard. You cannot modify system files, change OS-level settings, or run arbitrary system commands.

Browser-Based OAuth Requires External Setup

OAuth flows that require opening a browser window (like Gmail or other Google services) cannot be completed directly from within the bot, since there is no browser on the server. You must complete the OAuth setup on your local machine and transfer the credentials to your bot.

For Gmail specifically, the setup uses gogcli with the --remote flag:

  • • Create OAuth credentials in the Google Cloud Console (Desktop app type)
  • • Set a keyring password locally via GOG_KEYRING_PASSWORD and run gog auth add --remote
  • • Transfer credentials to your bot via chat, then set the same keyring password in the ClawBlitz dashboard

See the full Integrations guide for step-by-step Gmail setup instructions.

Managed Environment

The server environment is fully managed by ClawBlitz. You cannot:

  • • Modify system configuration files
  • • Change the OpenClaw version (updates are managed by ClawBlitz)
  • • Add custom startup scripts or hooks
  • • Open additional ports or run other services alongside OpenClaw
  • • Use a custom domain for your bot endpoint (your bot is accessible via the ClawBlitz-provided URL)

macOS-Only Skills Disabled

Since your bot runs on a Linux-based server, skills that depend on macOS APIs are unavailable. The following skills are disabled:

apple-notes

Requires macOS Notes.app

apple-reminders

Requires macOS Reminders.app

bear-notes

Requires Bear app (macOS/iOS)

imsg

Requires macOS Messages.app

Use cross-platform alternatives instead: Notion for notes, Trello for task management, Telegram or Discord for messaging.

No Custom MCP Servers Requiring Browser Auth

MCP (Model Context Protocol) servers that require browser-based authentication during setup will not work. The managed environment cannot open a browser to complete OAuth handshakes. MCP servers that authenticate via API keys or tokens configured through the dashboard work fine.