01Three failure modes when stacks share one host
Parallel installs feel cheap until coordination debt arrives. Two agents on one tree create racey writes duplicated tokens and poisoned caches that resemble flaky networking.
- Shared OPENCLAW_HOME: Both agents resolve relative paths for logs and temp bundles so the second boot inherits half wired state.
- Port 18789: Duplicate plist integers yield in use errors or partial binds that drop TLS at random.
- Disk cliffs: Past eighty five percent utilization on 1TB SKUs latency spikes even when CPU idles.
02APAC versus US West rent thresholds
Prefer metrics over vibes. Heavy US SaaS edges point to US West purchase. Singapore or Tokyo operators under one hundred twenty ms budgets lean APAC via Singapore or sibling pages in help.
| Signal | Favor APAC nodes | Favor US West nodes |
|---|---|---|
| Median operator RTT to gateway | Under ninety ms from East Asia offices | Under ninety ms from US Pacific offices |
| Upstream API geography | Mostly APAC CDNs or regional compliance data | Mostly US East or US West SaaS edges |
| Parallel instance count per Mac | Keep two only if disk tier is 2TB and logs rotate nightly | Same rule plus confirm egress caps in console notes |
03OPENCLAW_HOME isolation matrix
Export before installers or doctors so children inherit the right root. Never symlink two homes into one folder unless you want nondeterministic merges.
| Instance | Recommended path pattern | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Alpha gateway | ~/openclaw-alpha |
Stable default for production adjacent traffic |
| Beta canary | ~/openclaw-beta |
Isolates experimental models without touching alpha caches |
| CI burst | ~/openclaw-ci |
Lets you delete the whole tree between jobs without scrubbing user defaults |
04Port 18789 collisions launchctl and lsof
Start with listeners not opinions. Offset integers in a sheet add twenty for beta forty for CI so grep stays obvious.
List listeners
lsof -nP -iTCP:18789 -sTCP:LISTEN
lsof -nP -iTCP:18809 -sTCP:LISTENPrint the owning job
sudo launchctl print system/com.example.openclaw.alpha
sudo launchctl print gui/$(id -u)/com.example.openclaw.betaCompare environment stanzas from each print block. If arguments diverge from ports you have split brain. Reload only after OPENCLAW_HOME and port variables align.
051TB versus 2TB disk headroom parameter checklist
Disk pressure masquerades as TLS timeouts. Track df weekly and treat the table as gates.
| Parameter | 1TB tier guidance | 2TB tier guidance |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable free space floor | Keep one hundred twenty GB free before enabling dual gateways | Keep two hundred GB free when running three heavy log streams |
| Log rotation cadence | Daily compress plus weekly purge | Weekly compress with monthly cold archive off box |
| Model cache budget | Single large bundle plus one spare slot | Parallel bundles for alpha and beta without sharing paths |
06openclaw doctor merge for reviewers
Run doctor per home after exporting OPENCLAW_HOME. Paste transcripts under clear headings so reviewers see merged health without re SSHing. Treat each doctor block as a diff against upstream defaults merge keys into that home json only then restart one LaunchAgent label at a time so rollback stays surgical.
07Six step runbook before a second instance
- Region: Apply the matrix then reserve on purchase.
- Homes: mkdir each tree user writable only.
- Ports: Encode offsets in plist env and configs then bounce services.
- Sockets: lsof every expected listener.
- launchd: launchctl print per label into the ticket.
- Doctor: Run per home attach logs plus df.
08Citable facts for design reviews
09FAQ for platform leads
One home if only one agent runs? Sequential runs work if services stop cleanly. Parallel overlaps still need split homes because daemons linger.
Egress blocks? Expect normal cloud policy. Compare TLS failures to the region matrix before blaming OpenClaw.
Which SKU? Start US West purchase for Pacific stacks or APAC pages from the hub plus blog updates.
10Paste ready checklist
- Homes: Unique OPENCLAW_HOME per instance in ticket header.
- Ports: Sheet row per plist plus lsof attachment.
- launchd: launchctl print excerpt beside plist hash.
- Disk: df snapshot tier 1TB or 2TB signed.
- Doctor: Merged transcripts with deltas highlighted.
Pass the checklist open pricing for disk math then help for policy detail.
Reserve the node tier that matches your port matrix
Open purchase for regions and parallel slots compare pricing for disk bumps read the help center for SSH gateway limits and use console when you renew or resize inventory.