OpenClaw instances created before on-demand Chrome sessions were introduced run the agent and browser together inside oneDocumentation Index
Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://claworc.com/docs/llms.txt
Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
glukw/openclaw-vnc-* container. New instances use a slim agent image plus a separate browser pod that starts on first use and stops when idle.
This page walks an admin through migrating an existing instance to the on-demand layout.
What changes
- The agent runs
glukw/claworc-agentcontinuously; the browser runs as its own pod fromglukw/claworc-browser-*and is provisioned on demand. - The Chrome profile (sign-ins, cookies, extensions) is preserved.
- The migration is one-way — you cannot revert to the embedded browser layout afterwards.
Before you start
You must be an admin to run the migration. Confirm the following first:| Prerequisite | Where to set it |
|---|---|
default_agent_image is set | Admin Settings. Default glukw/claworc-agent:latest. |
| Agent image is reachable from the cluster or Docker host | Your registry |
default_browser_image (optional) | Admin Settings. Used when an instance has no browser image set. |
default_browser_provider (optional) | Admin Settings. kubernetes, docker, or auto. |
default_browser_storage (optional) | Admin Settings. PVC size for the browser volume (e.g. 10Gi). |
Kubernetes only. The control plane ServiceAccount must have the
update verb on apps/deployments, services, and networking.k8s.io/networkpolicies. Charts shipped before this was fixed are missing update on these resources, which causes both the migration rollout and the on-demand browser start to fail with a 403. If you’re on an older chart, see Troubleshooting.Run the migration
Open the instance detail page
From the dashboard, click the instance you want to migrate. Legacy instances show a migration banner at the top of the page.
Click Migrate to on-demand browser
The control plane runs the migration as a background task. A toast shows live progress: updating the database row, rolling out the new agent image, and recording the browser session.
What gets preserved
- Chrome profile, sign-ins, cookies, and extensions
- Homebrew packages installed inside the agent
openclaw.jsonand other agent configuration- SSH keys and persistent home directory
Troubleshooting
If the migration fails, the instance is automatically reverted to its legacy image so you can retry safely.default_agent_image setting is empty
The migrator stops before touching the instance. Open admin Settings, set default_agent_image (e.g. glukw/claworc-agent:latest), and click Migrate again.
rollout new agent image: …
The new agent image could not be pulled. Make sure the tag exists in the registry your cluster or Docker host uses. For self-hosted setups, you can build the image locally:
cannot update resource ... (Kubernetes RBAC)
The same root cause produces several errors depending on which step fails:
update verb on one or more of deployments, services, and networkpolicies. The deployments error blocks the migration; the services and networkpolicies errors block the on-demand browser from starting after migration.
Pick one recovery path:
-
Upgrade the Helm chart (recommended) — the current chart grants
updateon all three resources: -
Or patch the live Role without redeploying. The exact rule indices depend on your chart version — check with
kubectl get role claworc -n claworc -o yamland locate the rules fordeployments,services, andnetworkpolicies. For the chart that introduced this bug, the rule indices are0,1, and8: