Host OpenClaw on a Mac mini that never sleeps

Why OpenClaw needs an always-on host

OpenClaw is an open source AI assistant under the MIT license. You talk to it from chat apps such as WhatsApp, Telegram, Slack and iMessage. Its site gives examples like sorting your inbox, managing your calendar and checking you in for flights.

The core is the Gateway, a process that has to keep running. OpenClaw's FAQ lists the downside of running it on your laptop. Sleep and network drops disconnect it. Updates and reboots interrupt it. It says a dedicated host has fewer of those interruptions. We read OpenClaw's site, README and docs on October 17, 2026.

When the host has to be a Mac

OpenClaw also runs on Linux, and on Windows through WSL2. So you need a Mac only for Mac features. The big one is iMessage. OpenClaw's FAQ says iMessage needs some macOS device signed into Messages. It adds that any Mac works, not only a Mac mini.

Its iMessage docs say OpenClaw supports iMessage through a tool called imsg only. You set up imsg on the Mac signed into Messages. Then you grant it Full Disk Access and Automation. Apple decides whether to activate iMessage for an Apple ID, so we cannot promise it. Test it on a day pass first. The FAQ says other macOS-only tools need a Mac too. If you need none of these, a small Linux server costs less than any Mac.

What you get on a MacRun agent Mac

• A dedicated M6 Mac mini with 16 GB of memory and a 256 GB SSD. No one else uses it.
• Sleep is off, and the login session comes back after a reboot. The Mac is on wired ethernet with battery backup.
• Admin rights, so you can install OpenClaw, Node and anything else it needs.
• The desktop in a browser tab, from "Open my Mac" in your portal.
• SSH and screen sharing over a private Tailscale network. There is no public SSH port.
• Claude Code and Codex, installed. OpenClaw is not preinstalled.

The full list is on the agent Mac page.

Set up OpenClaw on it

You install OpenClaw yourself. It takes Node 24.16 or newer. The README shows one onboarding command that also installs the Gateway as a background service. During onboarding you pick a model provider and sign in to it. You pay that provider for usage, apart from the Mac.

Our guide on installing OpenClaw on a Mac mini shows each command. For iMessage, open the desktop in your browser. Sign in to Messages with your own Apple ID, then follow the imsg steps.

What OpenClaw may do here

Personal assistants like OpenClaw are allowed on the agent plan. It may work on your own accounts, such as your email, calendar and chats. It may send your own messages to people you know, the way you would.

One rule matters. Every Mac in our rack shares one internet address. One Mac that sends spam can get that address blocked for every customer. So bulk or unsolicited messages are not allowed, on any chat app. We suspend a Mac that sends them. Our acceptable use policy and terms have the details.

Your accounts stay on your Mac

Your OpenClaw setup, your provider sign-in and your Apple ID live on the Mac you rent. It is your Mac for the whole lease. We do not read your agent conversations.

When a monthly plan ends, access stops at the end of the paid period. Then the Mac is wiped. A day or week pass is wiped when the time is up. The volume is securely erased and the Mac is restored to a clean image before anyone else uses it. Copy anything you want to keep first.

Apple's macOS license sets its own rules for a leased Mac. Our post on the license quotes the section.

Prices

• By the month: $169 a month. The first month is $127. Cancel any month from your portal.
• For a day: $15, paid once.
• For a week: $59, paid once.

A day or week pass renews nothing. Passes are sold while a Mac is free. The Mac is ready in under 5 minutes.

Rent or buy

A base M6 Mac mini is $899 at Apple. That is a little more than 5 months of our agent plan. If you want OpenClaw for years, buying is cheaper. Our Mac mini for OpenClaw guide covers which one to buy. Renting makes sense if you want it running today, or want to stop any month.

The short facts

• The Macs are in our own private facility in New Jersey, United States.
• Live uptime for every Mac is on our status page.
• Email support@macrun.dev and a person answers, usually within the hour.
• One customer per Mac. We wipe it between customers.

Who should not rent this

• You want to send bulk messages or email. Every Mac shares one internet address, so we suspend a Mac that does.
• You do not need iMessage or other Mac apps. A Linux server costs less.
• You plan to run OpenClaw for years. Buying a Mac mini is cheaper.
• You want a free trial. We do not offer one.