Step 4: Prepare your Contabo VPS
Order a Contabo VPS and get the API credentials Office Claws needs to set it up.
Your agent runs on a VPS in your own Contabo account. In this step you order the server and get API credentials, so that Office Claws can find and set up the server for you.
Step 1: Create a Contabo account
Sign up at contabo.com if you don't have an account yet.
Step 2: Order a VPS
- Go to Cloud VPS and pick a plan. 4 vCPU / 8 GB RAM is recommended; see requirements.
- Choose any region.
- Under Image, choose Ubuntu 24.04.
- Set a root password and save it somewhere safe. Office Claws doesn't use it, but you need it to sign in through Contabo's VNC console if you ever have to fix the server by hand (see Troubleshooting).
- Complete the order.
Contabo usually delivers the server within minutes, but it can take up to a few hours. You will get an email when it's ready.
Already have a VPS with data on it? You can use it, but Office Claws installs Docker, changes the firewall, and closes public SSH. For a clean, predictable result, use a new VPS, or first reinstall Ubuntu 24.04 on it from the Contabo control panel (Reinstall). That erases the disk.
Step 3: Get your API credentials
Office Claws uses the Contabo API to find your servers and to install its SSH key on the one you pick. You need four values:
- Open my.contabo.com/api/details.
- Copy the Client ID.
- Copy the Client Secret.
- Your API User is your Contabo login email.
- The API Password is a separate password for the API. It is not your website login password. If you've never set one, click Set password on the same page and choose one.
Keep these four values handy. The CLI will ask for them in Step 6.
| CLI prompt | Where to find it |
|---|---|
Contabo client ID | API details page → Client ID |
Contabo client secret | API details page → Client Secret |
Contabo API user (email) | Your Contabo login email |
Contabo API password | The API password you set on the API details page |
The CLI checks these credentials and saves them in your system keychain. They are never sent to Office Claws servers.