Instance Not Starting

If your instance is stuck in Starting or Stopped status and does not transition to Running, follow these steps to diagnose and resolve the issue.

Step 1: Check Your Subscription

Your instance requires an active subscription to run.

1. Go to your OpenClaw Dashboard.
2. Navigate to Billing.
3. Verify your subscription shows as Active.

If your subscription is cancelled or expired, you need to reactivate it before your instance can start.

Step 2: Verify Payment

A failed payment can cause your instance to stop.

1. In Billing, check Invoice History.
2. Look for any invoices marked as Failed or Past Due.
3. If a payment failed, update your payment method and retry.

info

Stripe will automatically retry failed payments a few times over several days. If all retries fail, your subscription is paused and your instance is stopped.

Step 3: Try Retry Provision

If your subscription is active and payment is current, the instance may need to be reprovisioned.

1. Go to Instance in the dashboard.
2. Click Retry Provision (if the button is available).
3. Wait 1-2 minutes for provisioning to complete.

This creates a fresh pod for your instance while preserving your existing configuration and data.

Step 4: Check for Platform Issues

Occasionally, infrastructure issues can prevent instances from starting. Check:

• Is the dashboard itself loading normally? If the dashboard is slow or unresponsive, there may be a platform-wide issue.
• Try refreshing the page after a few minutes.

Step 5: Contact Support

If none of the above steps resolve the issue:

1. Note your instance status and any error messages shown in the dashboard.
2. Check the logs if available -- even partial logs before a failure can be helpful.
3. Contact support with:
   • Your account email
   • The current instance status
   • Any error messages or log entries
   • When the issue started

tip

Most startup issues are resolved within minutes. The most common cause is an expired payment method, so always check billing first.