Your Own AI Assistant on a VPS
A 20-lesson curriculum that takes you from zero to a fully operational AI assistant running on your own server — connected to Telegram, powered by Claude, contributing to Gitea.
Start Lesson 1What You'll Build
OpenClaw on a Vultr VPS, connected to Telegram, powered by Claude's API, with memory, scheduled updates, your own domain, and a private Gitea instance.
What It Costs
~$38–78/month total. Mostly VPS hosting (~$28) and Claude API usage (~$10–50). One-time domain cost of ~$12/year.
What You Need
A computer, a credit card, and willingness to follow terminal commands. No prior server experience required — just follow each lesson.
Curriculum
Phase 1: Preparation
- 1 Keep an AI Chat Tool Open ~$20/mo
- 2 Privacy.com Account $0
- 3 Set Up Bitwarden $0
- 4 Create a Dedicated Email (Proton Mail) $0
Phase 2: Server Setup
- 5 Purchase Your Vultr VPS ~$28/mo
- 6 First Login — SSH and Security $0
- 7 Install Docker $0
Phase 3: OpenClaw + Telegram
Phase 4: The Brain
- 10 Get a Claude API Key ~$100–1,000/mo
- 11 Multi-Model Routing $0
Phase 5: Memory & Automation
- 12 Memory and Transcripts $0
- 13 Scheduled Telegram Updates $1–5/mo
Phase 6: Domain & Web Services
- 14 Get a Domain from Porkbun ~$12/yr
- 15 Install Caddy $0
Phase 7: Gitea
- 16 Install Gitea $0
- 17 Using Gitea $0
Phase 8: Maintenance & Knowledge
Bonus
Budget Summary
| Phase | One-Time Cost | Monthly Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Preparation | $0 | ~$20 (AI chat subscription) |
| Server Setup | $0 | ~$28 (VPS + backups) |
| OpenClaw + Telegram | $0 | $0 |
| The Brain | $0 | ~$100–1,000 (API usage) |
| Memory & Automation | $0 | ~$1–5 (cron job API usage) |
| Domain & Web Services | ~$12/year | $0 |
| Gitea | $0 | $0 |
| Total | ~$12 | ~$150–1,050/month |