Before You Buy: Preparation Guide

Get these 4 things ready and your AI assistant will be live within 10 minutes after purchase.

Total prep time: ~30-40 min (first time) · ~10 min if experienced

1

Hetzner Cloud Server

~15-20 min $4.15/mo (€3.79)

This is where your AI assistant runs 24/7. Hetzner is a German cloud provider offering the best price-to-performance ratio with 99.9% uptime and GDPR compliance.

Other providers (AWS, DigitalOcean, etc.) work too, but Hetzner is 3-5x cheaper for the same specs. That's why we chose it.

Create an Account

Go to console.hetzner.cloud and sign up.
Complete email verification.
ID verification is required. Hetzner asks for a passport or government ID photo for your first account. Approval usually takes a few hours to 1 business day.

ID verification is the longest step. Do it early. If you apply on a weekend, you may have to wait until Monday.

Create a Server

Hetzner Console → Create a Project (any name)
Click Add Server
Location: Falkenstein (fsn1) or Helsinki (hel1) (cheapest)
Image: Ubuntu 24.04
Type: CAX11 (Arm64, 2 vCPU, 4GB RAM) — €3.79/mo (~$4.15)
SSH Key: register your SSH public key here. See the "SSH Key" section below to create one.
Create & Buy now → note your server's IP address.
2

Tailscale VPN

~5 min Free (personal use)

Tailscale creates a secure VPN tunnel to your server. Once installed, your server is invisible to the public internet — only your authenticated devices can connect.

Sign Up + Install

Go to tailscale.com → sign up with Google, Microsoft, or GitHub (fastest)
Install Tailscale on your computer — Mac: App Store, Windows: tailscale.com/download
Open the app and log in. Your device automatically joins the Tailscale network.
Want to access your server from your phone? Install the Tailscale app on iOS/Android too.

You do NOT need to install Tailscale on the server. The ClawTurm setup script does that automatically. Only install it on your personal devices (computer, phone).

Extra Security: Enable 2FA

Enable two-factor authentication on your Tailscale account for an extra layer of security. Even if someone gets your password, they can't access your network without the authenticator code.

Go to Tailscale dashboard → Settings → Authentication.
Enable 2FA (Two-Factor Authentication).
Scan the QR code with Google Authenticator, Microsoft Authenticator, or similar.
From now on, logging in requires both your password and an authenticator code.

2FA is optional but strongly recommended. All server access goes through Tailscale, so your Tailscale account security = your server security.

3

Claude AI Connection

~5-10 min Choose one option below

This is your AI's brain. You can connect it in two ways — choose whichever suits you best.

Why Claude?

We tested GPT, Gemini, Llama, and others. Claude consistently outperforms for personal assistant tasks — better context understanding, fewer mistakes, and excellent multilingual support.

Want to switch models later? Just tell your AI assistant: "Switch my model to Haiku." It will update its own config.

Recommended

Option A: Claude Pro + Setup Token

Zero risk of surprise bills. Fixed $20/mo with a set usage allowance. No metered billing. Strongly recommended for first-time users.

Go to claude.ai, sign up, and subscribe to Pro or higher ($20/mo).
Install Claude Code (CLI) on your computer:

Mac (Terminal):

brew install claude-code

Or via npm (Mac/Windows):

npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code
Run this command in your terminal:
claude setup-token
A browser window opens — log in with your Claude account. Once authenticated, an OAuth token is generated.
Use this token instead of an API key during setup. Usage stays within your Pro subscription — no surprise costs.

Pro subscription is the safest option. Your costs are capped at $20/mo, and even if the token leaks, it can't exceed your subscription limits.

Option B: API Key (Pay-per-use)

Pay only for what you use. Costs can vary, but setting a limit keeps it predictable.

Go to console.anthropic.com and sign up.
Add a payment method (credit card).
Settings → API Keys → Create Key
Your key looks like sk-ant-... — keep it safe.

If Using API Key: Set a Spending Limit (Required)

If you chose the API key, you must set a monthly limit. Without it, costs can grow with usage.

Settings → Plans & Billing → Usage Limits
Set a monthly spend limit. We recommend $10-20 to start.
When you hit the limit, the API stops. No surprise charges.

This is mandatory if you chose the API key. Do not skip it. You can increase the limit later once you understand your usage.

4

Telegram Bot (Optional)

~5 min Free

Create a Telegram bot to chat with your AI assistant from your phone, anywhere, anytime. It works just like messaging a friend. Not required, but strongly recommended.

Create Your Bot

Open Telegram and search for @BotFather.
Send /newbot
Enter a display name (e.g., "My AI Assistant").
Enter a username — must end with bot (e.g., myai_assistant_bot).
BotFather gives you a Bot Token:
1234567890:ABCdefGHIjklMNOpqrsTUVwxyz
Save this token. You'll need it during setup.

Find Your Telegram User ID

Your User ID ensures the bot only responds to you.

Search for @userinfobot in Telegram.
Send any message — it replies with your User ID (a number).
Save this number for setup.

No Telegram? No problem. You can still use your AI assistant through the web UI in your browser. But Telegram is much more convenient for daily use.

5

SSH Key + Server Access

~5 min Free

An SSH key is a digital key for secure server access. Think of it as allowing only your registered computer to connect to the server. Unlike passwords, it can't be guessed or brute-forced. You need to create one and register it with Hetzner when creating your server.

Create SSH Key — Mac

Open Terminal (Spotlight → "Terminal").
Run this command (use your own email):
ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "your@email.com"
Press Enter for default location.
Enter a passphrase or press Enter twice to skip.
Copy your public key:
cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub
Copy the entire output (ssh-ed25519 AAAA...). Paste this into Hetzner's SSH Key field when creating your server.

Create SSH Key — Windows

Open PowerShell (Start menu → "PowerShell").
Run this command:
ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "your@email.com"
Press Enter for default location.
Enter a passphrase or press Enter twice to skip.
Copy your public key:
type $env:USERPROFILE\.ssh\id_ed25519.pub
Copy the entire output. Paste this into Hetzner's SSH Key field.

Two files are created: a public key (.pub) and a private key. Register the public key with Hetzner. Never share your private key — it stays on your computer only.

Connect to Your Server

With your SSH key registered, you can connect without a password.

In Terminal (Mac) or PowerShell (Windows):
ssh root@your-server-ip
First time connecting? Type yes when asked to confirm.
You're in. Paste the ClawTurm setup command here. You only need to do this once — after that, use Telegram.

Ready? Checklist

Once everything below is checked, you're 10 minutes away from a live AI assistant.

SSH key created (ssh-keygen)
Hetzner account verified + CAX11 server created (SSH key registered)
Server IP address noted
Tailscale app installed on your computer + logged in
Claude Pro + Setup Token ready (recommended) or API key generated
If using API key: monthly spend limit set ($10-20 recommended)
Telegram bot created via @BotFather + token saved (optional)
Telegram User ID from @userinfobot noted (optional)
All Set — Get ClawTurm