How to Run Multiple AI Agents on OpenClaw
As your automation needs grow, one agent may not be enough. Running multiple specialized agents — each with a distinct role — is often more effective than one generalist agent trying to do everything. This guide covers how to plan, deploy, and manage multiple agents on your OpenClaw instance, including resource requirements and cost optimization strategies.
What You Need
- ✓OpenClaw running successfully with at least one agent
- ✓VPS with sufficient resources (4GB+ RAM recommended for multiple agents)
- ✓Clear understanding of the roles each agent will fill
Step-by-Step Guide
Plan your agent team
Define the role for each agent. A common setup: one agent for customer support (WhatsApp/email), one for lead qualification (email/web), and one for internal operations (reports, monitoring). Each agent should have a focused, distinct responsibility. Overlap leads to confusion and inconsistent responses.
Assess resource requirements
Each additional agent increases memory usage and API costs. Plan for: 1-2 agents: 2 vCPU / 4GB RAM is sufficient. 3-5 agents: upgrade to 4 vCPU / 8GB RAM. 5+ agents: consider 8 vCPU / 16GB RAM or distribute across multiple servers. API costs scale linearly with the number of active agents.
Create and configure each agent
Deploy each agent with its own Soul.md, model configuration, and channel assignments. Ensure channels are not shared between agents unless intentional. Each agent should have a unique identity and clear boundaries about what falls within its scope.
Implement inter-agent routing
When customers contact the wrong agent or raise topics outside an agent's scope, the agent should know how to route the interaction. Configure escalation paths between agents — the support agent can hand off billing issues to the operations agent, for example.
Optimize costs across agents
Apply model routing per agent based on task complexity. Your customer-facing agent may need a premium model, while your internal reporting agent works fine with a budget model. Monitor spending across all agents and optimize the highest-cost ones first.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- !Running too many agents on an undersized VPS — monitor resource usage
- !Giving agents overlapping responsibilities — this creates confusion
- !Using the same expensive model for all agents — route by need
- !Not planning inter-agent handoffs — customers get stuck between agents
Want the full walkthrough? This guide covers the essentials, but the CampeloClaw course provides detailed video instruction for every step, troubleshooting guides, and hands-on practice exercises.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a limit to how many agents I can run?
There is no software limit. The practical limit depends on your VPS resources and API budget. Most small businesses run 2-4 agents. Larger operations may run 10+ agents across multiple servers.
Do multiple agents share memory?
Each agent has its own Soul.md and memory. They operate independently by default, though you can configure shared knowledge bases for information that all agents need.
Related Pages
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