Always-On Self-Hosted AI Assistant · Live · April 26

Build an Always-On Self-Hosted AI Assistant — 24/7 on Your Own Infrastructure

An always-on self-hosted AI assistant responds to your WhatsApp and Telegram messages at 3am just as readily as at 3pm — running continuously on your own hardware with no cloud AI dependency and no subscription costs. This workshop shows you how to build it.

Sunday, April 26 9am to 1pm EDT

4 Hours Hands-on coding

Live Online Interactive

Workshop Details

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Date and Time

Sunday, April 26, 2026

9:00am to 1:00pm EDT

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Duration

4 Hours · Hands-on

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Format

Live Online · Interactive

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Includes

Certificate of Completion

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Privacy

100% Local · No Cloud Required

By Packt Publishing · Refunds up to 10 days before

About This Workshop

What Makes an AI Assistant Truly Always-On and Self-Hosted

Always-on means your assistant runs continuously — not just when your laptop is awake. Self-hosted means the AI inference happens on your infrastructure. This workshop achieves both by combining OpenClaw, Docker Model Runner, and VPS deployment into a production-ready always-on setup.

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What is OpenClaw?

OpenClaw is the open-source personal AI assistant that went viral in early 2026 with 200K+ GitHub stars. It runs on your own devices and connects to WhatsApp, Telegram, Slack and more. No subscription. No data leaving your machine.

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What is Docker Model Runner?

Docker Model Runner is Docker's native feature for running large language models locally on your machine. It gives you an OpenAI-compatible API that OpenClaw uses as its AI brain — complete data privacy, no cloud costs.

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Why Combine OpenClaw and Docker?

OpenClaw gives you the assistant interface and messaging integrations. Docker Model Runner gives you the AI brain running privately on your machine. Together they create a production grade private AI assistant you fully own.

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Why Attend as a Live Workshop?

Setting this up from scattered documentation takes days of debugging. This live workshop gives you a complete guided build in 4 hours with a live instructor answering your questions. Packt has delivered 108 workshops worldwide.

Workshop Curriculum

How to Build an Always-On Self-Hosted AI Assistant

Six modules. Four hours. One working private AI assistant by the time you finish.

How OpenClaw Works

Understand the Gateway, channels, and skills architecture. Set up and configure OpenClaw locally from scratch.

Docker Model Runner Setup

Run and manage local LLMs using Docker Model Runner. Pull models, configure memory, and understand the OpenAI-compatible API.

Security and Privacy

Configure DM pairing, allowlists, sandbox mode, and proper access controls for your local AI deployment.

Connect to WhatsApp or Telegram

Deploy your AI assistant to real messaging platforms without sending data to any third party cloud service.

Scalable Architecture

Design an extensible assistant architecture. Add skills, configure personality, and set up proactive automation.

Production Deployment

Deploy your OpenClaw and Docker setup to a VPS for always-on availability running 24 hours a day.

What You Walk Away With

By the End of This Workshop You Will Have

Concrete working deliverables — not just theory.

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A fully functional local AI assistant running on your machine

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Docker Model Runner configured with your chosen LLM model

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OpenClaw connected to WhatsApp or Telegram

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Security and privacy configuration you can trust

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A reusable architecture for future AI assistant projects

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Certificate of completion from Packt Publishing

Your Instructor

Learn Always-On AI Deployment From a Docker Captain

Rami Krispin has deployed always-on self-hosted AI systems on production infrastructure.

Rami Krispin

Workshop Instructor · April 26, 2026

Rami is a Senior Manager of Data Science and Engineering, Docker Captain, and LinkedIn Learning Instructor with deep expertise in building and deploying production AI systems. He guides you step by step from a blank terminal to a fully deployed private AI assistant — answering your questions live throughout the 4-hour session.

Frequently Asked Questions

Common Questions About Always-On Self-Hosted AI Assistants

Common questions about the workshop, what to expect, and how to prepare.

What infrastructure makes an AI assistant truly always-on? +

Always-on requires infrastructure that does not depend on your laptop being awake — either a VPS server, a homelab machine that runs continuously, or a mini PC dedicated to the role. The workshop covers VPS deployment as the primary always-on option, with homelab alternatives discussed during the deployment module.

How do I configure my self-hosted AI assistant to restart automatically if it crashes? +

The workshop covers systemd service configuration for OpenClaw on Linux servers, Docker restart policies, and health check configuration for Docker Model Runner. With proper configuration your always-on AI assistant recovers automatically from crashes without manual intervention.

Can I have an always-on self-hosted AI assistant for under $20 per month? +

Yes. Hetzner Cloud offers VPS instances with 16GB RAM from approximately $15 per month. Combined with free open weight models and free Docker Model Runner, your always-on self-hosted AI assistant infrastructure cost can be under $20 per month.

How reliable is an always-on self-hosted AI assistant compared to cloud AI services? +

A well-configured VPS deployment with automatic restart policies typically achieves 99%+ uptime — comparable to consumer cloud AI services. The instructor covers reliability configuration during the workshop to maximise uptime for your always-on deployment.

Does an always-on AI assistant consume my WhatsApp or Telegram message quota? +

No. WhatsApp and Telegram do not impose message quotas for personal bot use. Your always-on AI assistant can respond to as many messages as your hardware can handle without hitting any platform limits.

Can I turn off my always-on AI assistant when I want a break? +

Yes. You can stop your OpenClaw service at any time with a simple command, and restart it just as easily. Always-on refers to the capability — not a requirement to run continuously. The instructor covers service management commands so you can control your AI assistant easily.