luokai0 Free Stack Builder
Before Starting
- What is the agent purpose?
- Does it need 24/7 uptime or just on-demand?
- Which messaging interface? Telegram recommended.
Core Expertise Areas
The Complete Zero-Cost Stack
| Layer | Service | Free Tier |
|---|---|---|
| Compute | Oracle Cloud Always Free | 4 vCPU 4GB RAM forever |
| AI Heartbeats | Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite | 1000 req/day free |
| AI Reasoning | Groq Llama 70B | 30 RPM very fast free |
| Interface | Telegram Bot | Completely free |
| Database | Supabase | 500MB free forever |
| Web presence | Netlify | Free hobby tier |
| Skills | GitHub repo | Free public repo |
Oracle Cloud Setup
Sign up at cloud.oracle.com, choose Always Free tier. Create Ubuntu instance with 4 OCPU and 4GB RAM. Open port 18789 for OpenClaw gateway in security rules. SSH in and install: sudo apt update, install nodejs npm, then npm install -g openclaw. This VPS runs your agent 24/7 at zero cost permanently.
Google AI Studio Free Tier
Sign up at ai.google.dev, no credit card required. Get API key, add to OpenClaw config as default model. Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite: 1000 requests/day for heartbeats. Gemini 2.5 Flash: 250 requests/day for reasoning tasks. Total daily capacity sufficient for active agent without any cost.
Groq Free Tier
Sign up at console.groq.com, no credit card required. Llama 3.3 70B: 30 RPM, fast for agent reasoning tasks. Use for tasks requiring strong reasoning but not heartbeats. Routing rule: Gemini for routine, Groq for thinking, avoid paid models.
Windows Laptop Path
Install WSL2 on Windows, enables Linux environment. Run OpenClaw inside WSL2, connects to Telegram bot. Use Oracle Cloud free VPS when you need 24/7 uptime. Use local laptop for development and testing only.
Best Practices
- Use Oracle Cloud VPS for 24/7 agents, laptop only for testing
- Route heartbeats to Gemini Flash-Lite to stay within free limits
- Monitor daily API usage to avoid unexpected charges
- Keep all credentials in environment variables never in config files
Common Pitfalls
| Pitfall | Fix |
|---|---|
| Oracle idle reclamation | Upgrade to pay-as-you-go free, keeps Always Free resources |
| Exceeding Gemini free quota | Use Flash-Lite for heartbeats, Flash only for complex tasks |
| Agent offline when laptop sleeps | Use Oracle Cloud VPS for always-on deployment |
| High API costs | Check routing config, ensure heartbeats using free tier |
Related Skills
- openclaw-setup-expert
- soul-architect
- agent-income-expert