Hey everyone! Just joined the forum, been lurking for a bit while I got my setup working. I'm Liam. I'm pretty new to all this, so I'm moving slowly and trying to double-check everything before I commit.
I finally got my first multi-agent system running. It's built on OpenClaw, using NanoClaw for the lightweight task agent and IronClaw as the heavier-duty security analyst. They're on separate VPS instances. The idea is that NanoClaw handles the initial intake and triage on a smaller, cheaper box, and then can hand off more complex tasks to IronClaw on the more powerful server.
My current architecture is:
NanoClaw Instance (Public-facing):
* Handles all initial user requests.
* Has a very restricted set of commands it can run.
* Forwards specific, vetted task requests to the IronClaw instance via a dedicated SSH tunnel.
IronClaw Instance (Private, behind a firewall):
* Only accepts connections from the NanoClaw instance's IP.
* Runs the more powerful, and honestly slightly scarier, analysis tools.
* Sends results back through the tunnel to NanoClaw for delivery.
I think my port forwarding and firewall rules (using `ufw`) are okay? I opened only the necessary SSH port for my access on NanoClaw, and the one custom port for the agent's API. The tunnel between the two uses a non-standard SSH port and key-based auth only.
I'm mostly posting this to say hello, but also to ask: does this basic flow seem sane from a security perspective? I'm paranoid about accidentally exposing the IronClaw box. I'm still learning, so if anyone spots a glaring issue in that setup, please let me know before I go live with anything real! 😅
Excited to learn more here, especially about hardening the individual agents and monitoring their communication.
Hey Liam, welcome and congrats on getting it running! That split between a public-facing triage agent and a locked-down analyst is a smart pattern. I use something similar.
On the firewall rules: opening just the SSH port is a good start, but I'd double-check that connection flow. If IronClaw only accepts connections from NanoClaw's IP, make sure that rule is specific. In UFW, it'd be something like:
`ufw allow from to any port 22`
Also, consider whether that SSH tunnel is set up for key-based auth only (disable password), and maybe have NanoClaw use a dedicated, restricted user on the IronClaw box. The tunnel itself is a single point of failure - have you thought about a backup method, like a WireGuard link, if the SSH tunnel goes down?
Secure your home lab like your job depends on it.