> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.equa.cc/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Gcp

# Equabot on GCP Compute Engine (Docker, Production VPS Guide)

## Goal

Run a persistent Equabot Gateway on a GCP Compute Engine VM using Docker, with durable state, baked-in binaries, and safe restart behavior.

If you want "Equabot 24/7 for \~\$5-12/mo", this is a reliable setup on Google Cloud.
Pricing varies by machine type and region; pick the smallest VM that fits your workload and scale up if you hit OOMs.

## What are we doing (simple terms)?

* Create a GCP project and enable billing
* Create a Compute Engine VM
* Install Docker (isolated app runtime)
* Start the Equabot Gateway in Docker
* Persist `~/.equabot` + `~/equa` on the host (survives restarts/rebuilds)
* Access the Control UI from your laptop via an SSH tunnel

The Gateway can be accessed via:

* SSH port forwarding from your laptop
* Direct port exposure if you manage firewalling and tokens yourself

This guide uses Debian on GCP Compute Engine.
Ubuntu also works; map packages accordingly.
For the generic Docker flow, see [Docker](/install/docker).

***

## Quick path (experienced operators)

1. Create GCP project + enable Compute Engine API
2. Create Compute Engine VM (e2-small, Debian 12, 20GB)
3. SSH into the VM
4. Install Docker
5. Clone Equabot repository
6. Create persistent host directories
7. Configure `.env` and `docker-compose.yml`
8. Bake required binaries, build, and launch

***

## What you need

* GCP account (free tier eligible for e2-micro)
* gcloud CLI installed (or use Cloud Console)
* SSH access from your laptop
* Basic comfort with SSH + copy/paste
* \~20-30 minutes
* Docker and Docker Compose
* Model auth credentials
* Optional provider credentials
  * WhatsApp QR
  * Telegram bot token
  * Gmail OAuth

***

## 1) Install gcloud CLI (or use Console)

**Option A: gcloud CLI** (recommended for automation)

Install from [https://cloud.google.com/sdk/docs/install](https://cloud.google.com/sdk/docs/install)

Initialize and authenticate:

```bash theme={null}
gcloud init
gcloud auth login
```

**Option B: Cloud Console**

All steps can be done via the web UI at [https://console.cloud.google.com](https://console.cloud.google.com)

***

## 2) Create a GCP project

**CLI:**

```bash theme={null}
gcloud projects create my-equabot-project --name="Equabot Gateway"
gcloud config set project my-equabot-project
```

Enable billing at [https://console.cloud.google.com/billing](https://console.cloud.google.com/billing) (required for Compute Engine).

Enable the Compute Engine API:

```bash theme={null}
gcloud services enable compute.googleapis.com
```

**Console:**

1. Go to IAM & Admin > Create Project
2. Name it and create
3. Enable billing for the project
4. Navigate to APIs & Services > Enable APIs > search "Compute Engine API" > Enable

***

## 3) Create the VM

**Machine types:**

| Type     | Specs                    | Cost               | Notes              |
| -------- | ------------------------ | ------------------ | ------------------ |
| e2-small | 2 vCPU, 2GB RAM          | \~\$12/mo          | Recommended        |
| e2-micro | 2 vCPU (shared), 1GB RAM | Free tier eligible | May OOM under load |

**CLI:**

```bash theme={null}
gcloud compute instances create equabot-gateway \
  --zone=us-central1-a \
  --machine-type=e2-small \
  --boot-disk-size=20GB \
  --image-family=debian-12 \
  --image-project=debian-cloud
```

**Console:**

1. Go to Compute Engine > VM instances > Create instance
2. Name: `equabot-gateway`
3. Region: `us-central1`, Zone: `us-central1-a`
4. Machine type: `e2-small`
5. Boot disk: Debian 12, 20GB
6. Create

***

## 4) SSH into the VM

**CLI:**

```bash theme={null}
gcloud compute ssh equabot-gateway --zone=us-central1-a
```

**Console:**

Click the "SSH" button next to your VM in the Compute Engine dashboard.

Note: SSH key propagation can take 1-2 minutes after VM creation. If connection is refused, wait and retry.

***

## 5) Install Docker (on the VM)

```bash theme={null}
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install -y git curl ca-certificates
curl -fsSL https://get.docker.com | sudo sh
sudo usermod -aG docker $USER
```

Log out and back in for the group change to take effect:

```bash theme={null}
exit
```

Then SSH back in:

```bash theme={null}
gcloud compute ssh equabot-gateway --zone=us-central1-a
```

Verify:

```bash theme={null}
docker --version
docker compose version
```

***

## 6) Clone the Equabot repository

```bash theme={null}
git clone https://github.com/equabot/equabot.git
cd equabot
```

This guide assumes you will build a custom image to guarantee binary persistence.

***

## 7) Create persistent host directories

Docker containers are ephemeral.
All long-lived state must live on the host.

```bash theme={null}
mkdir -p ~/.equabot
mkdir -p ~/equa
```

***

## 8) Configure environment variables

Create `.env` in the repository root.

```bash theme={null}
EQUABOT_IMAGE=equabot:latest
EQUABOT_GATEWAY_TOKEN=change-me-now
EQUABOT_GATEWAY_BIND=lan
EQUABOT_GATEWAY_PORT=18789

EQUABOT_CONFIG_DIR=/home/$USER/.equabot
EQUABOT_WORKSPACE_DIR=/home/$USER/equabot

GOG_KEYRING_PASSWORD=change-me-now
XDG_CONFIG_HOME=/home/node/.equabot
```

Generate strong secrets:

```bash theme={null}
openssl rand -hex 32
```

**Do not commit this file.**

***

## 9) Docker Compose configuration

Create or update `docker-compose.yml`.

```yaml theme={null}
services:
  equabot-gateway:
    image: ${EQUABOT_IMAGE}
    build: .
    restart: unless-stopped
    env_file:
      - .env
    environment:
      - HOME=/home/node
      - NODE_ENV=production
      - TERM=xterm-256color
      - EQUABOT_GATEWAY_BIND=${EQUABOT_GATEWAY_BIND}
      - EQUABOT_GATEWAY_PORT=${EQUABOT_GATEWAY_PORT}
      - EQUABOT_GATEWAY_TOKEN=${EQUABOT_GATEWAY_TOKEN}
      - GOG_KEYRING_PASSWORD=${GOG_KEYRING_PASSWORD}
      - XDG_CONFIG_HOME=${XDG_CONFIG_HOME}
      - PATH=/home/linuxbrew/.linuxbrew/bin:/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/bin
    volumes:
      - ${EQUABOT_CONFIG_DIR}:/home/node/.equabot
      - ${EQUABOT_WORKSPACE_DIR}:/home/node/equabot
    ports:
      # Recommended: keep the Gateway loopback-only on the VM; access via SSH tunnel.
      # To expose it publicly, remove the `127.0.0.1:` prefix and firewall accordingly.
      - "127.0.0.1:${EQUABOT_GATEWAY_PORT}:18789"

      # Optional: only if you run iOS/Android nodes against this VM and need Canvas host.
      # If you expose this publicly, read /gateway/security and firewall accordingly.
      # - "18793:18793"
    command:
      [
        "node",
        "dist/index.js",
        "gateway",
        "--bind",
        "${EQUABOT_GATEWAY_BIND}",
        "--port",
        "${EQUABOT_GATEWAY_PORT}"
      ]
```

***

## 10) Bake required binaries into the image (critical)

Installing binaries inside a running container is a trap.
Anything installed at runtime will be lost on restart.

All external binaries required by skills must be installed at image build time.

The examples below show three common binaries only:

* `gog` for Gmail access
* `goplaces` for Google Places
* `wacli` for WhatsApp

These are examples, not a complete list.
You may install as many binaries as needed using the same pattern.

If you add new skills later that depend on additional binaries, you must:

1. Update the Dockerfile
2. Rebuild the image
3. Restart the containers

**Example Dockerfile**

```dockerfile theme={null}
FROM node:22-bookworm

RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y socat && rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*

# Example binary 1: Gmail CLI
RUN curl -L https://github.com/steipete/gog/releases/latest/download/gog_Linux_x86_64.tar.gz \
  | tar -xz -C /usr/local/bin && chmod +x /usr/local/bin/gog

# Example binary 2: Google Places CLI
RUN curl -L https://github.com/steipete/goplaces/releases/latest/download/goplaces_Linux_x86_64.tar.gz \
  | tar -xz -C /usr/local/bin && chmod +x /usr/local/bin/goplaces

# Example binary 3: WhatsApp CLI
RUN curl -L https://github.com/steipete/wacli/releases/latest/download/wacli_Linux_x86_64.tar.gz \
  | tar -xz -C /usr/local/bin && chmod +x /usr/local/bin/wacli

# Add more binaries below using the same pattern

WORKDIR /app
COPY package.json pnpm-lock.yaml pnpm-workspace.yaml .npmrc ./
COPY ui/package.json ./ui/package.json
COPY scripts ./scripts

RUN corepack enable
RUN pnpm install --frozen-lockfile

COPY . .
RUN pnpm build
RUN pnpm ui:install
RUN pnpm ui:build

ENV NODE_ENV=production

CMD ["node","dist/index.js"]
```

***

## 11) Build and launch

```bash theme={null}
docker compose build
docker compose up -d equabot-gateway
```

Verify binaries:

```bash theme={null}
docker compose exec equabot-gateway which gog
docker compose exec equabot-gateway which goplaces
docker compose exec equabot-gateway which wacli
```

Expected output:

```
/usr/local/bin/gog
/usr/local/bin/goplaces
/usr/local/bin/wacli
```

***

## 12) Verify Gateway

```bash theme={null}
docker compose logs -f equabot-gateway
```

Success:

```
[gateway] listening on ws://0.0.0.0:18789
```

***

## 13) Access from your laptop

Create an SSH tunnel to forward the Gateway port:

```bash theme={null}
gcloud compute ssh equabot-gateway --zone=us-central1-a -- -L 18789:127.0.0.1:18789
```

Open in your browser:

`http://127.0.0.1:18789/`

Paste your gateway token.

***

## What persists where (source of truth)

Equabot runs in Docker, but Docker is not the source of truth.
All long-lived state must survive restarts, rebuilds, and reboots.

| Component           | Location                      | Persistence mechanism  | Notes                           |
| ------------------- | ----------------------------- | ---------------------- | ------------------------------- |
| Gateway config      | `/home/node/.equabot/`        | Host volume mount      | Includes `equabot.json`, tokens |
| Model auth profiles | `/home/node/.equabot/`        | Host volume mount      | OAuth tokens, API keys          |
| Skill configs       | `/home/node/.equabot/skills/` | Host volume mount      | Skill-level state               |
| Agent workspace     | `/home/node/equa/`            | Host volume mount      | Code and agent artifacts        |
| WhatsApp session    | `/home/node/.equabot/`        | Host volume mount      | Preserves QR login              |
| Gmail keyring       | `/home/node/.equabot/`        | Host volume + password | Requires `GOG_KEYRING_PASSWORD` |
| External binaries   | `/usr/local/bin/`             | Docker image           | Must be baked at build time     |
| Node runtime        | Container filesystem          | Docker image           | Rebuilt every image build       |
| OS packages         | Container filesystem          | Docker image           | Do not install at runtime       |
| Docker container    | Ephemeral                     | Restartable            | Safe to destroy                 |

***

## Updates

To update Equabot on the VM:

```bash theme={null}
cd ~/equabot
git pull
docker compose build
docker compose up -d
```

***

## Troubleshooting

**SSH connection refused**

SSH key propagation can take 1-2 minutes after VM creation. Wait and retry.

**OS Login issues**

Check your OS Login profile:

```bash theme={null}
gcloud compute os-login describe-profile
```

Ensure your account has the required IAM permissions (Compute OS Login or Compute OS Admin Login).

**Out of memory (OOM)**

If using e2-micro and hitting OOM, upgrade to e2-small or e2-medium:

```bash theme={null}
# Stop the VM first
gcloud compute instances stop equabot-gateway --zone=us-central1-a

# Change machine type
gcloud compute instances set-machine-type equabot-gateway \
  --zone=us-central1-a \
  --machine-type=e2-small

# Start the VM
gcloud compute instances start equabot-gateway --zone=us-central1-a
```

***

## Service accounts (security best practice)

For personal use, your default user account works fine.

For automation or CI/CD pipelines, create a dedicated service account with minimal permissions:

1. Create a service account:
   ```bash theme={null}
   gcloud iam service-accounts create equabot-deploy \
     --display-name="Equabot Deployment"
   ```

2. Grant Compute Instance Admin role (or narrower custom role):
   ```bash theme={null}
   gcloud projects add-iam-policy-binding my-equabot-project \
     --member="serviceAccount:equabot-deploy@my-equabot-project.iam.gserviceaccount.com" \
     --role="roles/compute.instanceAdmin.v1"
   ```

Avoid using the Owner role for automation. Use the principle of least privilege.

See [https://cloud.google.com/iam/docs/understanding-roles](https://cloud.google.com/iam/docs/understanding-roles) for IAM role details.

***

## Next steps

* Set up messaging channels: [Channels](/channels)
* Pair local devices as nodes: [Nodes](/nodes)
* Configure the Gateway: [Gateway configuration](/gateway/configuration)