AMI Image Management

Mimic uses AWS AMIs (Amazon Machine Images) to create reusable VM templates. Once you’ve configured an agent VM with the right software (e.g., Chrome, dental practice management software, portal logins), you can snapshot it into an AMI and deploy clones instantly — skipping the 8–15 minute first-boot setup.

Two Ways to Create Images

Method	Location	Best For
Agent View (Recommended)	Agents → [Agent] → Admin Panel	Creating from a running/stopped agent you’ve already configured
Admin Panel	Admin Panel → Images → Register	Registering from any EC2 instance ID

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Method 1: Agent View — Create Image

Path: Agents → Click agent → Admin Panel (right sidebar)

This is the recommended approach because the form auto-fills the instance ID, agent name, and detects the platform (Windows vs. OpenClaw Linux).

Prerequisites

• Agent status must be online or stopped (the button is disabled otherwise).
• The agent should have all desired software installed and configured.

Step-by-Step

1. Navigate to Agents → click the agent you want to save.
2. Open the Admin Panel on the right side of the page.
3. Click “Create Image” (the camera icon). A form expands with these fields:

Field	Required	Description
Image Name	Yes	Human-readable name (e.g., “OpenDental + Chrome Base”)
Description	No	What’s pre-installed, intended use case
Category	No	General, Dental, Healthcare, Insurance, ERP, Development, Custom
Tags	No	Comma-separated keywords
Pre-installed Software	No	Comma-separated list shown as badges on the deploy page
Run Sysprep	Windows only	Checkbox — see What Sysprep Does below

4. Check the “I have read the docs” acknowledgement checkbox.
5. Click “Create Image” to submit.
6. Wait for the AMI to become available (~10–20 minutes). Click ”↻ Refresh” periodically.
7. Once status shows available, click the eye icon to publish it.
8. The image now appears on the Deploy Cloud Agent page for all users in your org.

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Method 2: Admin Panel — Register Image

Path: Admin Panel → Images tab → ”+ Register Image”

1. Navigate to Admin Panel → Images tab.
2. Click ”+ Register Image”.
3. Fill in Instance ID, Image Name, Description, Category, and Tags.
4. Check the “I have read the docs” acknowledgement checkbox.
5. Click “Register Image”.
6. Wait for the AMI to become available, then Edit → check Published → Save.

Limitations vs. Agent View

• No Sysprep option.
• No pre-installed software field (add via Edit afterward).
• No auto-fill — you must type the EC2 instance ID manually.
• No platform detection — defaults to Windows.

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What Sysprep Does

Caution

Sysprep shuts down your source VM. The agent will go offline and need repair afterward.

When you check “Run Sysprep (Generalize Windows)”, the system runs the Windows System Preparation Tool via AWS SSM before creating the AMI.

Execution Sequence

1. Mimic Identity Cleanup — Stops inherited cloudflared/worker processes, unregisters old scheduled tasks, removes C:\ProgramData\mimic_config.json, and clears stale tunnel logs.
2. EC2Launch v2 Reset — Clears the “already ran User Data” flag so new instances execute their provisioning script.
3. Sysprep State Cleanup — Removes logs from previous Sysprep runs.
4. Sysprep Generalize + Shutdown — Runs Sysprep.exe /generalize /oobe /shutdown /quiet.

What Gets Removed

Item	Effect
Computer Name (Hostname)	Regenerated on next boot
Security Identifier (SID)	New unique SID — required for domain-joined images
Network Configuration	DHCP re-enabled, static IPs removed
Windows Activation	Must re-activate (grace period restarts)
Event Logs	Cleared
EC2Launch State	Reset — User Data will run on next boot

What Gets Preserved

Item	Preserved?
Installed applications (Chrome, Python, etc.)	✅ Yes
Files on disk	✅ Yes
Registry (HKLM scope)	✅ Yes
Windows services	✅ Yes
Machine-scope environment variables	✅ Yes
User profile customizations (HKCU)	⚠️ May not persist

After Sysprep: Recovering the Source VM

The source agent shuts down and becomes unusable. To recover:

1. Start the instance from the Mimic dashboard or AWS Console.
2. Click “Repair Agent” in the Admin Panel to reinstall the Mimic worker.
3. VNC/DCV will reconnect after the repair completes.

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Without Sysprep: EC2Launch Reset Only

When Sysprep is unchecked, the system still performs Mimic identity cleanup and EC2Launch v2 reset (so new instances run User Data), then creates the AMI with NoReboot: true.

• The source agent stays running — no downtime.
• There may be a brief I/O freeze during the EBS snapshot.
• Best for quick backups or images within the same organization.

When to Use Each Option

Scenario	Sysprep?
Image for multiple customers/orgs	✅ Yes — unique SIDs, hostnames
Image for your own org’s workers	Optional
Quick backup/snapshot	❌ No — keep the agent running
OpenClaw (Linux) agent	N/A — Sysprep is Windows-only

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AMI Creation Timing

Factor	Impact
Disk size	40 GB root volume → ~10–20 minutes typical
Instance state	Stopped instances snapshot faster
Sysprep	Adds ~2–5 minutes for generalize + shutdown
AWS region load	Peak hours can slow snapshot creation

How Status Updates Work

Status is checked on demand when you refresh the images list — there is no background poller. Each refresh queries AWS DescribeImages for any AMIs still in pending state.

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Deploying from a Custom Template

Once an image is published and available:

1. Navigate to Agents → Deploy Cloud Agent.
2. Under SELECT TEMPLATE, your custom image appears below “Mimic Standard”.
3. Select it, fill in Agent Name and Region, then Launch Cloud Agent.

Custom templates boot in 2–4 minutes (vs. 8–15 minutes from the default template) because pre-installed software is already on disk.

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Full Lifecycle

1. CONFIGURE    — Set up agent with desired software and settings
2. CREATE IMAGE — Agent View > Admin Panel > Create Image
3. WAIT         — ~10–20 min for AWS to finish the snapshot
4. PUBLISH      — Click eye icon to make it available org-wide
5. DEPLOY       — Agents > Deploy Cloud Agent > Select Template