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This guide covers deleting a Google Cloud Compute Engine VM instance. Deleting an instance permanently removes it. The boot disk is deleted by default if “Delete boot disk when instance is deleted” was checked (the default); additional persistent disks are not deleted automatically.
Complete the pre-termination checklist before proceeding. Deletion is irreversible.

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Option 1: Google Cloud Console

1

Open the VM instances list

Sign in to the Google Cloud Console and navigate to Compute Engine → VM instances.
2

Select your instance

Check the box next to the VM instance running OpenClaw. Confirm the correct instance by checking its External IP against what appeared on the watchboard.
3

Delete the instance

Click Delete in the top action bar, or click the three-dot menu next to the instance and choose Delete. Confirm in the dialog.The instance moves to a deleting state and disappears from the list when deletion is complete.
Official Google Cloud documentation: Delete a VM instance

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Option 2: gcloud CLI

If you have the Google Cloud CLI installed:
You’ll be prompted to confirm. To skip the prompt:
If you want to keep the boot disk (e.g., to preserve data before deletion), add --keep-disks=boot:

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Post-termination cleanup

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Delete persistent disks

Any additional persistent disks attached to the instance are not deleted automatically. List and delete them:

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Delete snapshots

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Release static external IP addresses

Static external IP addresses continue to incur charges if not released:

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Remove firewall rules

If you created firewall rules specifically for this instance, remove them:

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Rotate credentials

After deletion, rotate everything the agent had access to. See the post-termination checklist for the full list.