OpenClaw Quick Start Guide

This guide gets you from zero to your first conversation with your self-hosted OpenClaw AI agent in about 5–10 minutes. It uses the official one-line installer on macOS or Linux (and Windows via WSL2), then walks you through the onboarding wizard to choose an AI model and connect a messaging channel such as Telegram, WhatsApp, or Discord.

⏱️ Time Required: 5–10 minutes from start to your first conversation with your AI agent.

Prerequisites

Before starting, make sure you have:

  • ✅ Operating System: macOS 12+, Ubuntu 20.04+, Debian 11+, or Windows 10+ (with WSL2)
  • ✅ Node.js 22+: OpenClaw requires Node.js 22 or newer. Check with node -v; install from nodejs.org or your package manager. The one-line installer can install it for you on supported systems.
  • ✅ Internet connection: Required for the installer, LLM API calls, and channel connections
  • ✅ Terminal access: Command line / bash shell
  • ✅ LLM API Key: At least one from:
  • ✅ Messaging app account: For your first channel - Telegram (easiest), WhatsApp, or Discord are popular choices.

Step 1: Install OpenClaw (30 seconds)

Open your terminal and run this one-line installer:

curl -fsSL https://openclaw.ai/install.sh | bash
What does this command do?
  • Detects your operating system automatically
  • Installs Node.js 22+ if not already installed
  • Downloads the latest OpenClaw version
  • Creates ~/.openclaw directory structure
  • Launches the onboarding wizard

For a video walkthrough, see our Video Tutorials.

For Windows users: First install WSL2, then run the command inside your WSL terminal. For a full Windows walkthrough, see Install OpenClaw on Windows (WSL2).

Alternative manual installation (if you prefer cloning the repo):

git clone https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw.git
cd openclaw
npm install
npm run setup

For platform-specific details (Homebrew on macOS, systemd on Linux, Docker, or VPS), see the Installation hub: macOS, Windows, Linux, Docker, VPS.

Step 2: Run Onboarding Wizard (3 minutes)

After installation, the onboarding wizard launches automatically. If it doesn't, run:

openclaw setup

The wizard will guide you through:

2.1 Choose AI Model Provider

Select your preferred LLM:

  • Claude (Anthropic) - Most popular among OpenClaw users due to strong instruction-following
  • GPT (OpenAI) - ChatGPT models; excellent general capabilities
  • DeepSeek - Cost-effective alternative
  • Ollama (Local) - Run models locally (no API cost)

2.2 Enter API Key

Paste your API key when prompted. The key is stored securely in ~/.openclaw/credentials/ with 600 permissions.

2.3 Configure Your First Channel

Choose a messaging platform to connect. Step-by-step channel setup guides:

  • Telegram - Easiest; no phone number required for the bot
  • WhatsApp - Popular; requires QR code scan to link your account
  • Discord - Great for communities; create a bot in Discord Developer Portal

2.4 Personality Configuration

The wizard creates your agent's SOUL.md file (personality and behavior instructions). You can customize this later.

Step 3: Start the Gateway (10 seconds)

Start OpenClaw as a background service:

# Start the gateway daemon
openclaw start

# Check status
openclaw status

# View logs
openclaw logs

Enable auto-start on boot:

On macOS:

openclaw service install --launchd
launchctl load ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.openclaw.gateway.plist

On Linux:

sudo openclaw service install --systemd
sudo systemctl enable openclaw
sudo systemctl start openclaw

For a full post-install checklist (security, updates, backups), see Post-Installation Setup and Security best practices.

Step 4: Send Your First Message!

Open your connected messaging app (Telegram/WhatsApp/Discord) and send a message to your agent:

Try These Commands:

Hello! Who are you?

What can you help me with?

List all your available skills

Tell me a joke

Test Autonomous Actions:

Create a file called test.txt with "Hello World"

Show me my system info

What files are in my home directory?

Check my current time

Next Steps

  1. Complete post-install: Post-Installation Setup - security checklist, auto-start, and optional tuning.
  2. Add more channels: Connect WhatsApp, Discord, Slack, Signal, and more.
  3. Install skills: ClawHub skills marketplace - browse and install community skills to extend your agent.
  4. Configure memory: Customize persistent context so your agent remembers across sessions.
  5. Explore use cases: Use cases library - 50+ automation examples for productivity, business, and development.
  6. Secure your setup: Security best practices - binding, credentials, and hardening.

All installation methods are listed on the Installation hub (macOS, Windows, Linux, Docker, VPS, Raspberry Pi).

Common First-Time Issues

Issue Solution
Agent not responding Check openclaw status and openclaw logs
API key invalid Verify key at provider's console, re-run openclaw setup
Channel disconnected QR code expired - restart setup for that channel
Node.js version error OpenClaw requires Node.js 22+. Update with nvm, brew upgrade node (macOS), or install from nodejs.org.
Gateway won't start / unclear error Run openclaw doctor (and openclaw doctor --fix if suggested) to diagnose. See Quick diagnostics and Installation errors.

→ Full troubleshooting guide · Quick diagnostics

Other Installation Methods

If you need a different path (e.g. native macOS with Homebrew, Windows WSL2 step-by-step, Docker, or VPS), use these guides from the Installation hub: