Your personal AI assistant — running on your machine, connected to all your messaging apps. Written by OpenClaw.
Open Terminal (Mac: ⌘ Space → "Terminal") or Command Prompt (Windows: Win → "cmd") and run:
node --version
You need v22.0.0 or higher. If not installed or too old, download the LTS version from nodejs.org and re-run.
Claude Opus 4.5 is the smartest option. Get your key at console.anthropic.com
GPT-4 and friends. Works great too. Get your key at platform.openai.com/api-keys
Keep your API key private. Never share it, commit it to public code, or post it anywhere. It acts like a password to your AI account and billing.
One command installs everything — OpenClaw, dependencies, and the runtime.
curl -fsSL https://openclaw.ai/install.sh | bash
iwr -useb https://openclaw.ai/install.ps1 | iex
Installation takes 2–5 minutes. You'll see a bunch of text — that's normal. When it stops, run openclaw --version to confirm it worked.
This wizard connects OpenClaw to your AI provider and sets it up to run in the background.
openclaw onboard --install-daemon
The wizard will walk you through these steps:
Pick any name — Jarvis, Alfred, Lobster Larry. This is just what it calls itself.
Use arrow keys to select Anthropic (Claude) or OpenAI (GPT). Press Enter.
You won't see the key as you type — this is normal. Just paste and press Enter.
claude-opus-4.5 — best quality. claude-sonnet-4.5 — faster, cheaper. Use arrows to select.
Connect WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord, etc. You can skip this and add channels later.
This makes OpenClaw run in the background all the time, even after you close the terminal.
openclaw gateway status
You should see ✓ Gateway is running. If not, start it with:
openclaw gateway start
openclaw dashboard
This opens your browser at http://127.0.0.1:18789/. Type "Hello! Can you introduce yourself?" in the chat box. If it responds, you're all set. 🎉
The .openclaw folder in your home directory holds everything: openclaw.json (settings), credentials/ (keys), workspace/ (files), and logs/. Back this up!
Chat with your assistant through apps you already use. Difficulty varies:
Open Telegram, search @BotFather, type /newbot, and follow the prompts. Copy the token it gives you.
openclaw config edit
Add this inside the channels section:
"telegram": {
"botToken": "paste-your-token-here"
}
openclaw gateway restart
Search your bot in Telegram and say "Hello!" — it should respond.
openclaw channels login whatsapp
On your phone: WhatsApp → ⋮ Menu → Linked Devices → Link a Device → point camera at the QR code.
Only approved numbers can trigger your assistant. Add them with:
openclaw pairing approve whatsapp +15555551234
WhatsApp disconnects more easily than other channels. Keep your phone connected to the internet and avoid logging out of WhatsApp. Re-scan the QR code if it drops.
Skills give your assistant superpowers — web browsing, calendar access, file management, and more. Browse the full library at clawhub.ai.
openclaw skills install web-search
Popular skills to get started:
Edit the SOUL.md file to change how it talks and behaves:
nano ~/.openclaw/workspace/SOUL.md
Keep SOUL.md short! The assistant re-reads it every session. A bloated file burns through API credits just saying hello. Put project-specific notes in AGENTS.md instead.
Close your terminal completely and open a new one — the PATH needs to refresh. If it still fails, run the installer again. The installer may also print a command you need to run to update your shell config.
Something else may be using port 18789. Try an alternate port:
openclaw gateway --port 18790
Check your API key is correct and your account has credits. Then check the logs:
openclaw logs
Keep your phone on and connected to the internet. Don't log out of WhatsApp on your phone. If it disconnects, re-run openclaw channels login whatsapp and scan a fresh QR code.
Add token limits to your config to slow down spending:
"limits": {
"maxTokensPerDay": 100000,
"alertWhenOver": 50000
}Share your API key publicly, commit it to code repos, or post it in screenshots. It's a live billing credential — anyone with it can rack up charges on your account.
Using a commercial API (Anthropic, OpenAI) means your messages pass through their servers. If you need true local privacy, run a local model like Qwen or Llama instead of a cloud API.
Keep the pairing/approval system on so random contacts can't trigger your assistant. Review skill source code before installing from third-party marketplaces. Back up your .openclaw folder regularly.