Quick Start

Get your OpenClaw assistant running in just a few minutes. This guide will walk you through the initial setup and your first conversation.

Initial Setup

Step 1: Initialize OpenClaw

Run the initialization wizard to set up your configuration:

openclaw init

The wizard will guide you through:

1. AI Provider Selection - Choose your AI model provider
2. Channel Setup - Configure your messaging channels
3. Security Settings - Set up allowlist and pairing

Interactive Setup

? Select AI provider: (Use arrow keys)
❯ Anthropic (Claude)
  OpenAI (GPT)
  Local (Ollama)

? Configure a channel now? (Y/n)
? Select channel: (Use arrow keys)
❯ Telegram
  WhatsApp
  Discord
  Skip for now

Step 2: Configure AI Provider

Choose your AI provider and add your API key:

# For Anthropic Claude (recommended)
openclaw config set ai.provider anthropic
openclaw config set ai.apiKey sk-ant-xxxxx

# For OpenAI GPT
openclaw config set ai.provider openai
openclaw config set ai.apiKey sk-xxxxx

API Keys

Keep your API keys secure! Never commit them to version control. Use environment variables instead:

export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-xxxxx
export OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-xxxxx

Step 3: Start OpenClaw

Launch the OpenClaw server:

openclaw start

You'll see output like:

🦞 OpenClaw v1.0.0 starting...
✓ Configuration loaded
✓ AI provider connected
✓ Web UI available at http://localhost:3000
✓ Telegram channel connected

OpenClaw is ready!

Connect Your First Channel

Telegram (Recommended for beginners)

The easiest channel to set up:

1. Create a Bot

   • Open Telegram and search for @BotFather
   • Send /newbot and follow the instructions
   • Save the bot token

2. Configure OpenClaw

   openclaw channel add telegram \
     --token "YOUR_BOT_TOKEN"

3. Test the Connection

   • Find your bot on Telegram
   • Send /start to begin

WhatsApp

For WhatsApp Business API:

openclaw channel add whatsapp \
  --phone-id "YOUR_PHONE_ID" \
  --business-account-id "YOUR_ACCOUNT_ID" \
  --token "YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN"

Discord

Create a Discord bot:

1. Go to Discord Developer Portal
2. Create a new application
3. Create a bot and get the token
4. Add the bot to your server

openclaw channel add discord \
  --token "YOUR_BOT_TOKEN" \
  --client-id "YOUR_CLIENT_ID"

Your First Conversation

Via Telegram/Discord

Simply send a message to your bot:

You: Hello! What can you help me with?

OpenClaw: Hello! I'm your AI assistant powered by OpenClaw. I can help you with:
- Answering questions
- Managing tasks
- Web searches
- And much more!

What would you like to know?

Via Web UI

1. Open http://localhost:3000 in your browser
2. Click "New Conversation"
3. Start chatting!

Basic Commands

Here are some useful commands to get started:

Command	Description
/start	Initialize conversation
/help	Show available commands
/reset	Clear conversation history
/tools	List available tools
/status	Show system status

Verify Your Setup

Run the diagnostic command to verify everything is working:

openclaw doctor

Expected output:

✓ Node.js version: v22.x.x
✓ OpenClaw version: 1.0.0
✓ Configuration valid
✓ AI provider connected (Anthropic)
✓ Channels: 1 active (Telegram)
✓ Web UI running on port 3000

All systems operational! 🎉

Next Steps

Congratulations! 🎉 Your OpenClaw assistant is now running. Here's what to explore next:

1. Basic Usage - Learn about daily operations
2. Channel Configuration - Set up additional channels
3. Tools System - Explore available tools
4. Security - Secure your installation

Pro Tip

Bookmark the Web UI at http://localhost:3000 for easy access to settings and conversation history!