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First steps

Getting started

Install OpenClaw, run onboarding, and chat with your AI assistant — all in about 5 minutes. By the end you will have a running Gateway, configured auth, and a working chat session.

What you need

  • Node.js — Node 24 recommended (Node 22.14+ also supported)
  • An API key from a model provider (Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, etc.) — onboarding will prompt you

Quick setup

  • Install OpenClaw

    macOS / Linux

    curl -fsSL https://openclaw.ai/install.sh | bash

    Install Script Process

    Windows (PowerShell)

    iwr -useb https://openclaw.ai/install.ps1 | iex

  • Run onboarding

    openclaw onboard --install-daemon

    The wizard walks you through choosing a model provider, setting an API key, and configuring the Gateway. It takes about 2 minutes.

    See Onboarding (CLI) for the full reference.

  • Verify the Gateway is running

    openclaw gateway status

    You should see the Gateway listening on port 18789.

  • Open the dashboard

    openclaw dashboard

    This opens the Control UI in your browser. If it loads, everything is working.

  • Send your first message

    Type a message in the Control UI chat and you should get an AI reply.

    Want to chat from your phone instead? The fastest channel to set up is Telegram (just a bot token). See Channels for all options.

    • Advanced: mount a custom Control UI build

    If you maintain a localized or customized dashboard build, point gateway.controlUi.root to a directory that contains your built static assets and index.html.

    mkdir -p "$HOME/.openclaw/control-ui-custom"
# Copy your built static files into that directory.

    Then set:

    {
"gateway": {
  "controlUi": {
    "enabled": true,
    "root": "$HOME/.openclaw/control-ui-custom"
  }
}
}

    Restart the gateway and reopen the dashboard:

    openclaw gateway restart
openclaw dashboard

    What to do next

    Connect a channel

    Discord, Feishu, iMessage, Matrix, Microsoft Teams, Signal, Slack, Telegram, WhatsApp, Zalo, and more.
    Pairing and safety

    Control who can message your agent.
    Configure the Gateway

    Models, tools, sandbox, and advanced settings.
    Browse tools

    Browser, exec, web search, skills, and plugins.
    Advanced: environment variables

    If you run OpenClaw as a service account or want custom paths:

    • OPENCLAW_HOME — home directory for internal path resolution
    • OPENCLAW_STATE_DIR — override the state directory
    • OPENCLAW_CONFIG_PATH — override the config file path

    Full reference: Environment variables.