Quick Start

Get from zero to a working OpenClaw agent in under 5 minutes.

Step 1: Install

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

Step 2: Onboard

openclaw onboard

When prompted:

1. Choose your LLM provider (Anthropic Claude recommended for best results)
2. Enter your API key
3. Skip messaging channels for now (you can add them later)

Step 3: Start the Gateway

openclaw gateway

You should see:

🦞 OpenClaw Gateway v2026.2.6
   WebSocket control plane: ws://localhost:18789
   Heartbeat interval: 30m
   Model: claude-opus-4-6
   Status: RUNNING

Step 4: Chat

Open a new terminal and start chatting:

openclaw chat "What files are in my home directory?"

OpenClaw will use the LLM to understand your request, execute shell commands, and return the results.

Step 5: Try Some Real Tasks

# Summarize a file
openclaw chat "Summarize the contents of ~/README.md"

# Write code
openclaw chat "Create a Python script that monitors CPU usage and alerts if it goes above 80%"

# Search the web
openclaw chat "What are the top Hacker News stories right now?"

Step 6: Connect a Messaging Channel (Optional)

To talk to OpenClaw from your phone:

# Connect WhatsApp
openclaw channel add whatsapp

# Connect Telegram
openclaw channel add telegram

# Connect Discord
openclaw channel add discord

Each channel walks you through authentication. Once connected, message your agent from that platform just like texting a friend.

Step 7: Enable the Heartbeat (Optional)

The heartbeat makes OpenClaw truly autonomous — it checks for tasks periodically:

~/.openclaw/HEARTBEAT.md

# Heartbeat Tasks

## Every 30 minutes
- Check my Gmail for urgent emails and summarize them
- Monitor the GitHub repo openclaw/openclaw for new issues

## Daily at 9am
- Give me a weather briefing for San Francisco
- Summarize my calendar for today

Edit ~/.openclaw/HEARTBEAT.md with your preferences, then restart the gateway. OpenClaw will proactively act on these instructions.

What's Next?

You now have a working OpenClaw agent. Here's where to go from here:

Goal	Guide
Understand how it works	Architecture Overview
Connect more platforms	Channels & Integrations
Build custom skills	Skill Development
Run without API costs	Local Models
Lock down security	Security Hardening
Fine-tune behavior	Configuration Reference

tip

Join the OpenClaw Discord to share setups, ask questions, and find community-built skills.