OpenClaw Tutorial: Installation to First Chat Setup

What Is OpenClaw AI?

OpenClaw is a conversation-first, self-hosted AI agent that runs on your own machine or server and connects directly to messaging apps like Telegram, WhatsApp, Discord, and others.

Unlike traditional AI bots that require heavy configuration upfront, OpenClaw is designed to be controlled primarily through natural language conversations. You talk to it the same way you would message a person — and it translates those messages into actions.

Created by Peter Steinberger and released as an open-source project on GitHub, OpenClaw stands out because it doesn’t just respond — it acts. It can search the web, create and edit files, run commands, and automate workflows, all while maintaining long-term memory across conversations.

⚠️ Naming note
The project has gone through several name changes (ClawdBot → MoltBot → OpenClaw). Some screenshots, paths, or references may still reflect earlier names. Functionally, everything described here applies to OpenClaw.

What You Need Before Installing OpenClaw

Before you start, make sure you have:

• A Telegram account (or another supported chat platform)
• Basic comfort with the terminal
• Node.js installed (the installer can handle this automatically)

No advanced DevOps knowledge is required.

How to Install OpenClaw

Installation is intentionally simple.

Open your terminal and run:

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


That’s it.

The installer automatically:

• Detects your operating system
• Installs missing dependencies
• Sets up OpenClaw without cloning repositories or editing configs

Once finished, OpenClaw launches an interactive Terminal UI (TUI) where the rest of the setup happens.

Onboarding: QuickStart Mode

During onboarding, you’ll be asked to:

1. Confirm that you understand OpenClaw can take real actions
2. Choose an onboarding mode

Select QuickStart.

QuickStart applies safe defaults and gets the bot running fast. You can always fine-tune behavior later.

Choosing an AI Model

After onboarding, OpenClaw prompts you to select an AI provider.

You can use:

• Google Gemini
• OpenAI
• Claude
• Other supported providers

For example, when selecting Google as the provider, you’ll authenticate via OAuth and then choose a model (such as a fast, low-latency Gemini option).

💡 Model choice isn’t permanent. You can switch providers or add fallbacks later.

Connecting OpenClaw to Telegram

Next, OpenClaw asks how you want to chat with it.

Choose Telegram, then:

1. Open Telegram
2. Search for @BotFather
3. Run /newbot
4. Copy the bot token
5. Paste the token into the OpenClaw terminal when prompted

That’s all — OpenClaw is now linked to Telegram.

OpenClaw also supports WhatsApp, Discord, iMessage, and more. The setup flow is similar for each platform.

Skills: What They Are (and Why You Can Skip Them at First)

Skills are modular tools that let OpenClaw perform specific actions — like sending emails, managing files, or running scripts.

During setup, you’ll be asked whether to configure skills.

For a first run:

• Choose Yes
• Select npm as the package manager
• Then choose Skip for now

You can install or create skills later once you understand how OpenClaw behaves.

API Keys and Hooks

OpenClaw may ask for optional API keys (search, integrations, etc.).

If you don’t have any yet, just select No.

Hooks can also be skipped initially.

The goal here is simple: get the bot working first.

Control UI vs Terminal UI (TUI)

OpenClaw offers two interfaces:

Control UI (Browser)

A web-based dashboard you can open using the URL shown in your terminal. Useful for monitoring and configuration.

Terminal UI (Recommended for Setup)

The TUI shows exactly how OpenClaw reasons and responds. It’s ideal for first-time setup and understanding behavior.

When prompted, choose “Hatch in TUI”.

Giving Your Bot a Personality

Once hatched, OpenClaw asks a few simple questions:

• Bot name
• How it should address you
• Tone and interaction style

Based on your answers, it generates a personalized response — confirming that your assistant now has an identity and memory context.

At this point, OpenClaw is fully operational.

First Chat via Telegram

To activate the Telegram connection:

1. Open your Telegram bot
2. Send /start
3. Follow the pairing instructions shown

Once confirmed, you can stop using the terminal entirely and talk to OpenClaw from your phone.

Try something simple:

• Ask about the weather
• Request a summary
• Ask it to explain what it can do

Enabling Web Search

By default, OpenClaw has limited web access.

To enable full web search:

1. Ask the bot how to perform web searches
2. It will guide you to obtain a Brave Search API key
3. Send the key back via chat

Once enabled, OpenClaw can:

• Search live web data
• Fetch articles
• Reference current information

Letting OpenClaw Create and Edit Files

Now for the interesting part.

Ask OpenClaw to:

• Research a topic
• Save findings to a Markdown file

OpenClaw will:

• Search the web
• Extract key points
• Create a file locally
• Include sources for verification

This confirms it can safely read from and write to your filesystem.

Security Considerations (Important)

OpenClaw isn’t just a chatbot — it’s a system-level assistant.

That power comes with responsibility.

Why Caution Is Required

OpenClaw will do exactly what you ask, even if the request is vague or risky.

Potential risks include:

• Overwriting files
• Exposing configuration data
• Modifying unintended directories

Local Machine vs VPS

• Local machine: risk of damaging personal files
• VPS: risk of affecting services or exposing production data

Treat OpenClaw like a script runner with memory — not a harmless chat app.

Best Practices for Safe Use

• Run OpenClaw as a non-root user
• Use a dedicated working directory
• Start in private chats only
• Be explicit about file paths
• Test new abilities on disposable systems

If you wouldn’t trust a shell command with certain permissions, don’t give those permissions to your AI agent.

Conclusion

In this tutorial, you:

• Installed OpenClaw
• Connected it to Telegram
• Selected an AI model
• Enabled web search
• Let it interact with your system

Used carefully, OpenClaw becomes a powerful, always-on personal assistant that automates real work — not just conversations.

Start small. Observe behavior. Expand deliberately.

That’s where OpenClaw shines.

FAQ

What does OpenClaw do?
It’s a self-hosted AI agent that chats via messaging apps and performs real actions like web searches, file creation, and automation.

Is OpenClaw free?
Yes. It’s open-source. Costs only come from optional third-party APIs or infrastructure.

Is OpenClaw safe?
Yes — when used responsibly. Its power requires careful permission management.

Who created OpenClaw?
OpenClaw was created by Peter Steinberger and is maintained as an open-source project on GitHub.