Quick Start: Deploy OpenClaw in 5 Minutes

This guide takes you from zero to a running AI agent in 5 minutes. No coding experience needed. We will walk you through every step.

Without ClawKit

Read official docs: ~30 min
Write JSON config manually: ~20 min
Debug JSON syntax errors: ~15 min
Fix ECONNREFUSED: ~30 min
Total: 1-2 hours

With ClawKit

Config Wizard generates config: 30 sec
Install + start: 2 min
Local Doctor auto-fixes errors: 10 sec
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Total: under 5 minutes

What You Will Need

Before we start, make sure you have these three things. Don't worry — we will explain each one.

Node.js (version 18 or higher)

Node.js is the runtime that powers OpenClaw. Think of it as the "engine" that runs the AI agent on your computer.

How to check: Open your terminal (Command Prompt on Windows, Terminal on Mac) and type:

node --version

If you see v18.x.x or higher, you are good. If not, download Node.js here (choose the "LTS" version).

An API Key (for the AI model)

OpenClaw needs access to an AI model to "think". You will need an API key from one of these providers:

DeepSeek

Cheapest option

OpenAI

A Terminal (Command Line)

You will need to type a few commands. Don't worry, we will tell you exactly what to type.

Windows: Press Win + R, type cmd, press Enter

Mac: Press Cmd + Space, type Terminal, press Enter

Linux: Press Ctrl + Alt + T

Step 1: Generate Your Config File (30 seconds)

The config file tells OpenClaw which AI model to use and how to connect. Instead of writing it by hand (which causes 90% of setup errors), let our tool do it for you.

Open the Config Wizard

1. Click the button below to open the Config Wizard
2. Choose your AI provider (DeepSeek, OpenAI, or Claude)
3. Paste your API key
4. Click "Download Config"
5. Save the clawhub.json file to a folder you will remember

Open Config Wizard

Your API key stays in your browser. We never see it or store it.

Step 2: Install OpenClaw (1 minute)

Open your terminal and paste this command:

Copy and paste into your terminal

npm install -g openclaw

What does this command do?

npm = Node Package Manager (comes with Node.js)

install -g = Install globally (so you can use it from any folder)

openclaw = The AI agent software

Getting a "permission denied" error?

Mac/Linux: Add sudo before the command: sudo npm install -g openclaw

Windows: Right-click Command Prompt and select "Run as Administrator"

Step 3: Start Your Agent (30 seconds)

Navigate to the folder where you saved clawhub.json, then run:

Copy and paste into your terminal

cd /path/to/your/folder
openclaw start --config clawhub.json

How do I navigate to the folder?

Example (Mac): If you saved it to Downloads: cd ~/Downloads

Example (Windows): If you saved it to Desktop: cd C:\Users\YourName\Desktop

Tip: On Mac, you can type cd (with a space) then drag the folder into the terminal window.

If everything works, you will see:

✓ Config loaded: clawhub.json
✓ LLM connected: deepseek (deepseek-chat)
✓ Agent started on http://127.0.0.1:3000

Your AI agent is running! Open http://127.0.0.1:3000 in your browser.

Something Not Working?

Don't worry — our Local Doctor tool can automatically find and explain the problem.

Auto-Diagnose with Local Doctor

Instead of searching Google for error messages, let our tool check everything for you in 10 seconds.

Open Local Doctor

Or check these common issues:

See "ECONNREFUSED" or "Connection Refused"?See "JSON Parse Error" or "Unexpected token"?Using Windows and something looks wrong?See "Invalid API Key" or "401 Unauthorized"?

Prefer Docker? (Optional)

If you are familiar with Docker, you can run OpenClaw in a container for better isolation. This is completely optional — the steps above work fine without Docker.

Docker Setup Guide

Want to run your agent 24/7?

Deploy to a cloud VPS and keep your agent running even when your laptop is off. A $6/mo server is plenty.

DigitalOcean — $200 free credit Vultr — from $2.50/mo

Affiliate links — we earn a small commission at no cost to you.