OpenClaw Installation and Setup Guide

By ModelWise team - Professional AI Agent Solutions

This skill provides comprehensive guidance for installing, configuring, and running OpenClaw - an open-source personal AI assistant gateway.

Overview

OpenClaw is a multi-channel AI assistant gateway that enables users to use AI assistants on their existing messaging platforms (WhatsApp, Telegram, Slack, Discord, etc.).

Key Features:

• Local-first architecture
• 20+ messaging channel integrations
• Multi-model support (Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, local models)
• Voice interaction (Voice Wake + Talk Mode)
• Canvas visualization workspace (A2UI protocol)
• Skills extension system

Prerequisites

System Requirements

Node.js Installation

Check Node.js version first:

node --version

Windows

# Option 1: Using winget
winget install OpenJS.NodeJS.LTS

# Option 2: Using Chocolatey
choco install nodejs-lts

# Option 3: Download installer
# https://nodejs.org/

macOS / Linux

# Install nvm
curl -o- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvm-sh/nvm/v0.40.1/install.sh | bash

# Reload shell
source ~/.zshrc  # or ~/.bashrc

# Install Node.js 22
nvm install 22
nvm use 22
nvm alias default 22

Installation

Step 1: Install OpenClaw CLI

# All platforms
npm install -g openclaw@latest

# Verify installation
openclaw --version

Step 2: Run Configuration Wizard

# Start interactive configuration
openclaw onboard

# Or with daemon installation (recommended)
openclaw onboard --install-daemon

The wizard will guide through:

1. Model provider selection (Anthropic, OpenAI, Volcengine, etc.)
2. API key configuration
3. Channel setup (Telegram, Slack, etc.)
4. Gateway configuration

Step 3: Configure API Keys

API keys are stored in ~/.openclaw/credentials/ (or %USERPROFILE%\.openclaw\credentials\ on Windows).

# Set Anthropic API key
openclaw credentials set anthropic YOUR_API_KEY

# Set Volcengine API key (for Kimi)
openclaw credentials set volcengine YOUR_API_KEY

# Set OpenAI API key
openclaw credentials set openai YOUR_API_KEY

Step 4: Start Gateway

# Start gateway on default port (18789)
openclaw gateway

# Or specify port
openclaw gateway --port 18789

# Run in background (macOS/Linux)
openclaw gateway --daemon

# Windows: run in new window or use pm2
start /B openclaw gateway

Configuration

Config File Location

Essential Configuration

{
  // Gateway settings
  gateway: {
    enabled: true,
    port: 18789,
    mode: "local",
    bind: "0.0.0.0"
  },