Setting Up OpenClaw with the Onboarding Wizard

I have spent way too many hours staring at long README files just to figure out which environment variables I need to set. It is frustrating when you want to try a new tool but get stuck in a loop of manual configuration and broken dependencies. I prefer a setup process that handles the heavy lifting for me.

That is why I recommend using the onboarding wizard. It is the best way to get OpenClaw running because it guides you through every step, from picking your model to setting up your workspace and communication channels.

What You’ll Need

• macOS, Linux, or Windows (WSL2 is strongly recommended for Windows users).
• An API key for your preferred model provider (like Perplexity, Anthropic, or OpenAI).

Quick Start

If you want the fastest path to your first chat, you can run the dashboard and use your browser.

openclaw dashboard

However, to fully set up your agent with channels and tools, use the onboarding wizard. Run this command in your terminal:

openclaw onboard

The wizard will ask if you want QuickStart or Advanced mode. I suggest QuickStart if you want sensible defaults. It sets the Gateway port to 18789, uses Token auth, and configures a coding tool profile.

If you need to change your settings later, you can use these commands:

openclaw configure
openclaw agents add <name>

Adding Web Search

During the setup, you will see a step for web search. You can pick a provider like Perplexity, Brave, Gemini, Grok, or Kimi. Just paste your API key when prompted so your agent can use the web_search tool. You can also handle this later:

openclaw configure --section web

Troubleshooting

Sometimes things don’t go perfectly. Here are the common issues mentioned in the documentation and how to fix them.

• Invalid Configuration: If your config file is broken or contains old keys, the wizard will stop. Run openclaw doctor to find and fix the errors.
• Daemon Install Blocked: If you are trying to install the background service (daemon) but haven’t set an auth mode while having both a token and password configured, the install will block. You must explicitly set the auth mode first.
• SecretRef Issues: If you use SecretRef for your gateway token and it remains unresolved, the daemon installation will stop and give you guidance on how to fix it.
• Non-interactive Failures: If you use --non-interactive with --secret-input-mode ref, make sure your provider environment variables are already set. If they are missing, the process will fail immediately.

If you need to start over completely, you can reset your setup:

openclaw onboard --reset

For more help with your specific configuration, check out the AI Setup Assistant.

What’s Next

• CLI Onboarding Reference
• Web tools
• Dashboard Documentation
• Agent Bootstrapping