Getting Started with OpenClaw

I have spent too many hours trying to set up communication tools that promise simplicity but end up requiring a massive configuration file before I can even see a “Hello World.” It is frustrating when you just want to get a basic chat working and the setup process gets in your way. I found that OpenClaw handles this differently by focusing on a path that gets you to a working dashboard in minutes.

The goal here is to go from zero to your first working chat with as little friction as possible.

What You’ll Need

Before starting, make sure your environment is ready. You only need one main thing:

• Node 22 or newer

If you aren’t sure which version you have, run node --version in your terminal to check.

Quick Start

I recommend using the CLI for the fastest setup. This path takes about five minutes.

1. Install OpenClaw

First, you need to get the binary on your machine.

macOS/Linux

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

Windows (PowerShell)

iwr -useb https://openclaw.ai/install.ps1 | iex

2. Run the onboarding wizard

Once installed, run the wizard. This tool handles your authentication, gateway settings, and optional channels. I suggest using the --install-daemon flag to keep the service running.

openclaw onboard --install-daemon

3. Check the Gateway

If you installed the service during the previous step, it should be active. You can verify this by checking the status:

openclaw gateway status

4. Open the Control UI

Now you can start chatting. Run this command to open the dashboard in your browser:

openclaw dashboard

If the Control UI loads, your Gateway is ready. You can also access it directly at http://127.0.0.1:18789/ on the host machine.

Troubleshooting

If things don’t go exactly as planned, here are two ways to test your setup:

• Run the Gateway in the foreground: If the service isn’t behaving, run it manually to see the logs directly in your terminal. Use openclaw gateway --port 18789.
• Send a test message: If you have a channel configured, you can verify it works by sending a manual message: openclaw message send --target +15555550123 --message "Hello from OpenClaw".

Environment Variables

If you need to use a service account or custom file locations, you can set these variables:

• OPENCLAW_HOME: Sets the home directory for internal paths.
• OPENCLAW_CONFIG_PATH: Overrides the default config file path.

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If you run into a specific error not covered here, I recommend checking the AI Setup Assistant.

What’s Next

• Pairing and DM safety
• Connecting more channels