Setting Up Your OpenClaw Gateway with the Onboarding Wizard

Setting up a new development environment often feels like a chore. I’ve spent too many afternoons wrestling with environment variables and configuration files just to get a basic tool running, only to find out I missed a hidden step. I prefer tools that talk to me directly and handle the heavy lifting of setup.

The openclaw onboard command is designed to do exactly that. It’s a wizard that walks you through everything from API keys to background services so you can stop editing JSON files by hand and start using the tool.

What You’ll Need

Before you start, make sure you have these ready:

The openclaw CLI installed on your machine.
An API key or subscription (like Anthropic or OpenAI).
A workspace directory (the default is ~/.openclaw/workspace).
Node.js installed (Node is recommended over Bun for this setup).

Quick Start

The fastest way to get running is the Local mode. It sets up your model, gateway, and daemon in one go.

Start the wizard Open your terminal and run:
Terminal window
```
openclaw onboard
```
Configure Auth and Models I recommend using an Anthropic API key or the OpenAI Code subscription. The wizard will prompt you to paste your key or complete an OAuth flow in your browser. If you use OpenAI, it sets your default model to openai-codex/gpt-5.3-codex.
Set up the Gateway and Channels The wizard asks for a port and bind address. Keep token auth enabled for security. You can also pick your communication channels here, such as Telegram (requires a bot token) or WhatsApp (uses a QR login).
Install the Daemon To keep the gateway running in the background, the wizard installs a service:
- macOS: Installs a LaunchAgent.
- Linux/WSL2: Installs a systemd user unit.
Run a Health Check The wizard finishes by running openclaw health to ensure everything is connected. You can check the deep status anytime with:
Terminal window
```
openclaw status --deep
```

Troubleshooting

If you run into issues during the process, here are the solutions provided in the documentation:

Invalid Config or Legacy Keys: If the wizard detects an old or broken openclaw.json, it will stop. You need to run the doctor command to fix it:
Terminal window
```
openclaw doctor
```
No GUI Detected: If you are on a headless server, the wizard won’t be able to open a browser for the Control UI. It will instead print SSH port-forwarding instructions so you can access the UI from your local machine.
Missing UI Assets: If the Control UI assets are gone, the wizard tries to build them automatically. If that fails, you can run:
Terminal window
```
pnpm ui:build
```
DM Security: If you can’t send messages to your bot, you might need to approve the pairing. Use the code sent in the DM and run:
Terminal window
```
openclaw pairing approve <channel> <code>
```

If you need more help with your specific configuration, check out the AI Setup Assistant.

What’s Next

OpenClaw Expert

Still stuck?

If this page didn't answer your case, ask OpenClaw Expert for step-by-step guidance.