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Getting Started

Goal: go from zero → first working chat (with sane defaults) as quickly as possible. Fastest chat: open the Control UI (no channel setup needed). Run openclaw dashboard and chat in the browser, or open http://127.0.0.1:18789/ on the gateway host. Docs: Dashboard and Control UI. Recommended path: use the CLI onboarding wizard (openclaw onboard). It sets up:
  • model/auth (OAuth recommended)
  • gateway settings
  • channels (WhatsApp/Telegram/Discord/Mattermost (plugin)/…)
  • pairing defaults (secure DMs)
  • workspace bootstrap + skills
  • optional background service
If you want the deeper reference pages, jump to: Wizard, Setup, Pairing, Security. Sandboxing note: agents.defaults.sandbox.mode: "non-main" uses session.mainKey (default "main"), so group/channel sessions are sandboxed. If you want the main agent to always run on host, set an explicit per-agent override: 
{
  "routing": {
    "agents": {
      "main": {
        "workspace": "~/.openclaw/workspace",
        "sandbox": { "mode": "off" }
      }
    }
  }
}

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0) Prereqs

  • Node >=22
  • pnpm (optional; recommended if you build from source)
  • Recommended: Brave Search API key for web search. Easiest path: openclaw configure --section web (stores tools.web.search.apiKey). See Web tools.
macOS: if you plan to build the apps, install Xcode / CLT. For the CLI + gateway only, Node is enough. Windows: use WSL2 (Ubuntu recommended). WSL2 is strongly recommended; native Windows is untested, more problematic, and has poorer tool compatibility. Install WSL2 first, then run the Linux steps inside WSL. See Windows (WSL2). 
curl -fsSL https://open-claw.blog/install.sh | bash
Installer options (install method, non-interactive, from GitHub): Install. Windows (PowerShell): 
iwr -useb https://open-claw.blog/install.ps1 | iex
Alternative (global install): 
npm install -g openclaw@latest

pnpm add -g openclaw@latest

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2) Run the onboarding wizard (and install the service) 

openclaw onboard --install-daemon
What you’ll choose:
  • Local vs Remote gateway
  • Auth: OpenAI Code (Codex) subscription (OAuth) or API keys. For Anthropic we recommend an API key; claude setup-token is also supported.
  • Providers: WhatsApp QR login, Telegram/Discord bot tokens, Mattermost plugin tokens, etc.
  • Daemon: background install (launchd/systemd; WSL2 uses systemd)
    • Runtime: Node (recommended; required for WhatsApp/Telegram). Bun is not recommended.
  • Gateway token: the wizard generates one by default (even on loopback) and stores it in gateway.auth.token.
Wizard doc: Wizard

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Auth: where it lives (important)

  • Recommended Anthropic path: set an API key (wizard can store it for service use). claude setup-token is also supported if you want to reuse Claude Code credentials.
  • OAuth credentials (legacy import): ~/.openclaw/credentials/oauth.json
  • Auth profiles (OAuth + API keys): ~/.openclaw/agents/<agentId>/agent/auth-profiles.json
Headless/server tip: do OAuth on a normal machine first, then copy oauth.json to the gateway host.

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3) Start the Gateway

If you installed the service during onboarding, the Gateway should already be running: 
openclaw gateway status
Manual run (foreground): 
openclaw gateway --port 18789 --verbose
Dashboard (local loopback): http://127.0.0.1:18789/ If a token is configured, paste it into the Control UI settings (stored as connect.params.auth.token). ⚠️ Bun warning (WhatsApp + Telegram): Bun has known issues with these channels. If you use WhatsApp or Telegram, run the Gateway with Node.

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3.5) Quick verify (2 min) 

openclaw status
openclaw health
openclaw security audit --deep

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4) Pair + connect your first chat surface

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WhatsApp (QR login) 

openclaw channels login
Scan via WhatsApp → Settings → Linked Devices. WhatsApp doc: WhatsApp

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Telegram / Discord / others

The wizard can write tokens/config for you. If you prefer manual config, start with: Telegram DM tip: your first DM returns a pairing code. Approve it (see next step) or the bot won’t respond.

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5) DM safety (pairing approvals)

Default posture: unknown DMs get a short code and messages are not processed until approved. If your first DM gets no reply, approve the pairing: 
openclaw pairing list whatsapp
openclaw pairing approve whatsapp <code>
Pairing doc: Pairing

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From source (development)

If you’re hacking on OpenClaw itself, run from source: 
git clone https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw.git
cd openclaw
pnpm install
pnpm ui:build # auto-installs UI deps on first run
pnpm build
openclaw onboard --install-daemon
If you don’t have a global install yet, run the onboarding step via pnpm openclaw ... from the repo. pnpm build also bundles A2UI assets; if you need to run just that step, use pnpm canvas:a2ui:bundle. Gateway (from this repo): 
node openclaw.mjs gateway --port 18789 --verbose

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7) Verify end-to-end

In a new terminal, send a test message: 
openclaw message send --target +15555550123 --message "Hello from OpenClaw"
If openclaw health shows “no auth configured”, go back to the wizard and set OAuth/key auth — the agent won’t be able to respond without it. Tip: openclaw status --all is the best pasteable, read-only debug report. Health probes: openclaw health (or openclaw status --deep) asks the running gateway for a health snapshot.

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Next steps (optional, but great)