Quick Start

Install openclaw and set up your first AI agent in under 5 minutes. Quick start guide covering openclaw setup, installation, and initial configuration.

Prerequisites

Before installing OpenClaw, make sure you have:

Node.js 22 or newer installed

node --version
# Expected output: v22.x.x or higher

Installation

macOS / Linux

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

Windows (PowerShell)

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

Via npm (all platforms)

npm install -g openclaw@latest

Run the Onboarding Wizard

After installation, run the onboarding wizard to configure OpenClaw:

openclaw onboard --install-daemon

The wizard will guide you through:

Selecting your AI model provider (OpenAI, Claude, Ollama, etc.)
Configuring your API keys
Setting up your first channel (WhatsApp, Telegram, etc.)
Installing the background daemon

Verify Installation

Check that the Gateway is running:

openclaw gateway status

Open the Control UI dashboard:

openclaw dashboard

The dashboard is accessible at http://127.0.0.1:18789/ by default.

Send a Test Message

openclaw message send --target +15555550123 --message "Hello from OpenClaw"

Run Gateway in Foreground

For debugging or development, you can run the Gateway in the foreground:

openclaw gateway --port 18789

Environment Variables

Variable	Description
`OPENCLAW_HOME`	Sets the home directory for internal path resolution
`OPENCLAW_STATE_DIR`	Overrides the state directory
`OPENCLAW_CONFIG_PATH`	Overrides the config file path

What You Will Have

After completing the quick start, you will have:

✅ A running OpenClaw Gateway
✅ Authentication configured
✅ Control UI access or a connected channel

Next Steps

What is OpenClaw — Learn about the architecture
Install on Windows — Detailed Windows guide
Install with Docker — Container deployment
AI Model Integrations — Connect AI models

Quick Start

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