Getting Started

Install OpenClaw, run onboarding, and chat with your AI assistant — all in about 5 minutes. By the end you will have a running Gateway, configured auth, and a working chat session.

What you need

Node.js — Node 24 recommended (Node 22.14+ also supported)
An API key from a model provider (Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, etc.) — onboarding will prompt you

TIP

Check your Node version with node --version. Windows users: both native Windows and WSL2 are supported. WSL2 is more stable and recommended for the full experience. See Windows. Need to install Node? See Node setup.

Quick setup

Install OpenClaw
macOS / Linux
curl -fsSL https://openclaw.ai/install.sh | bash
Windows (PowerShell)
iwr -useb https://openclaw.ai/install.ps1 | iex
NOTE
Other install methods (Docker, Nix, npm): Install.
Run onboarding
```
openclaw onboard --install-daemon
```
The wizard walks you through choosing a model provider, setting an API key, and configuring the Gateway. It takes about 2 minutes.
See Onboarding (CLI) for the full reference.
Verify the Gateway is running
```
openclaw gateway status
```
You should see the Gateway listening on port 18789.
Open the dashboard
```
openclaw dashboard
```
This opens the Control UI in your browser. If it loads, everything is working.
Send your first message
Type a message in the Control UI chat and you should get an AI reply.
Want to chat from your phone instead? The fastest channel to set up is Telegram (just a bot token). See Channels for all options.

Advanced: mount a custom Control UI build

If you maintain a localized or customized dashboard build, point gateway.controlUi.root to a directory that contains your built static assets and index.html.

mkdir -p "$HOME/.openclaw/control-ui-custom"
# Copy your built static files into that directory.

Then set:

{
  "gateway": {
    "controlUi": {
      "enabled": true,
      "root": "$HOME/.openclaw/control-ui-custom"
    }
  }
}

Restart the gateway and reopen the dashboard:

openclaw gateway restart
openclaw dashboard

What to do next

Connect a channel

Discord, Feishu, iMessage, Matrix, Microsoft Teams, Signal, Slack, Telegram, WhatsApp, Zalo, and more.

Pairing and safety

Control who can message your agent.

Configure the Gateway

Models, tools, sandbox, and advanced settings.

Browse tools

Browser, exec, web search, skills, and plugins.

Advanced: environment variables

If you run OpenClaw as a service account or want custom paths:

OPENCLAW_HOME — home directory for internal path resolution
OPENCLAW_STATE_DIR — override the state directory
OPENCLAW_CONFIG_PATH — override the config file path

Full reference: Environment variables.