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

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What you need

  • Node.js 22.19+, 23.11+, or 24+ (24 is the recommended default)
  • An API key from a model provider (Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, etc.) — onboarding will prompt you
Check your Node version with node --version. Windows users: the native Windows Hub app is the easiest desktop path. The PowerShell installer and WSL2 Gateway paths are also supported. See Windows. Need to install Node? See Node setup.

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Quick setup

1

Install OpenClaw

curl -fsSL https://openclaw.ai/install.sh | bash
Install Script Process
Other install methods (Docker, Nix, npm): Install.
2

Run onboarding

openclaw onboard --install-daemon
The wizard walks you through choosing a model provider, setting an API key, and configuring the Gateway. QuickStart is usually only a few minutes, but provider sign-in, channel pairing, daemon install, network downloads, skills, or optional plugins can make full onboarding take longer. Skip optional steps and return later with openclaw configure.See Onboarding (CLI) for the full reference.
3

Verify the Gateway is running

openclaw gateway status
You should see the Gateway listening on port 18789.
4

Open the dashboard

openclaw dashboard
This opens the Control UI in your browser. If it loads, everything is working.
5

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.
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

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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.
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.