OpenClaw Installation Skill

OpenClaw is a personal AI assistant that runs on your own devices, connecting to messaging channels like WhatsApp, Telegram, Slack, Discord, Signal, iMessage, and more.

Prerequisites

•Node.js ≥22 (required)
•pnpm (recommended) or npm
•Git (for source builds)

Verify Node version:

bash

node --version  # Must be v22.x or higher

Installation Methods

Method 1: NPM Global Install (Recommended)

bash

npm install -g openclaw@latest
# or with pnpm:
pnpm add -g openclaw@latest

# Run onboarding wizard
openclaw onboard --install-daemon

The wizard installs the Gateway daemon (launchd on macOS, systemd on Linux) so it stays running.

Method 2: Build from Source

bash

git clone https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw.git
cd openclaw

pnpm install
pnpm ui:build      # Auto-installs UI deps on first run
pnpm build

pnpm openclaw onboard --install-daemon

# Dev loop (auto-reload on TS changes)
pnpm gateway:watch

Method 3: Docker

See references/docker-setup.md for containerized deployment.

Method 4: Nix

bash

# Using nix-clawdbot
nix flake show github:openclaw/nix-clawdbot

Quick Start Commands

bash

# Start gateway
openclaw gateway --port 18789 --verbose

# Send a message
openclaw message send --to +1234567890 --message "Hello from OpenClaw"

# Talk to the assistant
openclaw agent --message "Ship checklist" --thinking high

# Health check
openclaw doctor

# Update OpenClaw
openclaw update --channel stable

Configuration

Minimal config at ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json:

json

{
  "agent": {
    "model": "anthropic/claude-opus-4-5"
  }
}

For full configuration options, see references/configuration.md.

Channel Setup

Each channel requires specific configuration. Quick overview:

Channel	Key Config	Auth Method
WhatsApp	`channels.whatsapp.allowFrom`	QR code via `openclaw channels login`
Telegram	`TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN` or `channels.telegram.botToken`	BotFather token
Slack	`SLACK_BOT_TOKEN` + `SLACK_APP_TOKEN`	Slack App OAuth
Discord	`DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN` or `channels.discord.token`	Discord Bot token
Signal	`channels.signal` section	signal-cli setup
iMessage	macOS only, Messages signed in	Native integration

For detailed channel setup, see references/channels.md.

Security Defaults

OpenClaw treats inbound DMs as untrusted input by default:

•DM pairing (dmPolicy="pairing"): Unknown senders receive a pairing code
•Approve senders: openclaw pairing approve <channel> <code>
•For open access: set dmPolicy="open" with "*" in allowlist

Run openclaw doctor to check for risky configurations.

Directory Structure

code

~/.openclaw/
├── openclaw.json       # Main configuration
├── credentials/        # Channel credentials (auto-generated)
├── workspace/          # Agent workspace
│   ├── AGENTS.md       # Injected prompt
│   ├── SOUL.md         # Personality config
│   ├── TOOLS.md        # Tool definitions
│   └── skills/         # Local skills
└── state/              # Runtime state

Skills Management

bash

# Install from ClawdHub
clawhub install <skill-name>

# Sync all skills
clawhub sync --all

# List installed skills
openclaw skills list

Skills load from:

•<workspace>/skills (highest priority)
•~/.openclaw/skills
•Bundled skills (lowest priority)

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Node version too old:

bash

# Install Node 22 via nvm
nvm install 22
nvm use 22

Gateway won't start:

bash

openclaw doctor          # Diagnose issues
openclaw gateway --verbose  # See detailed logs

Channel connection fails:

bash

openclaw channels status
openclaw channels login    # Re-authenticate

Permission denied (macOS):

•Grant Terminal/IDE full disk access in System Preferences
•For Voice Wake: grant microphone access

Logs

bash

# View gateway logs
tail -f ~/.openclaw/logs/gateway.log

# Debug mode
openclaw gateway --verbose --debug

Development Channels

•stable: Tagged releases (vYYYY.M.D), npm dist-tag latest
•beta: Prerelease (vYYYY.M.D-beta.N), npm dist-tag beta
•dev: Moving head of main, npm dist-tag dev

Switch channels:

bash

openclaw update --channel stable|beta|dev

Useful Links

•Docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai
•GitHub: https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw
•ClawdHub (Skills): https://clawhub.com
•Discord: https://discord.gg/clawd