1Before We Start

⚠️

System Requirements

OpenClaw currently supports macOS, Linux, and Raspberry Pi. Windows support is coming soon. You'll also need Node.js 18+ and about 500MB of disk space.

What You'll Need

✓Mac, Linux, or Raspberry Pi — Your OpenClaw will run here
✓OpenAI API key — We'll show you how to get this (costs ~$5-20/month)
✓Telegram or Discord account — For chatting with your agent
✓30 minutes — Most of this is waiting for downloads

2Get Your API Keys

OpenClaw works with multiple AI providers. We'll start with OpenAI since it's reliable and well-documented.

Getting an OpenAI API Key

1
Go to OpenAI's website: Visit platform.openai.com
2
Sign up or log in: Create an account if you don't have one
3
Add billing: Go to "Billing" and add a payment method. Don't worry — OpenClaw typically costs $5-20/month depending on usage.
4
Create API key: Go to "API Keys" and click "Create new secret key"
5
Save it somewhere safe: You'll only see this once! Save it in a password manager or secure note.

💡

Pro Tip: Start Small

Set a usage limit of $10-20 in your OpenAI billing settings. This prevents any surprise charges while you're learning. You can always increase it later.

3Install OpenClaw

OpenClaw uses an installer script that handles everything for you. Just run one command and it takes care of the rest.

Installation Command

curl -sSL https://install.openclaw.ai | bash

This script will:

• Download the latest OpenClaw release
• Install it to ~/.openclaw/
• Set up the command-line tools
• Create your initial workspace

🍎 macOS Users

Open Terminal and run the command above. You might need to install Xcode Command Line Tools:

xcode-select --install

🐧 Linux Users

Most Linux distros work out of the box. Make sure you have curl and Node.js 18+:

# Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt update && sudo apt install curl nodejs npm

# Then run the installer
curl -sSL https://install.openclaw.ai | bash

🥧 Raspberry Pi Users

Works great on Pi 4 and newer. Same process as Linux:

curl -sSL https://install.openclaw.ai | bash

4Initial Configuration

After installation, OpenClaw will guide you through the initial setup. Here's what to expect:

First Run Setup

openclaw setup

The setup wizard will ask you for:

1
Your OpenAI API key — Paste the one you got earlier
2
Your agent's name — Something like "Alex" or "Nova" (you can change this later)
3
Your preferred communication style — Formal, casual, witty, etc.
4
Time zone and location — For scheduling and local information

💡

Don't Overthink It

All of these settings can be changed later in your configuration files. The setup wizard just gets you started with reasonable defaults.

5Test Your Installation

Let's make sure everything is working before we move on to connecting chat platforms.

Basic Health Check

1. Check if OpenClaw is installed:

openclaw --version

Should show something like "openclaw v2.4.1"

2. Test the AI connection:

openclaw test ai

Should respond with a brief message from your AI

3. Check your agent status:

openclaw status

Shows if your agent is running and healthy

✅

Success!

If all three commands worked, you're ready to move on. Your OpenClaw agent is installed and can communicate with OpenAI.

🚨

Having Issues?

Most problems are related to API keys or network connectivity. Try:

• Double-check your OpenAI API key
• Make sure you have billing set up on OpenAI
• Check your internet connection
• Ask for help in the Discord community

6Understanding Your Installation

Now that OpenClaw is installed, let's understand what you've got and where everything lives.

File Structure

~/.openclaw/

├── workspace/ ← Your agent's "home" folder
├── config/ ← Settings and API keys
├── skills/ ← Installed capabilities
├── logs/ ← Activity logs
└── bin/ ← OpenClaw executable

📁 Workspace

This is your agent's memory and personality. Contains files like SOUL.md (personality), MEMORY.md (long-term memory), and daily conversation logs.

⚙️ Config

API keys, preferences, and system settings. Most of this was set up during the initial configuration wizard.

🔧 Skills

Installed capabilities like weather, email, calendar integration. We'll explore this more in Module 4.

📋 Logs

System activity, errors, and conversation history. Useful for troubleshooting and understanding what your agent has been up to.

7What's Next

Congratulations! You now have OpenClaw installed and configured. But right now, you can only talk to it through the command line.

Coming Up in Module 3

We'll connect your agent to Telegram or Discord so you can chat with it naturally from your phone or computer. This is where OpenClaw really shines — having your personal AI available wherever you are.

🎯 Quick Test Before Moving On

Try having a conversation with your agent from the command line:

openclaw chat "Hi! Tell me a bit about yourself."

This should give you a response that reflects the personality and name you configured during setup.

Course Progress

Installation & Setup