How to install OpenClaw: Your personal AI assistant step by step

Step-by-step Installation

First things first: you need a computer where it can run. You have two paths: Local or cloud.

Local would be an old PC, a Raspberry Pi, or anything you have around. You might have seen people buying Mac Minis — it makes sense because OpenClaw has integrations with the Apple ecosystem. But you don't need it to start.

The problem with local is that it has to be on to work, obviously. That's why I prefer the cloud. Any Linux VPS will work.

In this case, I'm going to use Hostinger. The cheapest machine (KVM1) is more than enough, and it's only $4.99 per month.

Connecting via SSH

To connect, you need SSH — basically a remote terminal to control the server. If you already use Git with GitHub via SSH, you already have a key configured and don't need to do anything else.

If you're not sure, check in your terminal:

ls ~/.ssh/id_*.pub

If it shows a file (like id_ed25519.pub or id_rsa.pub), you already have an SSH key. If you don't have one, you can follow the official GitHub guide to create your SSH key.

You'll find the connection command in your VPS dashboard:

Open the terminal on your machine, paste the command, and you're in.

Installing Node.js

The first thing you will need is Node. OpenClaw needs it to function.

node -v

If it returns a version number, perfect. If not, run these two commands:

curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_20.x | sudo -E bash -
sudo apt-get install -y nodejs

If you prefer to use nvm to manage versions, that works too (that's what I use).

Installing OpenClaw

If we go to the OpenClaw page, we'll see there's only one command. It's the only thing needed to start:

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

This installs everything. It downloads, configures dependencies, and launches an assistant to guide you step by step. It might take a while.

Once we have it, we launch the wizard:

openclaw onboard

The wizard asks you: which AI model, which messaging channel, API keys... All guided.

Choosing the Brain

And here's where it gets interesting. Which brain do you use?

My recommendation for starting: OpenRouter

It's a model aggregator. You pay per use, you have access to Claude, GPT, Gemini, everything. And you can start almost for free with the credits they give you upon registration.

1. 1Register at openrouter.ai
2. 2Generate an API key
3. 3Provide it to the wizard during onboarding

Using Claude Max

In my case, I have the Claude Max plan. If you have it and don't usually burn through your daily credits, I recommend it — better results, better personality. But it's not cheap anymore.

To use Claude Max, authentication goes with a Claude Code token:

claude setup-token

It generates an OAuth token that you paste during onboarding. It's now connected to your account.

Configuring WhatsApp

Now for the channel. WhatsApp is the one I use. But before connecting it, let's talk about something important: the number.

Get a separate number

Don't use your personal number. You want a dedicated number for the bot for several reasons:

• •If something goes wrong, you don't lose your main WhatsApp
• •You can have separate conversations
• •It's easier to manage and reset if needed

You have several options:

Connecting the bot to WhatsApp

Once you have your number ready, connecting is very simple. During onboarding (or after), OpenClaw will show you a QR code in the terminal.

The process is exactly the same as linking WhatsApp Web:

1. 1Open WhatsApp (or WhatsApp Business) on your phone
2. 2Go to Settings → Linked Devices
3. 3Tap on Link a Device
4. 4Scan the terminal QR code

Boom, connected. You can now talk to your bot through WhatsApp.

Configuring the Browser

Then you can configure a browser that the bot controls. An isolated Chromium running on your server. It now has eyes to browse websites, take screenshots, fill out forms...

On Ubuntu:

apt install -y chromium-browser

And in the config you set it to use the managed browser. That easy.

The Birth of the Bot

And here's the best part. When you finish everything, something called the hatch happens. Your bot "is born."

The system creates a workspace and starts a bootstrap ritual. It asks you questions: who you are, what you do, how you want it to behave. You give it a name.

From there, OpenClaw writes its own identity files:

• SOUL.md — its personality
• USER.md — info about you

It's like giving it a soul. Mine is called Skynet.

If something fails

And if something has failed so far, important command:

openclaw doctor

It analyzes your installation, detects problems, tells you what to fix. If something doesn't work, always this first.

Configuring Email with Resend

It already has control of the machine, memory, and a way to communicate with you wherever you are. But this can be extended further.

One of the first things you'll want is for it to send emails. For this, I use Resend — an email sending service for developers that's ridiculously easy to configure.

1. Create a Resend account

First, create an account at resend.com.

They have a free plan with 100 emails per day — more than enough to start and probably forever for personal use.

2. Generate API Key

Once inside, go to the API Keys section and generate a new one.

Give it a descriptive name (for example "OpenClaw Bot") and create the key.

3. Verify a domain

So that emails don't go to spam and you can send from a professional address, you need to verify a domain.

If you don't have a domain, don't worry — they're very cheap:

1. 1Go to Namecheap (or your favorite registrar)
2. 2Search for any name you like
3. 3Domains like .online, .xyz or .site cost literally 98 cents the first year

4. Configure DNS Records

Now comes the "technical" part (which isn't really). Resend will give you some DNS records that you need to add to your domain.

In Resend:

1. Go to Domains → Add Domain
2. Enter your domain (e.g.: mybot.xyz)
3. It will show you a table with DNS records to copy

In Namecheap (or your registrar):

1. Go to Domain List → your domain → Advanced DNS
2. Add each record Resend gave you (type, host, value)
3. Save changes

Verification can take a few minutes (sometimes up to a few hours, but it's usually fast). Resend will notify you when it's ready.

5. Test sending

Once the domain is verified, you can test. Simply tell your bot:

Check that it arrives in your inbox (and not spam). If everything is good, you have email configured!

What you have now

From here you now have a bot that:

• Talks via WhatsApp
• Sends emails
• Searches the web
• Writes and sends files
• Installs software
• Accesses repos
• Saves and uses credentials

Not bad. You can now forget about the terminal, the basics are done.

But you'll quickly realize that right now it's a bit dumb when it comes to using specific tools. And for that, we can take it further...