OpenClaw gives you a personal AI that works for you around the clock. This is the step-by-step guide to setting it up. No jargon. No coding experience needed.
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OpenClaw is open-source software that turns AI models like Claude into an always-on personal agent. It lives on your computer, connects to your tools, and works for you. Not a chatbot. An actual assistant that can research, write, build, and execute.
Your agent has persistent memory. It knows your preferences, your projects, your business. It picks up where it left off every time.
Browse the web. Read and write files. Run code. Send messages. Control a browser. Your agent doesn't just talk. It does things.
Talk to your agent through Telegram, Discord, Signal, iMessage, or Slack. It's like texting a colleague who never sleeps.
Everything runs on your machine. Your conversations, your files, your data. Nothing is sent anywhere you don't control.
Your agent runs 24/7. It can work while you sleep, check things on a schedule, and ping you when something needs attention.
From tradies to accountants. AI agents are the next competitive advantage for small businesses.
Here's what people are actually using their OpenClaw agents for right now.
"Write a follow-up email to the client about the quote I sent last week"
"Find me the top 10 construction companies in my area and summarise what they do"
"Draft a scope of work for the bathroom renovation project"
"Look at this spreadsheet and tell me which jobs were most profitable last quarter"
"Build me a landing page for my plumbing business with a contact form"
"Every Monday morning, check my calendar and send me a summary of the week ahead"
"Generate a quote for a 3-bedroom repaint based on our standard pricing"
"Monitor our inbox, flag urgent messages, draft replies for my review"
Follow these steps exactly and you'll have a working OpenClaw agent in about 30 minutes. Written for people who are not developers.
OpenClaw runs on Mac, Windows, or Linux. You need a computer that stays on (a Mac Mini or a spare laptop is perfect). It does not need to be powerful. 8GB of RAM is enough.
OpenClaw needs an AI model to think with. We recommend Claude by Anthropic. Go to console.anthropic.com, create an account, and generate an API key. You'll pay based on usage (typically $5-50/month depending on how much you use it).
OpenClaw runs on Node.js. If you're on a Mac, open Terminal (search for it in Spotlight) and paste this command:
brew install node@22
If you don't have Homebrew (the Mac package manager), install it first:
/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"
One command. Paste this into your terminal:
npm install -g openclaw
This downloads and installs OpenClaw globally on your machine.
OpenClaw has a guided setup that walks you through everything. Run:
openclaw setup
The wizard will ask you for your API key (from Step 2), let you choose a messaging channel (Telegram is the easiest to start with), and configure your agent's identity.
The easiest way to talk to your agent is through Telegram. The setup wizard will walk you through creating a Telegram bot (takes 2 minutes). Once connected, you can message your agent from your phone, just like texting a friend.
This is what makes OpenClaw different from ChatGPT. You write a SOUL.md file that tells your agent who it is, what it does, and how it should work. Think of it as a job description for your AI.
openclaw edit soul
Write something like: "You are my executive assistant. You help me run my plumbing business. You are direct, practical, and always thinking about saving me time."
The gateway is what keeps your agent running in the background. Start it with:
openclaw gateway start
That's it. Your agent is now running 24/7. Send it a message on Telegram and watch it respond.
Send your agent a message. Ask it to research something. Ask it to draft an email. Ask it to build you a webpage. Start small, learn how it thinks, and gradually give it more responsibility.
Everything you need to get started. Most people already have the hardware.
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