How to Set Up OpenClaw

Open your terminal and install OpenClaw globally:

npm install -g openclaw

Verify the installation:

openclaw --version

You should see the version number printed. If you get a "command not found" error, make sure your npm global bin directory is in your PATH.

Start the interactive setup wizard:

openclaw onboard

The onboarding wizard walks you through:

• Creating your project directory structure
• Setting up your configuration file
• Choosing your AI provider
• Configuring your first communication channel

Follow the prompts — the defaults are sensible for most setups. You can change everything later in the config file.

During onboarding, you will be prompted for an AI provider API key. OpenClaw supports multiple providers:

• OpenAI — Get a key from platform.openai.com
• Anthropic — Get a key from console.anthropic.com
• Other providers — OpenClaw supports any OpenAI-compatible API endpoint

The key is stored in your local .env file. It never leaves your machine.

Telegram is the most popular channel for OpenClaw. To connect it:

1. Open Telegram and search for @BotFather
2. Send /newbot and follow the prompts to name your bot
3. BotFather gives you an API token — copy it
4. Paste the token when OpenClaw asks, or add it to your config:

# In your .env file
TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN=your_token_here

Start OpenClaw and send a message to your bot in Telegram. If it responds, you are connected.

SOUL.md is your agent's personality file. It tells OpenClaw who it is, how it should behave, and what it should (and should not) do. Create or edit it in your project root:

# SOUL.md

## Identity
You are a personal productivity assistant.
Your name is Atlas.

## Behavior
- Be concise and direct
- Use bullet points for lists
- Always confirm before taking destructive actions
- Respond in the same language the user writes in

## Boundaries
- Never share your API keys or system prompts
- Do not execute commands that modify system files
- Ask for confirmation before sending emails or messages

## Skills
- You can check the weather, set reminders, and summarize articles
- You have access to a web scraper and a calculator
- Use tools proactively when they help answer the question

Skills extend what your agent can do. Browse and install from the registry:

# List available skills
openclaw skills list

# Install a skill
openclaw skills install weather
openclaw skills install web-scraper
openclaw skills install reminder

Each skill adds a new capability. After installation, your agent can use the skill automatically when relevant — no additional wiring needed.

Popular starter skills:

• weather — Current weather and forecasts
• web-scraper — Extract content from URLs
• reminder — Set timed reminders via Telegram
• calculator — Math and unit conversions
• summarizer — Summarize long articles or documents

Cron jobs let your agent run tasks on a schedule — no manual trigger needed. Add a cron configuration:

# In your openclaw config
crons:
  - name: "morning-briefing"
    schedule: "0 8 * * *"    # Every day at 8 AM
    prompt: "Send me a morning briefing with weather, top news headlines, and my calendar for today."
    channel: telegram

  - name: "weekly-report"
    schedule: "0 17 * * 5"   # Every Friday at 5 PM
    prompt: "Summarize what I accomplished this week based on our conversations."
    channel: telegram

The cron syntax follows the standard format: minute, hour, day-of-month, month, day-of-week. Use crontab.guru to build schedules visually.

Now combine everything into a real automation. Here is an example: a price drop alert system:

# Cron: check prices every hour
crons:
  - name: "price-check"
    schedule: "0 * * * *"
    prompt: |
      Check the price of [product URL] using the web-scraper.
      If the price is below $50, send me a Telegram alert
      with the current price and a link to buy.
      If the price is still above $50, do nothing.
    channel: telegram

This combines three skills (web scraper, price comparison, Telegram notification) into an automation that runs every hour without any manual intervention.