📟 Dedicated machine (e.g., Mac Mini) → Powerful, but a lot more expensive (~600ドル+) and a lot more to set up.
☁️ VPS (Virtual Private Server) → Running 24/7, and you get your own space so nothing else affects you.
Honestly, VPS is the easiest, fastest, and simplest way to get set up with OpenClaw; that's why we will not go deep into this.
For the average user, a server is somewhere around 7ドル to 10ドル a month.
There are many VPS providers that offer one-click OpenClaw deployments.
2. The Brain (AI Model)
This is the intelligence behind your assistant. It's what thinks and makes decisions.
You can plug in:
- OpenAI models
- Anthropic (Claude)
- Google models
- Open-source alternatives
In the setup process, you will see all the available models listed in front of you, and you can choose.
A smart choice for beginners is OpenRouter. This is a provider that gives you one single API key and then access to pretty much every single AI model that you'd ever want to use.
You can access all the OpenAI models, all the Google models, all the Anthropic models, and then you get access to these open-source models.
And the benefit of using these open-source models is that they are very cheap to run.
That means:
- You can switch models anytime
- You can optimize for cost or performance
- You’re not locked into one ecosystem
3. The Tools
These are what let OpenClaw do real work:
- Gmail
- Calendar
- Telegram / WhatsApp
- Notion
- Maps
- And more
Without tools, it’s just a brain.
With tools, it becomes an assistant.
4. The Instructions
This is how you communicate with it.
And this is the easiest part:
You just text it.
No dashboards. No complicated UI.
Just a chat, like messaging a real assistant.
At this point, you understand how everything fits together.
Now let’s actually build it.
OpenClaw Setup: Step-by-Step Beginner Tutorial
If you're looking for a practical OpenClaw tutorial, this step-by-step setup will get you running in just a few minutes.
Step 1: Install OpenClaw
You don’t need to be a hardcore developer to get started.
The quick setup is literally one command:
# macOS & Linux
curl -fsSL https://openclaw.ai/install.sh | bash
# Windows
powershell -c "irm https://openclaw.ai/install.ps1 | iex"
This one-liner installs Node.js and everything else for you.
It takes about 1–2 minutes.
Once installed, we can do a quick configuration to get it up and running.
If it's the first time you're using it, I recommend just simply using Quick Start.
Step 2: A Quick Note on Security (Don’t Skip This)
During setup, you’ll see a message like:
"I understand this is powerful and inherently risky. Continue?"
This isn’t just a formality.
OpenClaw is powerful because it can:
- Access tools
- Automate actions
- Run continuously
OpenClaw security setup
Source: OpenClaw official docs
A good approach is:
Start simple → learn how it behaves → then reset and configure properly.
Setting up OpenClaw locally on terminal
Step 3: Connecting Your AI Model
After installation, you’ll connect your AI provider.
If you decide to use OpenRouter (as mentioned earlier), you need just to:
- Create an account
- Add ~5ドル–10ドル in credits
- Generate an API key and give it a name
- Paste it into OpenClaw
- Choose the default model
That’s it.
You now have access to multiple AI models with one setup.
Note: After choosing your model, you will find "Select channel" and "Install missing skills dependencies".
I recommend you skip them at the beginning until you finish the installation; then you can go back to them.
And we'll discuss that later.
Also, you will see a few more requests like using Google Maps, NanoBanana, Notion...
You can select that based on your preferences.
Step 4: Terminal UI vs Web UI
You can use OpenClaw in two ways:
-
Terminal UI 🖥️ → Direct, developer-friendly
Use OpenClaw on the terminal
-
Web UI 🌐 → Feels like ChatGPT
Use OpenClaw on the web UI
Both work perfectly; it’s just preference.
Connecting OpenClaw to Your Phone
Having a Web UI is nice, but the magic happens when OpenClaw is in your pocket.
Now that you can interact with OpenClaw, things should start to click. Let’s go one step further and set up a channel so you can message it directly from your phone.
OpenClaw supports several messaging platforms, but here we’ll focus on WhatsApp and Telegram as examples.
We can do this in the terminal.
If you've already installed OpenClaw, you can run this command to be able to see again the list of available channels:
openclaw channels add
WhatsApp Setup
WhatsApp is pretty easy.
- Select WhatsApp from the list.
- Scan the provided QR code. It's recommended to use a secondary number for the bot itself, though you can use your personal one.
- Input your personal phone number so the bot knows who its "boss" is.
Telegram Setup (My Preference)
Telegram is the fastest and most reliable way to interact with OpenClaw, which is why I personally recommend starting with it.
- Select the default primary account option in the terminal.
- On your phone, open Telegram and search for
@BotFather (look for the verified checkmark).
- Send the command
/newbot.
- Give your bot a unique name (e.g., YourName_bot). It must end in
bot.
- BotFather will give you a unique API Token. Copy this and paste it back into your OpenClaw terminal.
Setup OpenClow telegram channel
Scroll down to "Finished" in the terminal.
And... Congratulations 🎉
You can now text your own private, 24/7 AI from your phone from anywhere in the world.
And these chat sessions will be directly in sync with your own PC back at home.
OpenClaw Telegram setup
If you use any other provider like Discord, Slack, Microsoft Teams... it'll function similarly.
Skills: Where OpenClaw Becomes Powerful
Out of the box, OpenClaw is already useful.
But skills are where it becomes dangerously powerful.
Skills are basically plugins that add capabilities.
There are thousands available:
- Productivity tools
- Smart home integrations
- Dev workflows
- Automation pipelines
You can list available skills through the terminal using this command:
openclaw skills list
Or just ask the bot:
"What skills are available"
"Install X skill"
And it will guide you through the process.
You can also browse ClawHub directly.
That's the official skills marketplace.
There are thousands of skills covering everything from productivity tools to smart home control to development workflows.
The installation process is different for each skill. Some are simple. Some require setting up external accounts or credentials.
But here's the key thing. You don't need to figure it out yourself.
Just find a skill you want and ask the bot to install it. It'll walk you through whatever steps are necessary.
Why OpenClaw Feels Like the Future
Here’s the real reason people are excited:
This isn’t just another AI tool.
It’s a shift in how we interact with AI.
It remembers context.
It takes action.
And over time, it adapts to how you work.
And because it’s open-source, you’re not locked into anyone’s ecosystem.
Final Thoughts
OpenClaw goes beyond being just another AI tool.
It changes the relationship.
You’re no longer going to AI when you need something.
You’re setting up something that’s already there, already working, already paying attention.
It's true...
It requires setup.
It requires responsibility.
And yes, it requires a bit of learning.
But once you get it running... going back to "open a tab and ask a question" feels... limited.
If you're looking for a practical way to build your own self-hosted AI assistant, OpenClaw is one of the most powerful and flexible tools available right now.
I hope this guide gave you a clear picture of what OpenClaw is and how to get it running.
If you try it out and get stuck at any step, feel free to drop your question in the comments. I’ll be more than happy to help you figure it out.