OpenClaw Getting Started: Install and Your First Chat

OpenClaw Getting Started: Install and Your First Chat

OpenClaw is an AI gateway that lets you chat with Claude, OpenAI, and other models from one place—including WhatsApp, Telegram, Slack, Discord, and the built-in Control UI. This guide gets you from zero to your first working chat with minimal setup.

Prerequisites

You need Node.js 22 or newer. Check with `node --version` if you are unsure.

Install OpenClaw

macOS/Linux (recommended):

```bash

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

```

Windows (PowerShell):

```powershell

iwr -useb https://openclaw.ai/install.ps1 | iex

```

You can also install via npm (`npm install -g openclaw`) or from source; see the official Install docs for details.

Run the Onboarding Wizard

After installing, run:

```bash

openclaw onboard --install-daemon

```

The wizard will walk you through:

Check the Gateway

If you installed the service, the gateway should already be running. Verify with:

```bash

openclaw gateway status

```

Open the Control UI

The fastest way to chat without setting up a channel is the Control UI:

```bash

openclaw dashboard

```

This opens the web interface at http://127.0.0.1:18789/. You can chat directly in the browser—no channel setup needed.

Optional: Run Gateway in Foreground

For quick tests or debugging, run the gateway in the foreground:

```bash

openclaw gateway --port 18789

```

What You Have Now

Next steps: connect more channels, configure AI providers (Claude, OpenAI, OpenRouter, Ollama), and explore skills and automation.