How to Use OpenClaw: Your First Workflow

Run the official installer. It sets up everything and then starts the onboarding wizard.

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

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

Check it worked:

openclaw --version
openclaw doctor

Prefer an app, Docker or npm? See all options on the download page.

The onboarding wizard asks which model provider to use and for your API key. If you skipped it, start it again:

openclaw onboard --install-daemon

The --install-daemon flag installs OpenClaw as a background service, so it keeps running after you close the terminal. That's what lets your morning briefing arrive on time.

Confirm your model is connected:

openclaw models status

1. In Telegram, open a chat with @BotFather, send /newbot and follow the prompts. Copy the bot token it gives you.
2. Give the token to OpenClaw. The onboarding wizard can do this for you, or add it to ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json:

{
  channels: {
    telegram: {
      botToken: "PASTE_YOUR_BOT_TOKEN",
      dmPolicy: "pairing",
    },
  },
}

3. Open your new bot in Telegram and send it any message. Because of dmPolicy: "pairing", OpenClaw holds unknown senders until you approve them, and replies with a pairing code.
4. Approve yourself from the terminal:

openclaw pairing list
openclaw pairing approve telegram <code>

Pairing is an important safety feature. It stops strangers who find your bot from giving your assistant orders. Full walkthrough: Telegram guide.

Send a few messages to check everything works. Each one tests something different:

If it can't reach your email or calendar yet, that's fine. Ask "What do you need to read my Gmail and Google Calendar?" and it will walk you through connecting them, or see our skills guide.

OpenClaw saves what you tell it to long-term memory on your computer. A few facts now make every workflow better. Send something like:

Check what it saved by asking "What do you remember about me?" You can correct or delete anything the same way.

Now the fun part. You don't need to write code: describe the routine in chat and OpenClaw creates a scheduled automation for you. Use the builder to write your message.

OpenClaw will confirm the schedule. To see it from the terminal:

openclaw automations list

Prefer the command line? Automations can also be created with openclaw automations (alias openclaw cron). Run openclaw automations --help for the options.

Don't wait until tomorrow morning. Trigger it now:

Then shape it with plain feedback until it's right:

• "Make it shorter, five bullets maximum."
• "Skip newsletters when counting emails."
• "If it's going to rain, put that first."
• "Move it to 7:00 on Mondays."