Set up OpenClaw step by step

Get Node.js

If you don't have Node.js yet:

# Mac (via Homebrew)
brew install node

# Linux (Ubuntu/Debian)
curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_22.x | sudo -E bash -
sudo apt-get install -y nodejs

# Verify
node --version  # v20+ required

Get an AI API key

Pick one (you can add more later):

• Anthropic — Claude (our recommendation)
• OpenAI — GPT-4o
• Google AI Studio — Gemini (free tier available)
• OpenRouter — access all models with one key

Create a Telegram bot

Open Telegram, search for @BotFather, and send /newbot. Follow the prompts. You'll get a bot token like 123456789:ABCdef... — save it.

Install OpenClaw

npm install -g openclaw
openclaw init

Add your keys to the config

Open ~/.openclaw/config.yaml in your editor and add your API key and bot token. See full config docs.

Launch your agent

openclaw gateway start

Open Telegram, find your bot, and send it a message. That's it — you have an AI agent!