Install OpenClaw & send your first message

USE 0 - 20 min

Get OpenClaw installed and replying in your messenger

OpenClaw is an open source agent that lives on your machine and answers you through chat apps you already use — WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord, Slack, Signal, or iMessage. Setup starts with a single npm command followed by one onboarding command that walks you through configuration.

1 Install OpenClaw (all-in-one): run curl -fsSL https://openclaw.ai/install.sh | bash — this installs Node.js and OpenClaw in one step. OR, if you already have Node.js: run npm i -g openclaw instead.
2 Run the onboarding wizard: openclaw onboard — this guides you through connecting your LLM provider and your first messenger.
3 Open WhatsApp, Telegram, or whichever messenger you connected and send OpenClaw a message. Wait for the reply.
4 Confirm the reply arrives. Your agent is now running on your machine and responding through your chosen chat app.

✓

You received a reply from OpenClaw inside WhatsApp, Telegram, or another messenger you connected during onboarding.

UNDERSTAND 10 - 15 min

What you just set up

OpenClaw runs on your own machine — Mac, Windows, or Linux. It connects to the chat apps you already have rather than requiring a new interface.

BUILD 20 - 30 min

Connect a second messenger

OpenClaw supports WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord, Slack, Signal, and iMessage. If you only connected one during onboarding, add a second now so you can reach your agent from whichever app is most convenient.

Your task

Connect a second messenger to the same OpenClaw agent and confirm the same agent responds in both.

1 Re-run openclaw onboard or check the OpenClaw documentation at docs.openclaw.ai for how to add a second messenger connection.
2 Send the same test message from both messengers.
3 Confirm both receive a reply from the same agent (same memory, same context).

Deliverable

Two messengers connected, each returning a reply from your local OpenClaw agent.