Install OpenClaw, run onboarding, and chat with your AI assistant — all in about 5 minutes. By the end you will have a running Gateway, configured auth, and a working chat session.

What you need

• Node.js — Node 24 recommended (Node 22.19+ also supported)
• An API key from a model provider (Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, etc.) — onboarding will prompt you

Tip

Check your Node version with node --version. Windows users: the native Windows Hub app is the easiest desktop path. The PowerShell installer and WSL2 Gateway paths are also supported. See Windows. Need to install Node? See Node setup.

Quick setup

Install OpenClaw

macOS / Linux

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

src="/assets/install-script.svg" alt="Install Script Process" class="rounded-lg" />

Windows (PowerShell)

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

Note

Other install methods (Docker, Nix, npm): [Install](/en/install).

Run onboarding

```bash
openclaw onboard --install-daemon
```

The wizard walks you through choosing a model provider, setting an API key,
and configuring the Gateway. It takes about 2 minutes.

See [Onboarding (CLI)](/en/start/wizard) for the full reference.

Verify the Gateway is running

```bash
openclaw gateway status
```

You should see the Gateway listening on port 18789.

Open the dashboard

```bash
openclaw dashboard
```

This opens the Control UI in your browser. If it loads, everything is working.

Send your first message

Type a message in the Control UI chat and you should get an AI reply.

Want to chat from your phone instead? The fastest channel to set up is
[Telegram](/en/channels/telegram) (just a bot token). See [Channels](/en/channels)
for all options.

Advanced: mount a custom Control UI build

If you maintain a localized or customized dashboard build, point gateway.controlUi.root to a directory that contains your built static assets and index.html.

mkdir -p "$HOME/.openclaw/control-ui-custom"
# Copy your built static files into that directory.

Then set:

{
  "gateway": {
    "controlUi": {
      "enabled": true,
      "root": "$HOME/.openclaw/control-ui-custom"
    }
  }
}

Restart the gateway and reopen the dashboard:

openclaw gateway restart
openclaw dashboard

What to do next

• Connect a channel — Discord, Feishu, iMessage, Matrix, Microsoft Teams, Signal, Slack, Telegram, WhatsApp, Zalo, and more.
• Pairing and safety — Control who can message your agent.
• Configure the Gateway — Models, tools, sandbox, and advanced settings.
• Browse tools — Browser, exec, web search, skills, and plugins.

Advanced: environment variables

If you run OpenClaw as a service account or want custom paths:

• OPENCLAW_HOME — home directory for internal path resolution
• OPENCLAW_STATE_DIR — override the state directory
• OPENCLAW_CONFIG_PATH — override the config file path

Full reference: Environment variables.

Related

• Install overview
• Channels overview
• Setup