Clear, tested tutorials for installing OpenClaw, connecting it to WhatsApp, Telegram, Slack and 26 other chat apps, choosing an AI model, and running it safely on your own computer or server.
OpenClaw (formerly Clawdbot and Moltbot) is a free, MIT-licensed personal AI assistant created by Austrian developer Peter Steinberger and now stewarded by the OpenClaw Foundation, an independent non-profit. You message it on WhatsApp, Telegram, Slack or Discord, and it replies from software running on your own machine.
From WhatsApp, Telegram, Slack or 26 other chat apps
The gateway runs on your computer or server
Email, calendar, files, browser, smart home, then a reply
With your permission, OpenClaw manages email and calendars, runs shell commands, browses the web, reads and writes files and sends proactive reminders.
Memory and skills are stored on your own hardware, not in someone else's cloud. No subscription, no hosted tier.
Connect Claude, OpenAI or Gemini with an API key, or run local models for fully offline use.
OpenClaw started as one developer's weekend project. Today it is run by an independent non-profit and built in the open by a worldwide community of contributors.
An Austrian software developer who founded PSPDFKit, a PDF toolkit for app developers, in 2010. He built the first version of OpenClaw, then called Clawdbot, as a personal assistant and shared it on GitHub in late 2025.
An independent US 501(c)(3) non-profit that looks after OpenClaw's code, roadmap and releases. It was set up in February 2026 so the project stays open source and doesn't belong to any single company.
OpenClaw remains MIT-licensed, with no subscription and no hosted tier.
Visit openclaw.ai ↗Developers around the world contribute code, write skills and plugins, and help each other in the project's Discord. It is the most-starred software repository on GitHub, with 346,000+ stars.
Contribute on GitHub ↗Each guide is written for the current OpenClaw release and explains the why as well as the how.
Install OpenClaw on macOS, Windows or Linux, then finish the onboarding wizard and open the Control UI.
Link WhatsApp, Telegram, Slack, Discord, Signal and iMessage, and approve who can talk to your assistant.
Compare hosted and local models for OpenClaw by cost, speed and privacy, and learn how to switch between them.
Install community skills, write your own, and give OpenClaw new abilities without touching its core code.
Schedule daily briefings, set proactive reminders and understand how OpenClaw remembers you across chats.
Lock down sender pairing, limit tool permissions and run OpenClaw in a sandbox or container.
Most people are chatting with their assistant in under 30 minutes. Budget extra time if you're connecting several channels.
Run the installer:
curl -fsSL https://openclaw.ai/install.sh | bashOr use npm i -g openclaw. Guides for Windows, Mac, Linux or Docker. Check the system requirements first.
The installer launches the wizard. If you used npm directly, run openclaw onboard.
Paste an API key for a hosted model, or point OpenClaw at a local model. Compare models.
Connect Telegram or WhatsApp, then approve yourself with openclaw pairing approve.
OpenClaw is free and open source under the MIT license. Pick your system, or install from the terminal in one line. Versions shown are the latest releases as of September 2026.
Requires macOS 15 or later. Runs well on an always-on Mac mini.
Download for Mac macOS install guide →Ubuntu, Debian and other distributions, on a desktop or a VPS.
Download for Linux Linux install guide →curl -fsSL https://openclaw.ai/install.sh | bashnpm i -g openclawLink your number and approve trusted contacts
Create the bot token and pair your account
Weather, calendar and inbox in one message
Turn it into a team assistant with channel rules
Lights, thermostats and scenes from any app
Private, offline and no per-message API cost
Keep the gateway online and updated
Package a new capability and share it
OpenClaw can run commands and send messages as you. OpenClaw passed an independent security audit in September 2026, but your setup still matters. These four habits prevent most problems.
Read the security guideKeep sender pairing on. Unknown senders are blocked until you approve them, so strangers can't give your assistant orders.
Grant the fewest permissions. Allow only the folders, tools and accounts each task needs.
Vet third-party skills. Read a skill's code before installing it, the same way you'd check a browser extension.
Set a spending limit. Cap your model provider's monthly budget so a runaway loop can't drain your account.
Yes. The project launched as Clawdbot in January 2026, was briefly renamed Moltbot, and became OpenClaw on January 30, 2026. All three names refer to the same open-source AI assistant, and older Clawdbot tutorials still mostly apply.
OpenClaw was created by Peter Steinberger, the Austrian developer who founded PSPDFKit. He joined OpenAI in February 2026, and the project is now run by the OpenClaw Foundation, an independent non-profit. Meet the people behind OpenClaw.
Yes. OpenClaw is MIT-licensed open source with no subscription and no hosted tier. You pay only for what runs it: API usage for hosted AI models, or the hardware for local models, plus any server you host it on. Heavy, always-on use of premium models can get expensive, so start with a budget cap. See the full pricing breakdown.
OpenClaw works from 29 chat channels, including WhatsApp, Telegram, Slack, Discord, Signal, iMessage and Microsoft Teams. It runs on macOS 15 or later, Windows 10 and 11, and Linux, with companion apps for iOS and Android. Browse all integrations.
No, but you should be comfortable running a few commands in a terminal. The onboarding wizard handles most configuration, and our getting started guide explains every command. Stuck? Try troubleshooting.
It can be, if you set it up carefully. OpenClaw can run commands and read files on your behalf, so keep sender pairing on, limit its permissions and review our security guide before connecting sensitive accounts.
ChatGPT is a hosted chatbot and n8n is a visual workflow builder. OpenClaw is a self-hosted assistant that acts on your behalf from your chat apps. Read OpenClaw vs ChatGPT, OpenClaw vs n8n and our list of OpenClaw alternatives.
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