Installation

Get OpenClaw running on your Mac. This should take 10 minutes.

TL;DR: npm install -g openclaw@latest → openclaw onboard --install-daemon → openclaw gateway start. Done. You now have a working OpenClaw Gateway.

Step 1: Install OpenClaw

npm install -g openclaw@latest

This installs OpenClaw globally. It will take 2-3 minutes.

When it's done, verify:

openclaw --version

You should see something like openclaw/2026.3.13.

Step 2: Run Onboarding

openclaw onboard --install-daemon

This interactive wizard will:

When it asks for your API key: Paste the Anthropic key from console.anthropic.com. It will be stored in ~/.openclaw/.env securely.

Step 3: Start the Gateway

openclaw gateway start

You should see:

✓ Gateway started on localhost:18789 ✓ Ready for incoming connections ✓ Visit http://localhost:18789 to view dashboard

Keep this running in the terminal. The Gateway stays open and listens for messages.

Step 4: Verify It's Working

In a new terminal tab (Cmd+T):

openclaw status

You should see something like:

Gateway: ✓ Running (localhost:18789) Sessions: 0 active Channels: [telegram] ready Agent: main (claude-sonnet-4.6)

Troubleshooting Installation

Command not found: openclaw? npm might not be in your PATH. Try:
/opt/homebrew/bin/npm install -g openclaw@latest
Port 18789 already in use? Something else is running there. Try:
lsof -i :18789 # See what's using it kill -9 <PID> # Kill it
Permission denied on onboard? You might need to install as your user:
openclaw onboard --skip-daemon # Skip daemon install # Then manually start: openclaw gateway start

What Just Happened

You now have:

The Gateway is the heart of everything. It routes messages, manages sessions, handles auth, and coordinates with your AI. Leave it running.

Next: Connect Telegram

Right now you have a working gateway with no channels. Next step is to pair your Telegram bot so you can actually talk to your AI.