How to Set Up OpenClaw: Complete Guide 2026

OpenClaw is one of the most powerful open-source AI assistant platforms available today. It gives you full control over your AI — your data, your infrastructure, your rules. But getting OpenClaw setup right requires more than following a README file.

This guide walks you through every stage of a proper OpenClaw setup in 2026, from choosing your infrastructure to securing your deployment and building custom skills that actually make your business more productive.

Whether you're a technical founder doing it yourself or evaluating whether to hire an OpenClaw consultant, this openclaw guide covers everything you need to know.

What Is OpenClaw?

OpenClaw is an open-source AI agent platform. Unlike ChatGPT or other hosted AI tools, OpenClaw runs on your own infrastructure. You control which AI models it uses, what data it can access, and how it communicates with your team.

It supports multiple AI providers (OpenAI, Anthropic, local models), integrates with messaging platforms like Telegram, Discord and Slack, and allows you to build custom skills — essentially plugins that let your AI assistant perform specific tasks for your business.

The key difference? Privacy and control. Your conversations, your business data and your API keys never leave your infrastructure.

Prerequisites: What You Need Before Starting

Before diving into OpenClaw setup, make sure you have:

Hardware / Infrastructure

• A server or VPS — minimum 2GB RAM, 2 CPU cores. AWS, DigitalOcean, Hetzner or a local machine all work.
• Node.js v20+ — OpenClaw runs on Node.js. Make sure you're running a current LTS version.
• Git — for cloning the repository and managing updates.
• A domain (optional but recommended) — useful if you want to expose webhooks or a web interface.

Accounts and API Keys

• AI provider API key — OpenAI, Anthropic or another supported provider. You'll need at least one.
• Messaging platform bot token — if you want Telegram, Discord or Slack integration, set up your bot accounts first.

Technical Knowledge

You should be comfortable with the command line, environment variables and basic server administration. If that sounds daunting, consider working with a professional — it saves time and avoids costly mistakes.

Step 1: Clone and Install OpenClaw

Start by cloning the OpenClaw repository to your server:

git clone https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw.git
cd openclaw
npm install

This pulls down the latest stable release and installs all dependencies. The install process typically takes 2–5 minutes depending on your connection speed.

Environment Configuration

Copy the example environment file and fill in your details:

cp .env.example .env

Open .env in your editor. The critical variables include:

• AI_PROVIDER — which AI service to use (e.g., openai, anthropic)
• AI_API_KEY — your API key for the chosen provider
• AI_MODEL — the specific model (e.g., gpt-4o, claude-sonnet-4-20250514)
• AUTH_TOKEN — a strong, unique token for authenticating with your OpenClaw instance
• WORKSPACE_DIR — where OpenClaw stores files and memory

Critical security note: Never use default or weak auth tokens. Generate a proper random string of at least 32 characters.

Step 2: Choose Your AI Model

Model selection matters more than most people realise. Each provider and model has different strengths:

OpenAI (GPT-4o, GPT-4o-mini)

• Best for general-purpose tasks and broad knowledge
• Strong at coding, writing and analysis
• Well-documented, largest ecosystem

Anthropic (Claude 4 Sonnet, Claude 4 Opus)

• Excellent at following complex instructions
• Strong safety features and reduced hallucination
• Better at long-context tasks and document analysis

Local Models (Llama, Mistral)

• Complete data privacy — nothing leaves your server
• No per-token costs
• Requires significant GPU resources for good performance

For most business use cases, we recommend starting with Claude 4 Sonnet or GPT-4o. They offer the best balance of capability, speed and cost.

Step 3: Configure Messaging Integrations

One of OpenClaw's strongest features is multi-channel messaging. Your AI assistant can live wherever your team already works.

Telegram Setup

1. Create a bot via BotFather on Telegram
2. Copy the bot token
3. Add TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN=your_token to your .env file
4. Configure allowed user IDs to restrict access

Discord Setup

1. Create a Discord application and bot in the developer portal
2. Generate a bot token with appropriate permissions
3. Add DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN=your_token to your .env file
4. Invite the bot to your server

Slack Setup

1. Create a Slack app with Socket Mode enabled
2. Configure event subscriptions and bot scopes
3. Add the relevant tokens to your .env file

Each platform requires specific permission scopes. Get these wrong and your bot either won't work or will have more access than it should. This is one area where the openclaw setup process trips people up most frequently.

Step 4: Build Custom Skills

Skills are what transform OpenClaw from a chatbot into a genuine business tool. A skill is a function your AI can call to perform a specific task.

Example: A Customer Lookup Skill

module.exports = {
  name: 'customer_lookup',
  description: 'Look up a customer by email address',
  parameters: {
    email: { type: 'string', required: true }
  },
  async execute({ email }) {
    const customer = await db.customers.findOne({ email });
    return customer ? JSON.stringify(customer) : 'Customer not found';
  }
};

Skills can connect to databases, APIs, file systems — anything your business needs. Common use cases include:

• CRM lookups — pull customer data on demand
• Report generation — create daily/weekly business reports
• Task management — create and update tasks in project management tools
• Data processing — parse spreadsheets, transform data, generate summaries
• Email drafting — compose emails based on context and templates

The skill system is where OpenClaw's real value lies. A well-configured instance with purpose-built skills can save hours of manual work every week.

Step 5: Security Hardening

This is the step most DIY setups skip — and it's the most important. An unsecured OpenClaw instance is a serious liability.

Authentication

• Use strong, unique auth tokens (32+ characters)
• Rotate tokens regularly
• Never commit tokens to version control

File Permissions

• Restrict workspace directory permissions to the OpenClaw process user
• Use chmod 700 on sensitive directories
• Ensure log files don't contain sensitive data

Network Security

• Run OpenClaw behind a reverse proxy (Nginx or Caddy)
• Enable HTTPS with valid SSL certificates
• Use firewall rules to restrict access to necessary ports only
• Consider VPN access for admin endpoints

API Key Management

• Store API keys in environment variables, never in code
• Use separate API keys for development and production
• Set spending limits on AI provider accounts
• Monitor usage for anomalies

Access Control

• Restrict messaging bot access to authorised users only
• Implement rate limiting
• Log all interactions for audit purposes

Security isn't a one-time task. Schedule regular reviews — monthly at minimum.

Step 6: Memory and Context Management

OpenClaw uses a memory system to maintain context across conversations. Proper configuration here directly impacts how useful your AI assistant is.

Short-Term Memory

Conversation history within a session. Configure the context window size based on your model's limits and your typical conversation length.

Long-Term Memory

Persistent notes and context that survive restarts. OpenClaw can write to memory files, building up knowledge about your business, preferences and recurring tasks.

Workspace Files

Documents, data files and reference materials your AI can access. Organise these logically — a messy workspace means a confused AI.

Tip: Start with a focused memory setup. Write a clear USER.md file that tells your AI who you are, what your business does and how you prefer to communicate. This single file dramatically improves response quality.

Step 7: Testing and Validation

Before relying on your OpenClaw instance for anything important, test thoroughly:

1. Basic conversation — does the AI respond correctly?
2. Skill execution — do all custom skills work as expected?
3. Error handling — what happens when a skill fails?
4. Memory persistence — does context survive restarts?
5. Security — can unauthorised users access the system?
6. Performance — are response times acceptable under load?

Run through edge cases. Try to break things. It's better to find problems now than in production.

Common OpenClaw Setup Mistakes

Having helped dozens of businesses with OpenClaw setup, these are the mistakes we see most often:

1. Skipping security hardening — the single most dangerous oversight
2. Using default configurations — they're defaults for a reason, not best practices
3. Choosing the wrong model — GPT-4o-mini for complex tasks, Opus for simple ones. Match the model to the job.
4. Ignoring memory management — an AI with no memory is just a fancy autocomplete
5. Building too many skills at once — start with 2–3 high-value skills and expand from there
6. No monitoring — you need to know when things break before your users tell you

When to Hire an OpenClaw Consultant

DIY OpenClaw setup is entirely possible if you're technical and have the time. But there are scenarios where hiring an expert makes more sense:

• You need it done quickly and correctly the first time
• Security is critical (handling sensitive data, client information)
• You want custom skills but lack development experience
• You're deploying for a team, not just personal use
• You want ongoing support and someone to call when things go wrong

At Blue Canvas AI, we offer professional OpenClaw consultancy for a flat £1,500 — full setup, security hardening, custom skills, integrations and 30 days of support. If you'd rather have an expert handle it, get in touch.

Keeping OpenClaw Updated

OpenClaw is actively developed. Keep your instance current:

git pull origin main
npm install

Review changelogs before updating. Breaking changes happen, and a botched update on a production system is not fun.

Back up your workspace, memory files and .env before every update. If something goes wrong, you can roll back quickly.

Summary

A proper OpenClaw setup in 2026 involves seven key stages:

1. Installation — clone, install, configure environment
2. Model selection — choose the right AI for your use case
3. Integrations — connect to Telegram, Discord, Slack or other platforms
4. Custom skills — build tools that make your AI genuinely useful
5. Security — harden everything, no shortcuts
6. Memory — configure context and long-term knowledge
7. Testing — validate everything before going live

Get these right and you'll have an AI assistant that genuinely transforms how you work. Get them wrong and you'll have an expensive, insecure chatbot.

Need help? Visit openclawconsultant.co.uk or book a free discovery call with Blue Canvas AI.

Ready to get started? Book a free discovery call with Blue Canvas AI and let's discuss how we can help your business.