Books / OpenClaw Complete Guide: From Internals to Production
Chapter 2

First Agent in 15 Minutes: Install, Configure and Run Your First Conversation

Chapter 2: Build Your First Agent in 15 Minutes: Installation, Configuration, and Your First Conversation

2.1 System Requirements Explained

Before starting the installation, understanding the reasoning behind each system requirement will help you avoid common mistakes.

Node.js 24+

OpenClaw strictly requires Node.js 24 or higher. This is not an arbitrary version constraint — there are clear technical reasons behind it:

# Check your current Node.js version
node --version
# Should output v24.x.x or higher

# If the version doesn't meet requirements, install via nvm
curl -o- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvm-sh/nvm/v0.39.7/install.sh | bash
source ~/.bashrc  # or source ~/.zshrc
nvm install 24
nvm use 24
nvm alias default 24

Memory Requirements: 8GB RAM

8GB is the recommended minimum, for the following reasons:

If you're using a cloud LLM API (Anthropic, OpenAI), local memory requirements can drop to 2GB, but 8GB is still the recommended configuration to handle multi-Session concurrency.

LLM API Key

OpenClaw requires at least one LLM Provider API Key. Supported providers:

Provider Environment Variable Recommended Model
Anthropic ANTHROPIC_API_KEY claude-opus-4-5, claude-sonnet-4-5
OpenAI OPENAI_API_KEY gpt-4o, gpt-4o-mini
Google GOOGLE_API_KEY gemini-2.0-flash
Ollama (local) No key needed llama3.3, qwen2.5
OpenAI-compatible CUSTOM_API_KEY Any compatible API

Storage Requirements

Port Requirements

Port Purpose Configurable
18789 Gateway WebSocket Yes
18790 Control UI HTTP Yes
18791 Plugin Registry HTTP Yes

2.2 Three Installation Methods

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

This script will:

  1. Detect your operating system and Node.js version
  2. Install the openclaw CLI globally via npm
  3. Create the default configuration directory ~/.openclaw/
  4. Add openclaw to PATH
  5. Run a post-installation self-check (openclaw doctor)

After successful installation, you'll see:

✓ OpenClaw v1.5.2 installed successfully
✓ Node.js v24.3.0 detected
✓ Default config directory created at ~/.openclaw/
✓ Run `openclaw onboard` to get started

Method 2: npm Global Install

# Using npm
npm install -g openclaw@latest

# Using pnpm (recommended — matches the framework's own package manager)
pnpm add -g openclaw@latest

# Using yarn
yarn global add openclaw@latest

After global installation, the openclaw CLI is available from any directory.

Method 3: Source Installation (Developers / Deep Customization)

Source installation is for users who need to modify core code, contribute to the project, or use the latest unreleased features.

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw.git
cd openclaw

# Install dependencies (must use pnpm — the monorepo structure requires pnpm workspaces)
pnpm install

# Build all packages
pnpm build

# Link to global (so local version overrides any installed global version)
pnpm link --global

# Verify
openclaw --version

The monorepo package structure:

packages/
  openclaw-cli/        # CLI entry point
  pi-ai/               # LLM Provider abstraction layer
  pi-agent-core/       # Pi core execution engine
  pi-coding-agent/     # Extended Agent for coding scenarios
  pi-tui/              # Terminal UI (TUI mode Control UI)
  gateway/             # Integration Gateway
  plugin-sdk/          # Plugin development SDK
  skills-runtime/      # Skills execution runtime
integrations/
  whatsapp/            # WhatsApp Business Channel Bridge
  telegram/            # Telegram Channel Bridge
  slack/               # Slack Channel Bridge
  ... (50+ integration packages)

2.3 The onboard Initialization Flow

After installation, run openclaw onboard to launch the interactive setup wizard:

openclaw onboard

The wizard guides you through the following steps:

? Welcome to OpenClaw! Let's set up your first agent.
  
? Choose your primary LLM provider:
  ❯ Anthropic (Claude)
    OpenAI
    Google Gemini
    Ollama (local)
    Custom OpenAI-compatible

? Enter your Anthropic API Key: sk-ant-api03-...
  ✓ API Key validated

? Choose your first channel:
  ❯ Terminal (for testing)
    Telegram
    Discord
    Slack
    WhatsApp Business
    Skip (configure later)

? Choose a channel name: my-terminal

? Enter a name for your agent: MyFirstAgent

? Choose agent personality:
  ❯ General Assistant
    Customer Support
    Developer Assistant
    Custom

  ✓ Configuration written to ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json
  ✓ First agent "MyFirstAgent" created

? Run the agent now? (Y/n) Y

After initialization is complete, the configuration file is generated automatically.

2.4 Understanding openclaw.json — The Minimal Configuration

The minimal configuration file generated by onboard is located at ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json:

{
  "version": "1",
  "gateway": {
    "port": 18789,
    "controlUiPort": 18790
  },
  "llm": {
    "providers": [
      {
        "id": "anthropic-primary",
        "type": "anthropic",
        "apiKey": "${ANTHROPIC_API_KEY}",
        "defaultModel": "claude-sonnet-4-5-20251201"
      }
    ],
    "defaultProvider": "anthropic-primary"
  },
  "channels": [
    {
      "id": "terminal-test",
      "type": "terminal",
      "name": "Terminal Test Channel"
    }
  ],
  "agents": [
    {
      "id": "my-first-agent",
      "name": "MyFirstAgent",
      "llmProvider": "anthropic-primary",
      "channels": ["terminal-test"],
      "systemPrompt": "You are a helpful assistant named MyFirstAgent.",
      "memory": {
        "shortTerm": {
          "maxMessages": 50
        }
      }
    }
  ]
}

Configuration Field Reference

gateway section: Controls the network configuration of the Gateway process. port is the internal WebSocket port (only Pi processes connect here); controlUiPort is the Control UI HTTP port for browser access.

llm.providers section: Supports configuring multiple Providers; Pi selects which one to use based on Agent configuration. apiKey supports environment variable reference syntax ${ENV_VAR} — never hard-code API Keys in the configuration file.

channels section: Defines message sources. The terminal type is a built-in test Channel that accepts messages typed directly in the terminal, requiring no external account configuration.

agents section: Each Agent specifies which LLM Provider to use, which Channels to listen on, and what System Prompt to use.

Using Environment Variables

# Set in your shell profile (~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc)
export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="sk-ant-api03-your-key-here"

# Or use a .env file (OpenClaw automatically loads .env from the project directory)
cat > ~/.openclaw/.env << 'EOF'
ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-api03-your-key-here
OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-your-openai-key
EOF

2.5 Connecting Anthropic Claude and Sending Your First Message

Once configured, start OpenClaw:

# Method 1: Foreground (development and debugging)
openclaw start

# Method 2: Background daemon
openclaw start --daemon

# Method 3: Quick test with Terminal Channel only
openclaw chat

When using openclaw chat, you enter the Terminal Channel interactive interface directly:

OpenClaw v1.5.2 | Agent: MyFirstAgent | Channel: terminal-test
Type your message and press Enter. Type /help for commands.
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
You: Hello! Please introduce yourself.

MyFirstAgent: Hello! I'm MyFirstAgent, an AI assistant powered by Anthropic
Claude and running on the OpenClaw framework. I can help you with a wide
range of tasks — answering questions, analyzing information, assisting with
writing, and more. How can I help you today?

You: /stats

Session Stats:
  Session ID: sess_01HX7K2M...
  Messages: 2 (1 user, 1 assistant)
  Tokens used: 312 (input: 278, output: 34)
  LLM Provider: anthropic-primary (claude-sonnet-4-5-20251201)
  Latency: 1.23s (last response)

You: /quit
Goodbye!

Verifying the API Connection

To verify that your API Key is valid before starting:

openclaw doctor --check-llm

# Example output:
✓ Anthropic API: Connected (claude-sonnet-4-5-20251201 available)
✓ Latency: 342ms
✓ Rate limit: 50 RPM remaining

2.6 Starting the Gateway and Accessing Control UI

When the volume of messages your Agent handles increases, or when you need to manage multiple Channels simultaneously, you'll need to start the full Gateway process and use the Control UI.

Starting the Full Gateway

openclaw start

Example startup log:

[2026-04-26T10:00:00Z] INFO  Gateway starting...
[2026-04-26T10:00:00Z] INFO  Plugin Registry initialized (0 plugins loaded)
[2026-04-26T10:00:01Z] INFO  Channel Bridge: terminal-test → READY
[2026-04-26T10:00:01Z] INFO  Command Queue initialized
  └─ Lanes: Global(4) Session(1) SubAgent(8) Cron(∞)
[2026-04-26T10:00:01Z] INFO  Pi Agent "MyFirstAgent" registered
[2026-04-26T10:00:01Z] INFO  WebSocket server listening on ws://localhost:18789
[2026-04-26T10:00:01Z] INFO  Control UI available at http://localhost:18790
[2026-04-26T10:00:01Z] INFO  OpenClaw ready ✓

Accessing Control UI

Open http://localhost:18790 in your browser to see the Control UI. It provides:

Configuring Remote Access to Control UI

By default, Control UI only binds to localhost. If you need access from another machine (such as a server deployment):

{
  "gateway": {
    "controlUi": {
      "host": "0.0.0.0",
      "port": 18790,
      "auth": {
        "enabled": true,
        "username": "admin",
        "passwordHash": "${CONTROL_UI_PASSWORD_HASH}"
      }
    }
  }
}

Generate a password hash:

openclaw util hash-password "your-secure-password"
# Output: $argon2id$v=19$m=65536,t=3,p=4$...

Security warning: In production environments, it is strongly recommended to place a reverse proxy (Nginx/Caddy) in front of the Control UI and enable HTTPS and a strong password.

2.7 Troubleshooting Common Errors

Error 1: Port Conflict

Error: Address already in use (EADDRINUSE): 18789

Cause: Another process (possibly an old OpenClaw instance) is occupying port 18789.

Diagnosis steps:

# Find the process occupying the port
lsof -i :18789
# or
ss -tulpn | grep 18789

# Terminate the old process
openclaw stop  # Use OpenClaw's built-in stop command
# Or force kill
kill -9 $(lsof -t -i:18789)

Configuration approach: If you need to run multiple instances, change the ports in configuration:

{
  "gateway": {
    "port": 18800,
    "controlUiPort": 18801
  }
}

Error 2: Node.js Version Insufficient

Error: OpenClaw requires Node.js >= 24.0.0, found v20.11.0

Solution:

# Switch version using nvm
nvm install 24 && nvm use 24

# Verify
node --version  # Should output v24.x.x

# Retry
openclaw start

Error 3: Invalid or Expired API Key

LLM Error: Authentication failed (401)
Provider: anthropic-primary
Model: claude-sonnet-4-5-20251201

Diagnosis steps:

# Check whether the environment variable is set correctly
echo $ANTHROPIC_API_KEY

# Use the doctor command to validate
openclaw doctor --check-llm --verbose

# If you need to update the key, edit configuration or update the environment variable
export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="sk-ant-api03-new-key"
openclaw restart

Error 4: pnpm Not Installed (for Source Installation)

Error: pnpm is required for monorepo management

# Install pnpm
npm install -g pnpm@latest

# Verify
pnpm --version

Error 5: Configuration File JSON Parse Error

Error: Failed to parse openclaw.json
SyntaxError: Unexpected token } in JSON at position 847

Diagnosis steps:

# Use the built-in configuration validation tool
openclaw config validate

# Or use jq to check JSON syntax
cat ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json | jq .

Common JSON mistakes:

Error 6: Memory Database Locked

Error: SQLite database is locked
Path: ~/.openclaw/data/memory.db

Cause: Another OpenClaw instance is writing to the database. OpenClaw uses the Single-writer pattern and does not support multiple processes writing concurrently.

# Stop all OpenClaw processes
openclaw stop --all

# If processes are unresponsive, force cleanup
rm ~/.openclaw/data/memory.db-wal
rm ~/.openclaw/data/memory.db-shm
openclaw start

Quick Diagnostic Command

When encountering any problem, run this first:

openclaw doctor

Example output (when issues are present):

OpenClaw Doctor v1.5.2
──────────────────────────────────────
✓ Node.js: v24.3.0
✗ Port 18789: In use by PID 12847
✓ Anthropic API: Connected
✓ Config: Valid JSON
✗ Memory DB: Locked (stale WAL file detected)
  → Run: openclaw fix --memory-db

Suggested fixes:
  openclaw fix --port-conflict
  openclaw fix --memory-db

Summary

In this chapter, we completed the full journey from OpenClaw installation to your first conversation:

  1. Understood the reasoning behind system requirements like Node.js 24+ and 8GB RAM
  2. Mastered three installation methods and their respective use cases
  3. Completed initialization using the onboard wizard
  4. Understood what each configuration field in openclaw.json means
  5. Successfully sent a first message and validated the API connection
  6. Learned how to access the Control UI for visual management
  7. Acquired troubleshooting skills for six common error categories

In the next chapter, we will go deep into OpenClaw's core concepts: the relationship between Gateway, Pi, Skills, Plugins, and Memory, and how data flows between these components.

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