openclaw/docs/cli/setup.md

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CLI reference for `openclaw setup` (initialize config + workspace)	You’re doing first-run setup without full CLI onboarding You want to set the default workspace path	Setup

openclaw setup

Initialize ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json and the agent workspace.

Related:

• Getting started: Getting started
• CLI onboarding: Onboarding (CLI)

Examples

openclaw setup
openclaw setup --workspace ~/.openclaw/workspace
openclaw setup --wizard
openclaw setup --wizard --import-from hermes --import-source ~/.hermes
openclaw setup --non-interactive --mode remote --remote-url wss://gateway-host:18789 --remote-token <token>

Options

• --workspace <dir>: agent workspace directory (stored as agents.defaults.workspace)
• --wizard: run onboarding
• --non-interactive: run onboarding without prompts
• --mode <local|remote>: onboarding mode
• --import-from <provider>: migration provider to run during onboarding
• --import-source <path>: source agent home for --import-from
• --import-secrets: import supported secrets during onboarding migration
• --remote-url <url>: remote Gateway WebSocket URL
• --remote-token <token>: remote Gateway token

To run onboarding via setup:

openclaw setup --wizard

Notes:

• Plain openclaw setup initializes config + workspace without the full onboarding flow.
• After plain setup, run openclaw configure to choose models, channels, Gateway, plugins, skills, or health checks.
• Onboarding auto-runs when any onboarding flags are present (--wizard, --non-interactive, --mode, --import-from, --import-source, --import-secrets, --remote-url, --remote-token).
• If Hermes state is detected, interactive onboarding can offer migration automatically. Import onboarding requires a fresh setup; use Migrate for dry-run plans, backups, and overwrite mode outside onboarding.

Related

• CLI reference
• Install overview