f72e936f26
Restore the grouped provider/auth picker for fresh guided onboarding, keep secondary providers under More, expose OAuth and device-code methods, and bound the setup probe session identifier so ChatGPT login is not rejected by the prompt cache key limit.
5.0 KiB
summary, read_when, title, sidebarTitle
| summary | read_when | title | sidebarTitle | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overview of OpenClaw onboarding options and flows |
|
Onboarding overview | Onboarding Overview |
OpenClaw has terminal and macOS app onboarding. Both establish inference first: they detect existing AI access, require a live completion, and only then start Crestodian to configure the remaining setup. A reachable, configured Gateway whose default agent already has a configured model skips onboarding and opens the normal agent UI. The terminal flow also offers the full classic wizard for detailed setup.
Which path should I use?
| CLI onboarding | macOS app onboarding | |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | macOS, Linux, Windows (native or WSL2) | macOS only |
| Interface | Inference setup, then Crestodian | Inference setup, then Crestodian |
| Best for | Servers, headless, full control | Desktop Mac, visual setup |
| Automation | --non-interactive for scripts |
Manual only |
| Command | openclaw onboard |
Launch the app |
Most users should start with CLI onboarding — it works everywhere and gives you the most control.
What onboarding configures
The guided inference phase establishes only:
- Model provider and auth — detected access or a verified provider sign-in, API key, or token
- Verified inference — a real completion on the default agent's effective model
After that completion passes, Crestodian can configure the workspace, Gateway, Gateway service, channels, agents, plugins, and other optional features.
The classic CLI wizard can additionally configure:
- Channels (optional) — built-in and bundled chat channels such as Discord, Feishu, Google Chat, iMessage, Mattermost, Microsoft Teams, Telegram, WhatsApp, and more
- Advanced Gateway controls — remote mode, network settings, and daemon choices
CLI onboarding
Run in any terminal:
openclaw onboard
The guided flow detects existing AI access, live-tests candidates in order,
and falls through on failure. If detection is exhausted, it shows OpenAI,
Anthropic, xAI (Grok), Google, and OpenRouter first. More… contains the
remaining providers in provider groups, with regions, plans, and supported
browser, device, API-key, or token methods in a second menu. It saves the model
and credential only after a passing completion, then starts Crestodian to
configure the workspace, Gateway, channels, agents, plugins, and other optional
features. Skip for now exits without starting Crestodian. There is no
in-flow classic handoff; exit and run openclaw onboard --classic when you want
the classic wizard instead.
After inference passes, Crestodian can hand channel setup to a masked terminal
wizard. It does not open guided or classic provider setup; exit Crestodian and
run openclaw onboard to change the model provider or its authentication.
Use openclaw onboard --classic for detailed model/auth, channel, skill,
remote Gateway, or import setup. Adding --install-daemon also selects the
classic flow and installs the background service in one step. Use openclaw crestodian for conversational non-inference setup and repair. openclaw onboard --modern is a compatibility alias that uses the same live-inference
gate.
Full reference: Onboarding (CLI)
CLI command docs: openclaw onboard
macOS app onboarding
Open the OpenClaw app. If its configured local or remote Gateway is reachable and the default agent already has a configured model, the app skips onboarding and Crestodian and opens the normal agent UI immediately.
For a fresh or incomplete Gateway, the first-run flow detects existing AI access (Claude Code, Codex, or API keys), live-tests the best option, and saves it only after a real reply — falling back automatically and offering a verified manual API-key step when nothing is found. Sensitive credentials use masked input. Once inference passes, Crestodian starts and helps configure the rest.
Gemini CLI remains available for normal agents after setup, but it is not offered for this inference gate because it cannot enforce the tool-free probe.
Full reference: Onboarding (macOS App)
Custom or unlisted providers
If your provider is not listed, run openclaw onboard --classic, choose
Custom Provider, and enter:
- Endpoint compatibility: OpenAI-compatible (
/chat/completions), OpenAI Responses-compatible (/responses), Anthropic-compatible (/messages), or unknown (probes all three and auto-detects) - Base URL and API key (API key is optional if the endpoint does not require one)
- Model ID and optional model alias
Multiple custom endpoints can coexist — each gets its own endpoint ID.