openclaw/docs/start/getting-started.md

summary, read_when, title

summary	read_when	title
Get OpenClaw installed and run your first chat in minutes.	First time setup from zero You want the fastest path to a working chat	Getting started

Install OpenClaw, run onboarding, and chat with your AI assistant in about 5 minutes. By the end you will have a running Gateway, configured auth, and a working chat session.

What you need

• Node.js 22.22.3+, 24.15+, or 25.9+ (Node 26 is the recommended runtime)
• An API key from a model provider (Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, etc.) — onboarding will prompt you

Check your Node version with `node --version`. **Windows users:** the native Windows Hub app is the easiest desktop path. The PowerShell installer and WSL2 Gateway paths are also supported. See [Windows](/platforms/windows). Need to install Node? See [Node setup](/install/node).

Quick setup

```bash curl -fsSL https://openclaw.ai/install.sh | bash ``` ```powershell iwr -useb https://openclaw.ai/install.ps1 | iex ```

<Note>
Other install methods (Docker, Nix, npm): [Install](/install).
</Note>

```bash openclaw onboard --install-daemon ```

The wizard walks you through choosing a model provider, setting an API key,
and configuring the Gateway. QuickStart is usually only a few minutes, but
provider sign-in, channel pairing, daemon install, network downloads, skills,
or optional plugins can make full onboarding take longer. Skip optional
steps and return later with `openclaw configure`.

See [Onboarding (CLI)](/start/wizard) for the full reference.

```bash openclaw gateway status ```

You should see the Gateway listening on port 18789.

```bash openclaw dashboard ```

This opens the Control UI in your browser. If it loads, everything is working.

Type a message in the Control UI chat and you should get an AI reply.

Want to chat from your phone instead? The fastest channel to set up is
[Telegram](/channels/telegram) (just a bot token). See [Channels](/channels)
for all options.

If you maintain a localized or customized dashboard build, point `gateway.controlUi.root` to a directory that contains your built static assets and `index.html`.

mkdir -p "$HOME/.openclaw/control-ui-custom"
# Copy your built static files into that directory.

Then set:

{
  "gateway": {
    "controlUi": {
      "enabled": true,
      "root": "~/.openclaw/control-ui-custom"
    }
  }
}

Restart the gateway and reopen the dashboard:

openclaw gateway restart
openclaw dashboard

What to do next

Discord, Feishu, iMessage, Matrix, Microsoft Teams, Signal, Slack, Telegram, WhatsApp, Zalo, and more. Control who can message your agent. Models, tools, sandbox, and advanced settings. Browser, exec, web search, skills, and plugins. If you run OpenClaw as a service account or want custom paths:

• OPENCLAW_HOME — home directory for internal path resolution
• OPENCLAW_STATE_DIR — override the state directory
• OPENCLAW_CONFIG_PATH — override the config file path

Full reference: Environment variables.

Related

• Install overview
• Channels overview
• Setup