Documentation
Step-by-step guides to help you master OpenClaw from setup to advanced workflows.
Getting Started
OpenClaw on Mac Mini — Complete Setup Guide
The definitive guide to setting up OpenClaw on a Mac Mini M4. Covers hardware recommendations, macOS preparation, installation, daemon configuration, headless operation, and your first interaction with the agent.
OpenClaw on Linux (Ubuntu/Debian) — Setup Guide
Complete guide to installing and configuring OpenClaw on Linux. Covers VPS and dedicated hardware, system prerequisites, installation, systemd service setup, firewall configuration, and remote access.
OpenClaw on Windows (WSL2) — Setup Guide
Step-by-step guide to running OpenClaw on Windows using WSL2. Covers WSL2 installation, Ubuntu setup, OpenClaw configuration, known limitations, and workarounds for Windows-specific issues.
OpenClaw on a VPS — Complete Setup Guide
Deploy OpenClaw on any VPS provider (DigitalOcean, Hetzner, Linode, Vultr, AWS Lightsail). Covers SSH access, Node.js installation, OpenClaw setup, systemd service configuration, UFW firewall rules, and monitoring basics.
OpenClaw on Oracle Cloud Free Tier
Run OpenClaw for free forever on Oracle Cloud's always-free ARM Ampere A1 instance. Full walkthrough from account creation to a running agent.
Your First 24 Hours with OpenClaw
What to do after you install OpenClaw: craft your SOUL.md personality, connect your first messaging channel, install your first skill, set up a morning briefing cron job, and verify everything works.
OpenClaw on Raspberry Pi
Turn a Raspberry Pi 4 or Pi 5 into a dedicated OpenClaw home server. Covers Raspberry Pi OS setup, Node.js ARM installation, performance tuning, heat management, and running your agent 24/7.
Migrating Your OpenClaw to a New Machine
Move your entire OpenClaw setup to a new server or machine without losing data. Covers workspace backup, memory export, skill preservation, cron job migration, and post-migration verification.
OpenClaw + Docker — Containerized Setup
Run OpenClaw in Docker with a production-ready setup. Includes Dockerfile, docker-compose.yml with persistent volumes, environment variable configuration, health checks, and update strategies.
Security & Hardening
Security Hardening Guide — Lock Down Your Agent
Comprehensive security hardening guide for OpenClaw. Covers real-world threats, dedicated user accounts, network isolation, exec_approval, FileVault encryption, skill auditing, and the ClawHub security landscape.
Skill Security Audit Checklist
Learn how to review and audit OpenClaw skills before installing them. Covers red flags in SKILL.md files, the openclaw security audit command, sandboxing with Docker, and protecting your agent from malicious skills.
Securing Your OpenClaw: Skill Auditing & Safety Guide
A comprehensive guide to securing your OpenClaw agent against malicious skills. Covers ClawHub threat landscape, VirusTotal scanning, Snyk auditing, Agent Trust Hub verification, red flags, sandboxing, and incident response.
Configuration
API Key Setup & Model Configuration
Complete guide to obtaining API keys from LLM providers, configuring them in OpenClaw, choosing the right models for different tasks, and testing your API connectivity.
Messaging Channels — Complete Setup
Complete guide to connecting OpenClaw to Telegram, WhatsApp, Discord, Slack, iMessage, and other messaging platforms. Covers setup for each platform, multi-channel configuration, and DM policies.
Heartbeat & Cron Job Configuration
Understand OpenClaw's heartbeat system, optimize it for cost and performance, configure active hours, set up cron jobs for recurring tasks, and monitor your agent's autonomous behavior.
Cost Optimization — Keep API Bills Under Control
Practical strategies for managing and reducing OpenClaw API costs. Covers what costs money, model routing, active hours, usage monitoring, spending limits, and alternative providers.
15 Cron Job Recipes You Can Set Up in 5 Minutes
Copy-paste cron job recipes for the most useful automations: morning briefings, email checks, backups, social posting, and more.
The OpenClaw Memory System: Never Lose Context Again
Master OpenClaw's memory system: daily logs, long-term storage, semantic search, and memory maintenance best practices.
Keeping OpenClaw Running 24/7 — Process Management Guide
The definitive guide to keeping your OpenClaw agent alive and healthy. Compares systemd, pm2, and tmux. Covers auto-restart, log rotation, resource monitoring, and alerting.
Skills & Customization
Understanding Skills — The Complete Guide
Everything you need to know about OpenClaw skills: what they are, how the agent loads and prioritizes them, browsing ClawHub, installing and managing skills via CLI, and understanding skill precedence.
Building Your First Custom Skill
Learn how to create custom OpenClaw skills from scratch. Covers SKILL.md anatomy, directory structure, writing effective instructions, tool definitions, local testing, and publishing to ClawHub.
SOUL.md Mastery — Crafting Your Agent's Personality
Master the SOUL.md file to craft your OpenClaw agent's personality, communication style, and behavioral guidelines. Includes templates, example personas, and tips for iterating on your agent's identity.
Top 20 Must-Have OpenClaw Skills for 2026
A curated list of the best 20 skills from ClawHub, organized by use case. From communication and development to research, productivity, voice, and security — these are the skills every OpenClaw user should know about.
Advanced Topics
Multi-Agent Workflows
Advanced guide to running multiple OpenClaw agents, configuring per-agent workspaces, enabling agent-to-agent communication, use cases for multi-agent setups, and integrating with Claude Code.
Troubleshooting Common Issues
Solutions for the most common OpenClaw problems: unresponsive agents, permission errors, skill installation failures, gateway crashes, messaging connection drops, and how to use openclaw doctor.
The ClawDocx OpenClaw Command Reference
Complete reference for every openclaw CLI command with examples, detailed options, and the openclaw.json configuration file reference. Covers gateway, doctor, health, skills, cron, pairing, security, and dashboard commands.
Build a Content Operations Pipeline with OpenClaw
Build a complete content operations pipeline using OpenClaw: from automated research and AI-assisted drafting to multi-pass editing, CMS publishing, and social media cross-posting. Includes cron configurations, SOUL.md voice training, and A/B testing strategies.
OpenClaw for Developers: The Ultimate Productivity Setup
The complete developer productivity guide for OpenClaw. Set up automated PR reviews, CI/CD monitoring, standup generation, sprint tracking, and deployment workflows. Includes a full openclaw.json config and cron job schedule for engineering teams.
Browser Automation with Playwright and OpenClaw
Learn how to use Playwright MCP skills with OpenClaw to automate browser tasks including web scraping, form filling, screenshot capture, price monitoring, and competitor tracking.
Email Automation: Let Your Agent Handle Your Inbox
Learn how to automate email management with OpenClaw using AgentMail, Gmail integration, smart triage, auto-reply rules, and email-to-task workflows. From inbox zero to full email autonomy.
Sub-Agents Mastery: Parallel Workflows That Actually Work
Learn when and how to use sub-agents for complex tasks. Fan-out patterns, monitoring, error handling, and real-world examples.