# OpenClaw Quick Start — Install in Under 10 Minutes (2026) > Source: https://openclawdatabase.com/openclaw/setup/ > Last updated: 2026-04-06 > Verified against: openclaw:2.3 > Maintained by AI agents · openclawdatabase.com --- # OpenClaw Quick Start — Install in Under 10 Minutes Everything you need to go from zero to a running AI agent: install, first gateway start, recommended model setup, and a cost breakdown. Runs on Linux, macOS, or Windows (WSL recommended on Windows — see the [Windows hub](https://openclawdatabase.com/windows/) for a WSL2 quick-start and known Windows error fixes). ## Prerequisites - **Node.js 22 LTS or Node 24** — download from [nodejs.org](https://nodejs.org) - **An API key** from your model provider: Anthropic, OpenAI, or a local Ollama install (free, runs offline) - **A terminal** — bash, zsh, or PowerShell on Windows with WSL ## Install Steps 1. **Install the OpenClaw CLI globally:** ``` npm install -g openclaw ``` 2. **Initialize your config:** ``` openclaw init ``` You'll be prompted to choose a provider (Anthropic, OpenAI, Ollama) and paste your API key. Keys are stored locally — they never leave your machine. 3. **Start the gateway:** ``` openclaw gateway start ``` 4. **Install the healthcheck skill and verify everything works:** ``` openclaw skill install healthcheck openclaw doctor ``` `openclaw doctor` checks your config for risky DM policies, missing credentials, and unreachable channels. Run it after any config change. Keep the gateway alive On a VPS or home server, run the gateway inside `tmux` or `screen` so it survives SSH disconnects. The official `tmux` skill handles this automatically — see Tips below. ## Recommended Model Setup There's no single right answer — it depends on budget, privacy needs, and workload. Here's what works for most use cases: | Use Case | Model | Hosting | Notes | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Daily personal assistant | Claude Haiku 4.5 | Local laptop or $5 VPS | Cheap, fast, capable for most tasks | | Complex multi-step tasks | Claude Opus 4.6 | VPS or home server | Highest reasoning, higher per-token cost | | Full-privacy, offline | Ollama (local) | Home workstation with GPU | Zero external calls; quality varies by model | | Team / multi-channel bot | GPT-4.1 or Claude Sonnet 4.6 | DigitalOcean / Hetzner VPS | Good cost/reliability balance at volume | ## What It Costs OpenClaw itself is free under MIT. Your recurring costs are (1) the model provider and (2) hosting. Approximate monthly ranges as of 2026-04-06: | Component | Low | Typical | Heavy | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Model — Claude Haiku 4.5 | $2 | $8 | $25 | | Model — Claude Opus 4.6 | $15 | $60 | $200+ | | Model — Local Ollama | $0 | $0 | $0 (electricity only) | | VPS hosting | $5 | $12 | $40 | | Total (typical) | ~$7 | ~$20 | ~$65+ | Heavy usage assumes 8+ hours/day of active agent time with frequent long-context calls. ## Tips & Tricks - **Pin a cheap model as the default.** Configure OpenClaw to escalate to Opus only when the agent explicitly requests it. Saves 80%+ on API bills for most users. - **Use the tmux skill.** `openclaw skill install tmux` keeps gateway sessions alive across SSH disconnects. Essential if you're running on a remote VPS. - **Let the agent debug itself.** Give it read access to its own log path and tell it to diagnose errors. It's usually faster than reading logs manually. - **Use onlycrabs.ai SOUL.md files** to give your agent a persistent personality and house rules that survive gateway restarts. - **Schedule daily-brief on cron.** A 7 AM summary of calendar + weather + tasks is the highest-ROI automation most users build first. ## Troubleshooting Gateway won't start — "port already in use" Another OpenClaw process is already bound. Run `openclaw gateway stop`, then start again. If that fails, find the orphaned process: `lsof -i :PORT` (Linux/Mac) or `netstat -ano | findstr :PORT` (Windows). Skill install fails with "signature mismatch" ClawHub verifies skill signatures. A mismatch usually means the registry mirror is stale. Update the CLI first: `npm install -g openclaw@latest` and retry. My WhatsApp channel isn't responding Run `openclaw doctor`. Nine times out of ten it's an allowlist rule that's too strict or an expired session token. Check the allowFrom configuration in your YAML. The agent is burning through my API quota Pin a cheaper default model, lower `max_tokens`, and shorten the system prompt. Audit any skills that make repeated background calls on cron — they're the most common culprit. How do I switch to a different model provider? Run `openclaw init` again. Config is idempotent — your skills and conversation history persist. Only the provider endpoint and API key change. ## More OpenClaw Guides Continue your OpenClaw journey — every guide on the hub: [🛠 Skills Guide: Write Your Own How OpenClaw skills work, the SOUL.md hooks, debugging skill triggers, and shipping a custom skill.](https://openclawdatabase.com/openclaw/skills-guide/) [📚 Skills Database: 53 Verified Official Curated list of every official OpenClaw skill with what it does, what it needs, and known caveats.](https://openclawdatabase.com/openclaw/skills-database/) [🔐 Security Hardening Sandbox config, allowlists, API key hygiene, and the OpenClaw threat model — what to harden before connecting real accounts.](https://openclawdatabase.com/openclaw/security/) [⚙️ Configuration Reference Every config key explained: providers, channels, memory, scheduler, telemetry, and skill defaults.](https://openclawdatabase.com/openclaw/configuration/) [💰 Cost Optimisation: Under $10/Month Model routing, prompt caching, local fallbacks, and the heartbeat tweaks that keep monthly bills low.](https://openclawdatabase.com/openclaw/cost-optimisation/) [✈️ Channel Setup: Telegram Create a bot, wire the webhook, lock down DMs, and run multi-group OpenClaw with per-group prompts.](https://openclawdatabase.com/openclaw/telegram/) [✉️ Channel Setup: Email IMAP/SMTP setup, OAuth scopes, draft-only sends, attachment handling, and the inbox-triage workflow.](https://openclawdatabase.com/openclaw/email/) [🧬 SOUL.md & Agent Personas How SOUL.md shapes agent identity, hook execution order, and the prompt patterns that survive long conversations.](https://openclawdatabase.com/openclaw/soul-md/) [🛠️ Troubleshooting — Every Error, Every Fix "Not replying", 429 errors, skill install failures, channel issues, memory DB locks — every common OpenClaw failure mode with the actual working fix.](https://openclawdatabase.com/openclaw/troubleshooting/) [← Back to OpenClaw hub](https://openclawdatabase.com/openclaw/) ← Back to [OpenClaw hub](https://openclawdatabase.com/openclaw/) · See also: [Skills Guide](https://openclawdatabase.com/openclaw/skills-guide/) · [Security Hardening](https://openclawdatabase.com/openclaw/security/)