Formerly Clawdbot, now OpenClaw

OpenClaw Guide

From beginner to expert, master your open-source AI assistant with ease.
The most comprehensive resource center for OpenClaw.

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Official Integrations
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Self-Hosted

More than just chat,
OpenClaw works for you

OpenClaw (formerly Clawdbot) is a revolutionary open-source personal AI assistant. Unlike traditional chatbots, OpenClaw connects to your personal devices and apps—including WhatsApp, Gmail, calendars—and performs real tasks on your behalf.

It runs entirely on your own device, meaning your data always belongs to you. With its powerful skill extension system, OpenClaw's capabilities are virtually limitless. This guide will help you quickly master this powerful AI assistant.

Fully Open Source

Transparent code, community-driven development

Self-Hosted

Data never leaves your device, privacy guaranteed

Highly Extensible

Expand capabilities infinitely through the skill marketplace

Core Capabilities

OpenClaw Core Features

Six powerful capabilities that make your AI assistant truly yours

💻

Local Execution

OpenClaw runs entirely on your own device. Whether it's a Mac mini, cloud server, or local machine, your data stays under your control.

Multi-Platform

Interact with OpenClaw through your favorite platforms—WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord, Slack—and send commands anytime, anywhere.

Persistent Memory

OpenClaw remembers your preferences, conversation history, and important information, providing a truly personalized AI assistant experience.

Browser Control

OpenClaw can autonomously browse websites, fill forms, and extract information to help you complete various online tasks.

System Access

Read and write local files, execute terminal commands, manage your documents—OpenClaw can deeply integrate with your operating system.

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Skill Extensions

Expand OpenClaw's capabilities infinitely through 50+ official and community-provided skills (Skills) available in the marketplace.

Get Started

Get Your OpenClaw in 3 Steps

Follow this OpenClaw tutorial and complete installation in 5 minutes

1

Install OpenClaw

Open your terminal and run the following command. This script will automatically detect your system and install all necessary dependencies.

curl -sSL https://molt.bot/install | bash
2

Run Setup Wizard

After installation, run the setup command. The wizard will guide you through setting up API keys, choosing messaging platforms (like WhatsApp), and completing initial configuration.

molt setup
3

Start Your AI Assistant

Everything is ready! Run the start command, then send your first message to OpenClaw through your chosen platform (WhatsApp, Telegram, etc.).

molt start
Real-World Applications

What Can OpenClaw Do for You?

Explore real-world use cases for OpenClaw

Smart Email Assistant

"Check today's emails, summarize the important ones, and draft a reply to John's email." OpenClaw can connect to your Gmail, automatically categorize, summarize, and draft replies.

Schedule Manager

"Add a meeting with Director Li at 3 PM next Wednesday to my calendar." OpenClaw can extract information from natural language, automatically create calendar events, and send reminders.

🏠

Smart Home Hub

"I'm almost home, turn on the living room lights and set the AC to 26 degrees." By integrating with platforms like Home Assistant, OpenClaw can become the voice hub for your smart home.

Information Gatherer

"Every morning at 8 AM, summarize the top headlines from Hacker News for me." OpenClaw can regularly scrape website information, generate reports, and send them to you.

Got Questions?

Frequently Asked Questions

Everything you need to know about OpenClaw

What's the relationship between OpenClaw and Anthropic's Claude?
OpenClaw is an independent open-source project that uses Claude (and other LLMs like GPT) as its "brain." Think of OpenClaw as a "body" that enables Claude to interact with the real world—sending emails, controlling devices, browsing websites. OpenClaw was formerly known as Clawdbot and was renamed due to trademark reasons.
Does running OpenClaw cost money? What are the costs?
OpenClaw itself is completely free and open-source. The main costs come from two parts: First, LLM API call fees (like Claude API), which are billed based on usage—light usage is about $5-10 per month; Second, server costs (if you're not running locally), you can use AWS free tier or low-cost solutions like Railway.
Is my data secure?
One of OpenClaw's core advantages is data privacy. It runs entirely on your own device—your conversation records, personal information, and connected account credentials are never sent to any third-party servers (except for your chosen LLM API calls). You can fully audit its open-source code.
I'm not a programmer, can I still use OpenClaw?
Yes! While OpenClaw installation requires using the command line, the official provides a very user-friendly one-click installation script and configuration wizard. Our OpenClaw tutorial is also specially designed for beginners, guiding you through the entire process step by step. If you encounter any issues, you can also seek help from the community.
Ready to start?

Ready to Meet Your AI Partner?

Get started now—in just 5 minutes, you can have your very own OpenClaw AI assistant.