A Mac (M1 or later), Linux machine, or Windows with WSL2. Node.js 22+. An API key from Anthropic (Claude) or OpenAI (GPT). A messaging app account (Telegram is easiest to start with).
Install OpenClaw, run openclaw onboard to go through the setup wizard, connect Telegram as your first channel, and start with simple conversations. Don't try to automate everything on day one.
Week 1: just have conversations. Ask it to explain things, summarize articles, check the weather. Week 2: try simple tasks like email summaries, calendar checks, web searches. Week 3: build custom workflows and automations.
Skipping security hardening, giving too many permissions too soon, not running openclaw doctor after setup, trying to set up all channels at once instead of starting with one, and not backing up your config before updates.
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