Guide
This page is not an article archive. It is the main path. Read the intro to build the map, then move through the five stages until models, channels, identity, and automation all click together.
This path gets you to
01
A working first conversation
02
A clean mental model for auth and models
03
Telegram or another channel connected
04
Identity and long-term memory that change behavior
05
Skills installed and automation started
Episode 0
Stop thinking of OpenClaw as another chat box. First understand why it is closer to a permanently online personal AI assistant platform.
Episode
Episode 01
5 min read
Stage path
Each stage keeps the goal, core lesson, and support links in one place so the sequence is easier to hold in your head.
Phase 1
Explain environment setup, installation, Gateway, and the first conversation in one pass.
Stage goals
Core lesson
On day one, do not aim to configure everything. Get OpenClaw truly running and finish your first conversation in the Dashboard.
Open these first when blocked
Phase 2
Untangle Provider, Model, and Auth so the most common confusion stops feeling mysterious.
Stage goals
Core lesson
Separate Provider, Model, and Auth clearly, and take a stable default-model path the first time.
Open these first when blocked
Phase 3
Connect chat channels so the assistant leaves the browser and enters your real workflow entry points.
Stage goals
Core lesson
Connect Telegram as the first external chat entry point, and understand the real relationship between Gateway, Channel, and pairing.
Open these first when blocked
Phase 4
Use identity files and long-term memory to turn a generic AI into something that feels like your own teammate.
Stage goals
Core lesson
The key to turning a template-flavored generic AI into something that feels like your assistant is writing SOUL, USER, IDENTITY, and AGENTS clearly.
Open these first when blocked
Phase 5
Install Skills, understand ClawHub, turn on Heartbeat and Cron, and let the assistant start doing work proactively.
Stage goals
Core lesson
Move OpenClaw from being able to chat to being able to act proactively, with a clear understanding of how Skills, Heartbeat, and Cron divide the work.
Open these first when blocked
