Overview

OpenClaw installs a Gateway on your own machine and makes it the local control plane for sessions, tools, events and channel connections, so the Control UI, CLI, TUI and every connected messaging channel drive the same assistant. Models can be hosted or local, and the project expects new capabilities to arrive as plugins built on the plugin SDK rather than as changes to the core. The constraints are stated plainly in the README: it is designed for a single operator, tools run on the host for the main session unless you configure sandboxing, and DM-capable channels leave the assistant reachable by unknown senders until you approve a pairing with `openclaw pairing approve <channel> <code>`. The README tells you to read the security, exposure and sandboxing guides before connecting other users or exposing the Gateway remotely, which is a fair signal that shared or multi-user deployment is not the case it was built for.

What can you do with openclaw?

Talk to it from the chat apps you already use — Channels connect WhatsApp, Telegram, Slack, Discord, Google Chat, Signal and iMessage to the same Gateway. Inbound messages are treated as untrusted input, and unknown senders on DM-capable channels stay unpaired until you run openclaw pairing approve <channel> <code>.
Go from install to a working assistant in three commands — curl -fsSL https://openclaw.ai/install.sh | bash (or iwr -useb https://openclaw.ai/install.ps1 | iex on Windows PowerShell) provisions a Node runtime when needed; then openclaw onboard --install-daemon verifies model access and creates the workspace, and openclaw dashboard opens the Control UI. Installing via npm install -g openclaw@latest instead requires Node 22.22.3+, 24.15+ or 25.9+.
Drive the same session from terminal or browser — The Control UI, CLI and TUI are all clients of the Gateway, and openclaw gateway status reports whether the local Gateway is running.
Extend it without forking the core — Tools, skills and plugins are the extension points; the README states that new capabilities usually belong in plugins built on the plugin SDK and shared through ClawHub rather than merged into the main repository.
Attach device hardware through companion apps and nodes — Companion apps and device nodes connect to the Gateway to add voice, Canvas, camera, screen and device-local actions, but only on supported platforms — the per-platform setup is documented separately under docs.openclaw.ai/platforms and docs.openclaw.ai/nodes, not in the core install flow.

Documentation

Reproduced from the openclaw/openclaw README, published under MIT. Read the original ↗

OpenClaw 🦞 — Your assistant, on your devices, in your chats

OpenClaw is a personal AI assistant that runs on your devices and meets you in the channels you already use. It is designed for a single operator and connects models, tools, messaging channels, and optional companion apps through one Gateway.

Website · Docs · Getting started · Showcase · FAQ · Vision · DeepWiki

Install

The installer supports macOS, Linux, and Windows. It provisions a supported Node.js runtime when needed.

# macOS / Linux / WSL2
curl -fsSL https://openclaw.ai/install.sh | bash

# Windows PowerShell
iwr -useb https://openclaw.ai/install.ps1 | iex

Already manage Node.js? Install the published package instead (Node 22.22.3+, 24.15+, or 25.9+):

npm install -g openclaw@latest

See the installation guide for npm 12 lifecycle-script requirements, Docker, Nix, and other deployment paths.

Quick start

openclaw onboard --install-daemon
openclaw gateway status
openclaw dashboard

Onboarding verifies model access, creates the workspace, and configures the Gateway. The last command opens the Control UI; send a message there to confirm the assistant is working. See the getting started guide for channel setup and troubleshooting.

How it fits together

The Gateway is the local control plane for sessions, tools, events, and channel connections.
The Control UI, CLI, and TUI connect to the Gateway.
Channels bring the assistant to WhatsApp, Telegram, Slack, Discord, Google Chat, Signal, iMessage, and other messaging services.
Companion apps and nodes add voice, Canvas, camera, screen, and device-local actions on supported platforms.

OpenClaw works with hosted and local model providers. Its tools, skills, and plugins extend what an assistant can do.

Security

Treat inbound messages as untrusted input. DM-capable channels pair unknown senders by default; approve a pairing request with openclaw pairing approve <channel> <code>.

Tools run on the host for the main session unless you configure sandboxing. Read the security guide, exposure runbook, and sandboxing guide before connecting other users or exposing the Gateway remotely.

Documentation

Goal	Start here
Configure models and auth	Models · Model providers
Connect a messaging service	Channels
Add tools, skills, and plugins	Tools · Skills · Plugins · ClawHub
Run apps and device nodes	Platforms · Nodes
Use the CLI and chat commands	CLI reference · Slash commands
Configure or operate the Gateway	Configuration · Architecture · Updating · Release channels

Development

The repository is a pnpm workspace. Plain npm install at the repository root is not supported.

git clone https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw.git
cd openclaw
pnpm install
pnpm build
pnpm ui:build

See CONTRIBUTING.md for the contribution workflow and the source setup guide for the development loop.

Community

OpenClaw is developed in the open by the OpenClaw Foundation, a non-profit. See CONTRIBUTING.md for maintainers and contribution guidelines; AI-assisted PRs are welcome.

Use the issue chooser for bugs and feature requests, ask setup questions in Discord, and report vulnerabilities through SECURITY.md. New capabilities usually belong in plugins built on the plugin SDK and shared through ClawHub.

OpenClaw was built for Molty, a space lobster AI assistant, by Peter Steinberger and the community. Explore the project lore, soul.md, Peter’s site, Star History, and @openclaw.

Special thanks to Mario Zechner for his support and for pi, and to Adam Doppelt for the lobster.bot domain.