OpenClaw: The Complete Beginner-to-Pro Guide (Setup, Security, Automations, Mission Control, and Real Use Cases)
Learn how to install OpenClaw locally, connect Telegram/Discord, set up a daily morning brief with cron jobs, build a Mission Control dashboard, run multiple agents, and stay secure with pairing, allowlists, and audits—plus best use cases for social media and crypto workflows.
What Is OpenClaw (and why it’s different from “just another chatbot”)
OpenClaw is a local gateway + agent system that lets an AI assistant operate through the chat apps you already use (Telegram, WhatsApp, Discord, etc.) and—optionally—take actions using tools like browser control and automated workflows. The core idea is: a persistent AI operator, not a one-off prompt window.
100 hours of OpenClaw lessons in 35 minutes
Table of Contents
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Why you should run OpenClaw locally (not on a VPS)
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Install OpenClaw in minutes (step-by-step)
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Connect Telegram or Discord (first real messages)
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Your first two power moves: Intro dump + Morning Brief
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Build “Mission Control” (your custom dashboard)
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Multiple bots the right way: Multi-agent routing
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Brains + muscles: cheaper, better workflows
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Local models: the long-term endgame
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Security: the rules that keep you safe
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Best use cases: social media, research, crypto/trading
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FAQs + troubleshooting
1) Where to Host OpenClaw: Local vs VPS (the honest answer)
You can run OpenClaw on a VPS, but for most people it’s a mistake early on.
Local (recommended):
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Less exposed to the public internet by default
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Easier to control what the agent can access
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More practical to supervise in real time (watch it work, approve actions, kill tasks)
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Cleaner model/tool integrations without opening ports and hardening servers
VPS (only when you know exactly what you’re doing):
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Increases your attack surface (public exposure + tool access risk)
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Requires strong access control, networking, sandboxing, and constant auditing
If you’re starting from zero: run it on an old laptop / spare desktop / Mac mini and level up later.
2) Install OpenClaw (Step-by-Step)
OpenClaw’s Getting Started flow is intentionally simple: install → onboard → check gateway → open dashboard.
Step 1 — Run onboarding wizard
This configures auth, gateway settings, and optional channels.
Step 2 — Confirm the gateway is running
Step 3 — Open the Control UI (dashboard)
If the dashboard loads, you’re live.
3) Connect Messaging (Telegram or Discord) for Daily Use
OpenClaw is designed to be used from chat apps—not a separate web app you forget exists.
Recommended for beginners: Telegram
Telegram is clean for threaded updates, long messages, and “agent-style” output formatting.
General flow:
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Create a Telegram bot (BotFather)
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Add the bot token to OpenClaw config / onboarding prompt
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Send your first message
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If pairing is enabled (recommended), approve the pairing code before issuing real commands
4) The First Two Things To Do After Setup (this is where people win)
A) Do the “Intro Dump” (treat it like onboarding a new employee)
Open your dashboard chat or Telegram and paste a structured introduction:
What to include:
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Who you are + what you do
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Your projects, goals, and constraints
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Your preferences (proactive vs ask-permission, tone, daily schedule)
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Your “non-negotiables” (what it must never do)
This gives OpenClaw persistent context so the assistant’s output becomes custom instead of generic.
B) Set up a Daily Morning Brief (cron job)
OpenClaw supports scheduled tasks (“cron jobs”) so it can deliver proactive briefs every morning.
Copy/paste prompt (edit the bracketed parts):
Schedule a daily Morning Brief for [8:00 AM]. Send it to [Telegram]. Include:
Weather for [my city]
Top updates in [AI + automation + my industries]
My top tasks for today based on [my to-do list / priorities]
3 actions you can complete today that move me closer to [my goals]
Keep it concise, with bullets, and include an “Approval Needed” section for anything that posts/sends/messages.
That “actions you can complete” line is the secret: it flips OpenClaw from reactive assistant → proactive operator.
5) Build Mission Control (Your Custom Dashboard)
Your Mission Control is a local dashboard you and OpenClaw use to manage automations, approvals, agents, and custom tools.
What to ask for:
Build a local “Mission Control” dashboard for me.
It should include: Activity feed, scheduled tasks (cron calendar), approvals queue, and agent status.
Host locally and keep it fast and simple.
This idea (turning invisible automations into a visible control center) is a common pattern in the OpenClaw ecosystem because it makes automation manageable at scale.
Must-have Mission Control modules:
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Approvals Queue: anything that posts publicly goes here first
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Activity Feed: everything the agent did + why
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Cron Calendar: what will run, when, and with what permissions
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Agent Monitor: multi-agent status at a glance
6) “Multiple Bots” Done Right: Multi-Agent Routing
When people say they run “7 OpenClaws,” what they usually mean is multiple agents routed by channel, account, or person.
OpenClaw supports multi-agent routing so each agent can have its own workspace and behavior.
Best practice: create specialized agents:
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Concierge Agent: personal admin + reminders (low permissions)
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Social Studio: drafts + image prompts + approval queue (no posting without approval)
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Crypto Desk: research + alerts + journaling (no execution keys)
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Builder Agent: code/tools/dashboard features (tighter sandbox)
Then route them:
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Telegram → Social Studio
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Discord → Builder Agent
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WhatsApp → Concierge
Keep each agent’s tool permissions minimal. The more “admin” tools an agent has, the more dangerous prompt injection becomes.
7) Brains + Muscles: Faster, Cheaper, Better Outputs
A powerful pattern is using:
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One “Brain” model for decisions and orchestration
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Several “Muscle” models/tools for specific tasks (coding, web search, summarization, image prompts)
This can cut costs and improve quality because you’re matching the right tool to the right job—without burning expensive tokens on everything.
8) Local Models (the endgame most people are moving toward)
Local models run on your machine, not in the cloud. The practical benefits:
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Lower marginal cost (fewer paid tokens)
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More control + privacy
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Faster iteration for repeated tasks
You do not need expensive hardware on day one. Start with what you have, and only upgrade once you’ve proven a workflow that earns its keep.
9) Security: The 3 Rules That Save You (and why they matter)
OpenClaw can be secure—but only if you set strict boundaries.
Rule 1 — Lock down who can talk to it (pairing + allowlists)
OpenClaw supports pairing approval and allowlists. Unknown DMs should not be automatically trusted.
Rule 2 — Lock down where it can act (mention-only + scoped tools)
Use mention-only in group chats and restrict which tools are available per agent.
Rule 3 — Assume manipulation is possible; reduce blast radius
There have been real-world reports showing how risky it is to give an autonomous agent broad system access without guardrails.
Run the built-in security audit
OpenClaw provides security guidance and auditing concepts (identity → scope → model). Start there and re-audit after changes.
Critical warning on “skills” marketplaces:
Recent reporting has highlighted risks with user-submitted “skill” extensions, including malicious payloads and credential-stealing attempts. Treat third-party skills like browser extensions: trust nothing by default.
10) Best Use Cases (that actually create leverage)
Social Media (safe, scalable)
Best workflow: draft → review → approve → publish
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Daily batch: 10 post drafts + 10 hooks + 10 image prompts
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Build a “posting checklist” tool inside Mission Control
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Never auto-post from a public inbox without approval
Business / Research
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Daily “intel brief” for your niches
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Competitive monitoring + summarized insights
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Content ideation from trends (then you choose what to publish)
Crypto & Trading (keep it smart, keep it safe)
High ROI and low risk:
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Watchlists + alerts (notify-only)
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Daily narrative brief (top movers + why + catalysts)
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Trade journaling + psychology prompts
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Post-trade reviews (mistakes, patterns, improvements)
Avoid early:
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Giving exchange withdrawal permissions
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Fully autonomous execution
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Any workflow where a prompt injection could leak keys
FAQs (Quick Answers)
Is OpenClaw free?
The core is open-source, but you’ll still pay for model/API usage depending on the providers you connect.
Do I need a Mac mini or expensive hardware?
No. Start on any spare machine and upgrade only when a workflow proves valuable.
Can I run multiple agents?
Yes—multi-agent routing is a standard scaling pattern.
