Command Overview
openclaw onboard is an interactive onboarding command designed for new users. Unlike setup, it focuses more on teaching and demonstrating features rather than just completing the installation.
Start Onboarding
openclaw onboard
Onboarding Flow
Step 1: Welcome and Concepts
Welcome to OpenClaw! 🎉
OpenClaw is an AI assistant platform that connects
language models to your favorite messaging channels.
Key concepts:
• Provider: Where your AI model runs (OpenAI, Ollama, etc.)
• Channel: Where users interact (Telegram, Discord, etc.)
• Skill: Special abilities for your AI (web search, image gen, etc.)
• Gateway: The server that connects everything
Press Enter to continue...
Step 2: Configure Your First Provider
The wizard walks you through provider setup with detailed explanations:
Let's set up your first model provider.
Which provider would you like to start with?
[1] OpenAI - Most popular, requires API key
[2] Ollama - Free, runs locally on your machine
[3] Anthropic - Claude models, requires API key
> 1
To get an OpenAI API key:
1. Go to https://platform.openai.com/api-keys
2. Click "Create new secret key"
3. Copy the key
Enter your OpenAI API key: sk-...
Testing connection... ✓ Connected!
Available models: gpt-4o, gpt-4o-mini, gpt-3.5-turbo
Which model would you like to use? [gpt-4o-mini]
> gpt-4o-mini
Step 3: Configure Your First Channel
Now let's connect a messaging channel.
Which channel would you like to set up first?
[1] Telegram - Easy setup, works great
[2] Discord - For gaming communities
[3] Web Chat - Built-in web interface
[4] Skip for now
> 3
Starting Web Chat on http://localhost:3000/chat
You can test your AI assistant right in the browser!
Step 4: Test Conversation
Let's test your AI assistant!
You: Hello
AI: Hello! I'm your AI assistant. How can I help?
You: What's the weather like?
AI: I don't currently have the ability to get real-time weather,
but you can add the weather skill to enable that.
Would you like me to set it up?
Great! Your AI is working perfectly. ✓
Step 5: Add Skills (Optional)
Would you like to add some skills?
Available skills:
[x] Web Search - Search the internet
[ ] Weather - Get weather information
[x] Code Execution - Run code snippets
[ ] Image Generation - Create images
Installing selected skills... ✓
Command Options
Skip Specific Steps
openclaw onboard --skip-intro # Skip the concept introduction
openclaw onboard --skip-test # Skip the test conversation
openclaw onboard --quick # Minimum steps to finish
Specify Language
openclaw onboard --lang zh # Chinese
openclaw onboard --lang en # English
openclaw onboard --lang ja # Japanese
Resume an Interrupted Onboarding
openclaw onboard --resume
After Onboarding
The wizard ends with suggested next steps:
Onboarding complete! Here's what to do next:
📖 View your config: openclaw configure --show
📱 Add more channels: openclaw channels add
🔧 Add more skills: openclaw plugins install
📊 Open dashboard: openclaw dashboard
📝 View logs: openclaw logs
Documentation: https://oepnclaw.com
Community: https://discord.gg/openclaw
Happy chatting! 🎉
Differences from setup
| Feature | setup | onboard |
|---|---|---|
| Goal | Quick installation | Learning and understanding |
| Interactivity | Concise | Detailed explanations |
| Testing | None | Includes test conversation |
| Concept intro | None | Step-by-step walkthrough |
| Best for | Experienced users | New users |
Running Again
After completing onboarding:
# Show the onboarding summary
openclaw onboard --summary
# Restart the full onboarding
openclaw onboard --restart
Summary
openclaw onboard is the best entry point for new users to learn and get started with OpenClaw. Through interactive guidance and hands-on testing, users can understand core concepts while completing basic configuration, laying a solid foundation for deeper use.