Grab the free one-page OpenClaw setup guide with every step and command listed out: https://corey-ganim.kit.com/c93f43577e

I walk through the complete OpenClaw setup process from zero to a working AI agent connected to Telegram — all in under seven minutes. You'll see every step: running the installer, configuring your Anthropic API key, creating a Telegram bot through BotFather, pairing it to your OpenClaw instance, and enabling web search with DuckDuckGo. One prerequisite, one terminal command, and you're live.

Key Takeaways:

OpenClaw installs with a single terminal command — the only prerequisite is having Node.js installed, which is also a one-command setup
The guided onboarding handles every configuration decision (model, API key, channel, search) through simple yes/no prompts — no manual config files
Creating a Telegram bot through BotFather takes about 60 seconds: message BotFather, run /newbot, choose a name ending in "bot," and copy the token
DuckDuckGo is the fastest search provider to start with because it requires zero additional API keys or setup
Skills and hooks can be added after the initial install — you don't need to configure everything before getting your agent running
The OpenClaw control panel gives you a browser-based chat window plus access to channels, sessions, usage stats, cron jobs, files, skills, and nodes

Timestamps:

00:00 - Introduction

00:02 - Running the OpenClaw installer from the terminal 00:30 - Node.js prerequisite (quick install)

00:45 - Guided onboarding: Quick Start setup

01:05 - Choosing Anthropic as your model provider

01:20 - Entering your Anthropic API key

01:35 - Selecting Claude Sonnet 4.6

01:52 - Creating a Telegram bot with BotFather

02:45 - Naming your bot and choosing a username

03:15 - Connecting the bot token to OpenClaw

03:30 - Enabling DuckDuckGo web search

03:45 - Skipping skills and hooks (configurable later)

04:06 - OpenClaw control panel overview

04:30 - First chat with your bot in the browser

05:15 - Pairing the bot with your Telegram account

06:10 - First Telegram message confirmed

06:30 - Setup complete — next steps for personalization

Links Mentioned:

OpenClaw: https://openclaw.ai
Anthropic API Console: https://console.anthropic.com
BotFather (Telegram): https://t.me/BotFather
DuckDuckGo: https://duckduckgo.com
Node.js: https://nodejs.org

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#153 How to Set Up OpenClaw in 7 Minutes (Step-by-Step Guide)

Build With AI

#153 How to Set Up OpenClaw in 7 Minutes (Step-by-Step Guide)