Setup & install

#1. Pick a runtime

The two open-source options most worth comparing in 2026:

OpenClaw

Single-user-first. Designed to be one person's personal assistant with multiple identities, channels, and projects. Strong on memory + cron jobs + local-first defaults. Native macOS app. What this guide uses for all examples.

• Install: one npm command
• Storage: local files in ~/.openclaw/
• Best when: it's your assistant on your machine, doing real work for you
• Docs: docs.openclaw.ai

Hermes

Multi-user-first. Designed for teams or shared deployments. More opinionated about cloud hosting, identity, and access control. Useful if you're building an assistant for an organization rather than yourself.

• Install: Docker compose / Kubernetes
• Storage: Postgres + object store
• Best when: multiple users share one assistant deployment, or org-wide policy matters

Other options worth knowing: Claude Desktop + MCP servers (slick UX, less programmable), OpenWebUI / LibreChat (self-hosted chat UI with plugin systems), Cline / Cursor / Aider(coding-focused). The setup steps that follow are OpenClaw; the concepts transfer.

#2. Install OpenClaw

# install the CLI globally via npm
npm install -g openclaw

# verify
openclaw --version
openclaw status

First run creates ~/.openclaw/and starts a local gateway on port 18789. Status should show the gateway as running.

#3. Add an LLM provider

OpenClaw needs at least one provider key. The easiest start is Anthropic (Claude). Generate a key at console.anthropic.comand add it via the CLI:

openclaw config providers add anthropic --key sk-ant-xxx

Same pattern for OpenAI / Gemini / Ollama / others. Multiple providers can be active at once; route per-session via model overrides.

#4. Install the macOS app (optional but recommended)

For Mac users: the menu-bar app owns native permissions and exposes Mac-specific tools (screen capture, camera, system commands). Without it, the assistant still works but can't reach those surfaces.

• Download the .dmg from github.com/openclaw/openclaw/releases
• Drag OpenClaw.app to /Applications
• Launch and grant TCC permissions (Notifications, Accessibility, Screen Recording, etc.)
• Pick "Local" mode — it'll attach to the gateway already running

#5. Set up a workspace

The workspace is where the assistant's memory + skills + project code live. Default location:~/.openclaw/workspace/.

Initialize with a quick bootstrap:

cd ~/.openclaw/workspace
touch MEMORY.md AGENTS.md USER.md SOUL.md IDENTITY.md TOOLS.md
mkdir memory skills

#6. Write your first MEMORY.md

One paragraph about who you are + what you want the assistant to know. Example:

# MEMORY.md

## About me

I'm a freelance designer in Lisbon. I run a small studio
with 2 collaborators. My main clients are in tech + retail.

## Preferences

- All chats in English
- Casual but professional tone
- Push back when I'm wrong, don't be a yes-man
- Don't send anything externally without my approval

## Active projects

- ProjectX (e-commerce redesign, deadline June 15)
- Studio rebrand (Q3)

This file loads at the start of every session. Edit it any time. The more the assistant knows about your context, the better its work.

#7. Run your first chat

From the terminal:

openclaw chat

Or pair a messaging channel (WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal) so the assistant lives on your phone:

openclaw channels add whatsapp     # follow the pairing prompt

#8. Run your first cron job

Scheduled tasks are where assistants stop being chatbots and start being useful. Example: a daily 07:00 morning brief.

openclaw cron add \
  --name "Morning brief" \
  --cron "0 7 * * *" \
  --tz "Europe/Lisbon" \
  --session isolated \
  --message "Give me today's calendar + weather + any urgent emails. Keep it under 15 lines."

Inspect what's running:

openclaw cron list

#9. Add a skill (optional)

Skills give the assistant new capabilities — read your Notion, control a browser, fetch weather. Install via clawhub:

clawhub install notion
clawhub install weather
clawhub install browser-automation

#10. Where to go from here

• Read How to prompt it — the patterns matter more than the setup.
• Read How memory works — to use MEMORY.md effectively.
• Read Privacy & security — before giving the assistant real access.
• Skim the Glossary when terms feel unfamiliar.
• For full docs: docs.openclaw.ai or github.com/openclaw/openclaw.