🦞 OpenClaw FAQ 使用手册🦞 OpenClaw FAQ User Guide

A: OpenClaw (formerly known as Clawdbot and Moltbot) is an open-source personal AI assistant platform that gained rapid popularity on GitHub in early 2026. As of August 2026 when version 2026.7.1-2 was released, it had achieved 385k+ Stars, surpassing React and the Linux kernel to become one of the fastest-growing open-source projects in history. Officially claimed to have over 3 million global deployments (not independently verified), it runs locally on your own device and communicates through platforms like WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord, Feishu, DingTalk, and Slack, enabling everything from simple Q&A to complex automated task execution.

Core Positioning: OpenClaw's positioning is "Your own personal AI assistant" — a truly personal, deeply customizable AI assistant, rather than a third-party cloud-dependent product.

Development History:

• January 2026: Gained explosive popularity in the developer community as Clawdbot
• January 27, 2026: Renamed to Moltbot (interim name) due to trademark concerns
• January 30, 2026: Officially named OpenClaw
• March 3, 2026: Reached #1 in GitHub software stars history with 250,829 stars
• March 2026: GitHub stars surpassed 300k (about 320k by end of March), with over 3 million global deployments (official figure)
• June 2026: Released 2026.6.11, improving multi-platform message delivery and model reliability
• July 2026: Released 2026.7.1 with a Control UI overhaul and new models including GPT-5.6, Tencent Hy3, and Meta Muse Spark 1.1
• August 2026: GitHub stars exceeded 385k; latest stable version 2026.7.1-2

A: There are fundamental differences between the two:

A: Five Core Capabilities:

1. 🏠 Local Deployment: Runs on your computer with guaranteed data privacy
2. 📁 File Access: Can search, read, and edit files on your computer
3. 🔌 Unlimited Extension: Expand functionality through the Skills system
4. 💬 Multi-platform Usage: Supports WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord, Slack, Microsoft Teams, etc.
5. 💰 Controllable Cost: Use your own API with transparent pricing

A: ✅ Strongly recommended for OpenClaw:

1. Super Individual/Freelancer - Need one person to do the work of a team
2. Knowledge Worker - Need to manage large amounts of documents and knowledge
3. Programmers - Need code assistance and automation
4. Content Creator - Need material management and multi-platform publishing
5. Privacy-conscious Users - Don't want to upload sensitive files to the cloud
6. Cost-conscious Users - Want cost-effective AI assistant

A: OpenClaw connects chat applications to AI agents through the Gateway. Gateway is the single source of truth for sessions, routing, and channel connections.

Core Components:

1. Gateway - Connects various chat platforms, manages sessions and message routing, default address: http://127.0.0.1:18789/
2. AI Agent - Supports Claude, GPT, Gemini, Mistral, Llama and other models
3. Skills System - File management, knowledge management, automation, etc., customizable development
4. ClawHub - Skills marketplace, can download and share Skills

A:

Key Differences:

• OpenClaw: Excels in task planning and automated execution of complete engineering workflows
• Claude Code/Cursor: Excel in code quality and understanding
• ChatGPT: Excels in conversation experience and usability

A:

Hardware Requirements:

Software Dependencies:

• Node.js: Version 22 or higher
• npm: Node.js package manager
• Git: Version control tool (optional)
• Docker: Containerized deployment (optional)

Supported Systems:

• Windows 10 and above
• macOS 12 and above
• Major Linux distributions

A: Mac Local Deployment (Recommended):

Step 1: Open Terminal
Press Command + Space to open Spotlight, type Terminal, press Enter

Step 2: Install OpenClaw

curl -fsSL https://openclaw.ai/install.sh | bash

Step 3: Verify Installation

openclaw --version

Step 4: Initialize Configuration

openclaw onboard --install-daemon

Step 5: Verify Gateway Status

openclaw channels status

A: Windows has multiple deployment options:

Method 1: One-click Installation (Recommended, 90% choose this)

1. Search for PowerShell in the lower left corner, right-click and run as administrator
2. Copy and paste the command below, press Enter:

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

Method 2: WSL2 + Ubuntu Deployment

# Enable WSL feature
dism.exe /online /enable-feature /featurename:Microsoft-Windows-Subsystem-Linux /all /norestart
dism.exe /online /enable-feature /featurename:VirtualMachinePlatform /all /norestart

# Set WSL 2 as default version
wsl --set-default-version 2

# After restarting, install Ubuntu 22.04 LTS from Microsoft Store

# Execute in Ubuntu terminal
curl -fsSL https://openclaw.ai/install.sh | bash

Method 3: PowerShell Native Deployment

# Run PowerShell as administrator

# Method 1: Install using npm
npm install -g openclaw@latest

# Method 2: Install using pnpm (Recommended)
pnpm add -g openclaw@latest
pnpm approve-builds -g        # Approve build scripts

# Method 3: Install openclaw
npm install -g openclaw@latest

A: Linux Deployment Steps:

# Ubuntu/Debian: Install Node.js
curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_24.x | sudo -E bash -
sudo apt-get install -y nodejs

# Install OpenClaw
curl -fsSL https://openclaw.ai/install.sh | bash

# Verify Installation
openclaw --version

# Initialize Configuration
openclaw onboard --install-daemon

A: Docker Deployment Steps:

Method 1: One-click Script Deployment (Recommended for Beginners)

curl -fsSL https://install.openclaw.ai | bash

Method 2: Manual Docker Compose Deployment

Create docker-compose.yml:

services:
  openclaw-gateway:
    image: openclaw/openclaw:latest
    user: node:node
    environment:
      HOME: /home/node
      OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKEN: your-secure-token-here
    volumes:
      - ./data/.openclaw:/home/node/.openclaw
    ports:
      - "18789:18789"
    restart: unless-stopped
    command: ["node", "dist/index.js", "gateway", "--port", "18789"]

Start service:

docker compose up -d

A: One-click Installation (Recommended):

macOS/Linux:

curl -fsSL https://install.openclaw.ai | bash

Windows PowerShell:

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

Advantages:

• ⚡ Fast: Uses optimized download sources
• 📦 One-click: Automatically configures all dependencies
• 💰 Cost-effective: Default configuration with affordable models

A: Upgrade Methods:

Method 1: One-click Upgrade (Recommended)

openclaw update

Method 2: Direct npm Upgrade

# Backup configuration
cp -r ~/.openclaw ~/.openclaw.backup-$(date +%Y%m%d)

# Stop Gateway
openclaw gateway stop

# Uninstall old version
npm uninstall -g openclaw

# Install new version
npm i -g openclaw@latest

# Fix configuration
openclaw doctor --fix

# Restart Gateway
openclaw gateway restart

A: The setup wizard is the recommended way to set up OpenClaw on macOS, Linux, or Windows (via WSL2; strongly recommended). It configures local or remote gateway connections, along with channel, skill, and workspace defaults in a guided flow.

Main Entry Points:

openclaw onboard

Fastest First Chat: Open control UI (no channel setup needed):

openclaw dashboard

Reconfigure Later:

openclaw configure

A: Supported Models/Authentication Methods:

Special Note: Version 2026.2.17 integrates Anthropic's Sonnet 4.6 model, opening 1M token (1M) context window testing.

A: If you have installed the service, check the running status:

openclaw gateway status

Or use the generic command:

openclaw channels status

A: Run the following command to open the control UI:

openclaw dashboard

Or directly visit the gateway address: http://127.0.0.1:18789/

A: Suitable for quick testing or troubleshooting:

openclaw gateway --port 18789

Press Ctrl+C to stop the foreground process.

A: If you run OpenClaw as a service account or want to customize config/state locations:

A: After installation you will have:

• ✅ A running gateway
• ✅ Configured authentication
• ✅ Control UI access or connected channels

A: Recommended next steps:

• Private message security and approval: Pairing Documentation
• Connect more channels: Channel Documentation
• Advanced workflows and source installation: Setup Documentation

A: Complete uninstallation requires three steps:

Step 1: Execute uninstall command
Enter the following command in terminal to automatically stop services and remove core components:

openclaw uninstall --all --yes --non-interactive

Step 2: Remove global package
Regardless of whether the official command succeeded, run:

npm rm -g openclaw

Step 3: Clean up configuration directory
Execute the following to delete user configuration and data:

rm -rf ~/.openclaw

A: OpenClaw supports two types of API model configurations:

1. Built-in API Models (recommended for beginners)

Supported built-in models:

• Recommended: Claude (Anthropic), GPT-4o (OpenAI), Gemini (Google)
• Cost-effective: Groq (fast inference), Ollama (local, free)
• Long context: Gemini 2.0 (1M+ tokens)

2. Custom API (for advanced users)

Config file location: ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json

A: DeepSeek API configuration steps:

1. Visit https://platform.deepseek.com/
2. Sign up and log in
3. Top up your account (start with ¥10 for a trial)
4. Click "API keys" → "Create API key"
5. Copy the API Key (shown only once, be sure to save it)
6. In OpenClaw's setup wizard, select DeepSeek and paste the API Key

Cost estimate:

• Light usage: ¥5-10/month
• Moderate usage: ¥10-30/month
• Heavy usage: ¥30-50/month

A: Kimi (Moonshot AI) configuration steps:

1. Visit https://www.kimi.com/code
2. Purchase a discounted plan (the ¥49/month plan is recommended)
3. Open the console and create an API key
4. Copy and save the API Key
5. Select Moonshot AI in the OpenClaw configuration wizard

Features:

• 📚 Ultra-long context: supports up to 2 million characters
• 📄 Long document processing: expert at analyzing papers and reports
• 🇨🇳 Strong Chinese understanding: ideal for Chinese-language scenarios

A: Alibaba Cloud Bailian Configuration Steps:

1. Log in to the Alibaba Cloud console at www.aliyun.com
2. Enter the "Bailian (百炼) LLM" service
3. Create an API Key under "Key Management"
4. Copy the Access Key ID and Access Key Secret

Configuration File:

{
  "agents": {
    "defaults": {
      "model": "qwen-max"
    }
  },
  "models": {
    "providers": {
      "aliyun": {
        "apiKey": "your-api-key",
        "baseUrl": "https://dashscope.aliyuncs.com/api/v1"
      }
    }
  }
}

Advantages: Full integration with Alibaba Cloud DashScope; supports Qwen models with large context windows.

A: Ollama Local Model Configuration:

1. Install Ollama from ollama.com
2. Download models: ollama pull llama3.3 or ollama pull codellama
3. Configure OpenClaw to use Ollama

Configuration File:

{
  "agents": {
    "defaults": {
      "model": "ollama/llama3.3"
    }
  },
  "models": {
    "providers": {
      "ollama": {
        "baseUrl": "http://localhost:11434/v1"
      }
    }
  }
}

Ollama Advantages: Completely free, runs locally, maximum privacy

A: Configuration Steps:

# Install Ollama
curl -fsSL https://ollama.com/install.sh | sh

# Download model
ollama pull qwen2.5-coder:14b

Configure OpenClaw:

{
  "agents": {
    "defaults": {
      "model": "ollama/qwen2.5-coder:14b"
    }
  },
  "models": {
    "providers": {
      "ollama": {
        "baseUrl": "http://localhost:11434/v1"
      }
    }
  }
}

Hardware Requirements:

• 7B parameter model: 16GB RAM recommended
• 14B parameter model: 32GB RAM recommended
• 32B parameter model: 64GB RAM recommended

A: Configuration files are located in the ~/.openclaw/ directory:

~/.openclaw/
├── openclaw.json          # Main configuration file
├── credentials/           # Credential storage
│   └── oauth.json
├── agents/               # Agent configuration
│   └── default/
│       └── agent/
│           └── auth-profiles.json
├── workspace/            # Workspace
│   ├── SOUL.md          # Personality/tone
│   ├── USER.md          # User preferences
│   ├── AGENTS.md        # Instruction specifications
│   ├── MEMORY.md        # Long-term memory
│   ├── HEARTBEAT.md     # Checklist
│   ├── IDENTITY.md      # Name/theme
│   └── BOOT.md          # Boot configuration
└── skills/              # Custom skills

A: Configure through SOUL.md and USER.md:

SOUL.md Example:

You're not a chatbot. You're a reliable assistant.

## Core Principles
**Take your work seriously.** Don't just say "Sure! I'll handle it right away!" — actually do it.
**Have your own thoughts.** It's okay to disagree and have preferences.
**Try to figure it out yourself first.** Search files, check context, look things up.

## Boundaries
- **Never reveal passwords.** If you see a password, API key, or token, keep quiet.
- Keep private matters confidential.
- Ask before taking uncertain external actions.

## Style
Be concise when needed, detailed when needed.
Talk like a reliable colleague, not a customer service bot.

A: How to switch models:

# Temporary switch
# Switch model for current conversation only
openclaw chat --model claude/claude-sonnet-4

# Permanent switch: modify the primary field in config file
openclaw config set agents.defaults.model.primary "claude/claude-sonnet-4"

# Restart to take effect
openclaw gateway restart

A: Common Commands Quick Reference:

A: As of August 2026, the latest stable version is 2026.7.1 (released July 13, 2026), with patch release 2026.7.1-2 (released August 4, 2026). Here are the important updates from recent versions:

Version 2026.7.1 Highlights (released July 13, 2026)

• Control UI overhaul: Chat, sessions, workspaces and usage pages were redesigned with multi-session split panes, drag-and-drop layout, and a live Tasks view, making context pressure, token usage and estimated costs easier to see.
• Easier onboarding: Fresh installs now enter a guided setup, with full pairing, permission, and recovery flows on macOS, iOS, and Android.
• Major app updates: The official iOS, Android and macOS apps gained session caching, offline continuation, voice, Apple Watch, scheduled jobs, and Gateway recovery.
• Expanded models & providers: GPT-5.6 compatibility, plus Tencent Hy3, Meta Muse Spark 1.1, Featherless, Claude Sonnet 5, Mythos 5, and ClawRouter.
• Stronger Codex workflows: Improved connected coding-agent collaboration.
• Channel improvements: Substantial updates to Telegram, Slack, Discord, and Apple Messages; Gateway crash loops, scheduled work, remote browser control, workspace terminals and more were improved.

Version 2026.6.11 Highlights (released June 30, 2026)

• Fixed misplaced replies, stuck sends, reconnects, model setup failures, and other reliability issues.
• More stable delivery across Telegram, WhatsApp, Matrix, Google Chat, iMessage, Feishu, and Mattermost.
• Safer admin defaults and fixes for component vulnerabilities such as DOMPurify (GHSA-cmwh-pvxp-8882).

Version 2026.7.2 Preview (in development)

• Session Rewind & Branching: Rewind to any message or fork a new session branch.
• llama.cpp inference: Native support for the llama.cpp inference backend.
• Meeting plugins: Microsoft Teams, Zoom, and Google Meet plugins with durable transcripts.
• State safety & recovery: Quarantine store, crash-recoverable SQLite snapshots, and schema-upgrade data-loss protection.

Historical versions: 2026.3.12 / 2026.3.13 (March 2026) brought the following important updates (Chrome DevTools MCP and pairing security updates arrived in 2026.3.13):

Major Feature Updates:

1. Significantly Improved Security

• Device pairing security upgrade: Uses short-term bootstrap tokens instead of embedding shared credentials
• Fixed ClawJacked vulnerability: Prevents malicious websites from hijacking AI agents
• Fixed multiple Remote Code Execution (RCE) vulnerabilities

2. Brand New Dashboard (Dashboard v2)

• Redesigned interface, more intuitive
• See at a glance what your AI assistant is doing
• Display resource usage
• Show connected tools

3. Fast Mode

• New /fast command
• Response speed improved 3x (3 seconds to 1 second)
• Perfect for batch file processing and continuous research

4. Major Plugin System Upgrade

• Support for local AI frameworks like Ollama, SGLang, vLLM
• Data stays on your computer, more secure
• No need to pay for cloud computing, more cost-effective

Update Commands:

# Update to the latest version
openclaw update

# Verify version
openclaw --version  # Should display 2026.7.1-2

A: New feature in version 2026.3.13:

Feature Description:

• Directly control an already logged-in Chrome browser
• AI can "see" web pages, "click" buttons, "type" content
• Login state perfectly preserved, no need to re-enter passwords

Use Cases:

• Batch clean email (keep order emails, delete verification codes and marketing emails)
• Auto-fill forms
• Batch process documents

Security Mechanisms:

• User approval required before operations
• Device pairing code is single-use

A: OpenClaw's intelligent search can:

• ✅ Search by file content
• ✅ Understand natural language descriptions
• ✅ Search across folders
• ✅ Smart filtering and sorting

Search Command Examples:

# Search by content
Find all PDF files containing "contract"
Search all documents mentioning "project plan"

# Search by type
Find all PNG images
Search recently downloaded PDF files

# Search by time
Find files modified in the last 7 days

# Combined search
Find image files from the past week containing "invoice"

A: Batch Processing Command Examples:

Batch Reading:

Read all PDF files in the documents folder
Extract text from all images

Batch Information Extraction:

Extract date, amount, and merchant info from all invoices
Extract name, phone, and email from all resumes

Batch Format Conversion:

Convert all Word documents to PDF
Convert all PNG images to JPG

A: Skills are OpenClaw's capability extension layer, enabling AI assistants to execute specific tasks. Each Skill contains:

• SKILL.md: Skill description document
• tools/: Tool scripts (optional)
• prompts/: Prompt templates (optional)

Features:

• Zero-code development: No programming required, create new skills with natural language descriptions
• Hot reload: Changes take effect immediately without restarting the service
• Rich ecosystem: 3000+ community-contributed skills on ClawHub
• Cross-platform compatibility: Follows AgentSkills standard

A: Recommended Skills List:

A: Supported communication platforms:

A: Feishu integration steps:

Step 1: Create a Feishu App

1. Visit the Feishu Open Platform open.feishu.cn
2. Click "Create Enterprise Self-built App"
3. Choose the "Bot" type
4. Fill in the app name and description

Step 2: Configure Permissions
Add the following permissions under "Permission Management":

• im:message - Receive and send messages
• im:message:send_as_bot - Send messages as the bot
• im:chat:readonly - Read group chat information
• contact:user.employee_id:readonly - Get user IDs

Step 3: Configure Event Subscription
Under "Events & Callbacks":

1. Choose "Long Connection Subscription" mode
2. Add the event: im.message.receive_v1
3. Save the configuration

Step 4: Get Credentials
Copy the App ID and App Secret from "Credentials & Basic Information"

Step 5: OpenClaw Configuration

openclaw configure
# Select the Feishu channel, enter App ID and App Secret

A: Scheduled task configuration:

Edit crontab:

crontab -e

Add scheduled tasks:

# Daily topic push (9 AM)
0 9 * * * /path/to/openclaw run daily-topic-push

# Daily work summary (11 PM)
0 23 * * * /path/to/openclaw run daily-summary

# Weekly report (Monday 8 AM)
0 8 * * 1 /path/to/openclaw run weekly-report

A: Troubleshooting steps:

1. Check if port is already in use:

   lsof -i :18789

2. View error logs:

   openclaw logs --follow

3. Run diagnostics:

   openclaw doctor

4. Try changing the port:

   openclaw config set gateway.port 18790
   openclaw gateway restart

A: Troubleshooting steps:

1. Check if the API Key is correct
2. Verify account balance is sufficient
3. Test network connection
4. Try switching to another model

A: Security Risk Matrix:

A: Version 2026.3.13 (released March 14, 2026) is a critical security update containing the following important fixes:

Update Recommendations:

• Public Deployment: 🔴 Update immediately (critical security fix)
• Local Testing: 🟡 Update within 24 hours
• Production Environment: 🔴 Update at the next maintenance window

How to Update:

# One-click update
openclaw update

# Or manual update
npm i -g openclaw@latest

# Verify version
openclaw --version  # Should show 2026.7.1-2 or higher

A: Security Hardening Measures:

Network Security:

• Default port 18789 should not be exposed to the public internet
• Use VPN or internal network access
• Configure firewall rules
• Change default port

System Security:

• Never run OpenClaw with root or administrator accounts
• Create a dedicated user

Using Docker Isolation:

docker run --user 1000:1000 ...

Application Security:

• Update promptly: openclaw update
• Review skills: Only install skills from trusted sources
• Regularly check for updates to installed skills

A: Security Best Practices Summary:

1. ❌ Do not run OpenClaw directly in production environments
2. ✅ Use Docker or virtual machine isolation
3. ✅ Regular backups and updates
4. ✅ Monitor and audit all operations
5. ✅ Follow the principle of least privilege
6. ✅ Upgrade to version 2026.7.1-2 or higher (100+ security vulnerabilities fixed to date, including ClawJacked, RCE and other critical vulnerabilities)

A: Model cost comparison:

Cost-saving tips:

• Use Claude Sonnet for daily tasks (best balance of quality and cost)
• Use Gemini Pro for long-context tasks (1M+ token window)
• Use GPT-4o for coding tasks (strong code understanding)
• Use Ollama for privacy-sensitive tasks (completely free, runs locally)

A: Annual cost comparison (OpenClaw itself is free; the following are AI model API call costs):

A: Core methodology of a one-person company:

AI truly disrupts productivity:

• Content itself is not replaced by AI
• Rather, AI elevates the efficiency of content production by an order of magnitude
• Work that used to require a whole team can now be done by one person with AI

3 core capabilities of a one-person company:

1. Judgment - AI handles execution, humans handle judgment
2. Systems thinking - Build AI systems, not just use AI for tasks
3. Rapid iteration - First run the minimum viable loop, then continuously optimize

A: The 5 golden rules of a one-person company:

Rule 1: Never auto-publish

• Reason: AI may have factual errors, inappropriate phrasing, or biased judgment
• Process: Agent generates → Human reviews → Publish after confirmation
• AI handles efficiency, humans maintain quality standards

Rule 2: Scheduled tasks are the soul

• Let the system "push you forward"
• Don't rely on "use only when you remember"
• Form a stable working rhythm

Rule 3: Record everything

• Data-driven decision making
• Avoid repetitive work
• Continuously optimize the system

Rule 4: Iterate quickly

• Don't chase perfection
• First run the minimum viable loop
• Launch and test quickly, iterate based on feedback

Rule 5: Focus on core value

• Judgment (topic selection, quality, direction) is core value
• Execution (writing, design, publishing) is not core value
• Delegate repetitive tasks to the system, keep judgment for yourself

A: Quick start steps:

Step 1: Choose your scenario

• Scenario A: Content creation automation – for self-media creators, bloggers, content creators
• Scenario B: Community management automation – for entrepreneurs, product managers, community operators
• Scenario C: Mixed scenario – dual-engine of content + community

Step 2: Set up infrastructure

# 1. Install OpenClaw
curl -fsSL https://openclaw.ai/install.sh | bash

# 2. Create working directories
mkdir -p ~/.openclaw/workspace
mkdir -p ~/.openclaw/scripts
mkdir -p ~/.openclaw/config

# 3. Configure API
openclaw config set api.key "your-api-key"

Step 3: Configure scheduled tasks

crontab -e
# Add scheduled task
0 9 * * * /path/to/openclaw run daily-topic-push

Step 4: Test run

openclaw run daily-topic-push
openclaw ask "Write an article about AI programming"

A: We offer mini host products with OpenClaw pre-installed, ready to use out of the box with no complicated setup required:

A: Simple initialization setup is required:

1. Power On: Connect power and monitor, press the power button
2. Open Terminal: Open terminal after entering the system
3. Run Setup Wizard:

   openclaw onboard --install-daemon

4. Complete Initialization According to Prompts:
   • Configure AI model (select model, enter API key, etc.)
   • Set authentication method
   • Optional: Configure platform connection
5. Start Using: Access control panel at http://127.0.0.1:18789/