OpenClaw Setup Guide
Your own AI assistant,
on Telegram, in 20 minutes
You talk to it like you'd talk to a friend — on Telegram, from anywhere. It has memory,它 can search the web, send you reminders, and do things on your behalf. No coding required to set it up.
First, what is this?
Three things, explained simply
You don't need to understand technology to use this. But it helps to know what the three main pieces are.
Telegram
The app you'll use to message your AI assistant. It's free, works on phone and computer, and is much easier to set up than other messaging apps. Download it here if you don't have it yet.
OpenClaw
The software that runs on your computer. It connects Telegram to an AI model. Once it's running, your computer becomes your personal AI assistant — it stays on, stays ready, even when Telegram is closed.
The AI brain (Groq)
The actual intelligence. Groq is a service that runs AI models — think of it like the brain. You get free credits to start, and it costs almost nothing after that (about ₹10–₹20 per month for normal use).
Think of it like this: Telegram is the intercom. OpenClaw is the person living in your house who answers the door. Groq is their brain. You don't need to see any of them — you just talk through Telegram.
Why bother
What your AI assistant can do
Answer questions
Search the web, explain things, summarize articles, research topics — just ask.
Remember things
It keeps notes about you, your preferences, your projects. It gets better over time.
Send you reminders
"Remind me to call the doctor tomorrow at 10am" — done. It texts you when the time comes.
Help with writing
Draft emails, review messages, rewrite something in a different tone, check your writing.
Research and summarize
Give it a topic, it digs around, comes back with a summary. Good for staying informed.
Run tasks in the background
While you sleep or go about your day, it can check your email, monitor things, prepare briefings.
It's private. Your AI assistant runs on your computer. Your data doesn't go to some company's servers (beyond what the AI model provider needs to generate responses). You can also restrict who can message it — just you, or a small group.
Money
What this actually costs
Two things cost money: the AI model (Groq) and optionally a Telegram Premium subscription (not needed).
| Item | Free tier | After free tier |
|---|---|---|
| Groq AI model | ₹0 — ₹150/month free credits | ~₹10–₹30/month for normal personal use 1,000 messages = ~₹3 on Groq |
| Telegram | Free | Free. Telegram Premium is optional, not required. |
| OpenClaw | Free (open source) | Always free. You run it on your own computer. |
Groq is the cheapest AI provider available. Most alternatives (OpenAI, Anthropic) cost 10–50x more. For a personal assistant doing 20–30 messages a day, Groq costs less than a cup of chai per month.
Step by step
Let's set it up
Follow these steps in order. Each one is simpler than it looks. If you get stuck, the FAQ at the bottom covers common problems.
Install OpenClaw on your computer
OpenClaw is the software that runs on your machine. The installer handles everything automatically.
Which operating system are you using?
Mac or Linux
Open the Terminal app. You can find it in Applications → Utilities, or search for "Terminal" in Spotlight.
curl -fsSL https://openclaw.ai/install.sh | bashPaste the command into Terminal and press Enter. The installer will ask for your computer password — type it and press Enter. You won't see the characters as you type (that's normal).
Windows (WSL2 recommended)
Windows works best with WSL2 — a Linux environment built into Windows. It sounds complex but the installer handles it.
iwr -useb https://openclaw.ai/install.ps1 | iexRight-click the Start button, choose "Terminal (Admin)" or "PowerShell (Admin)", then paste the command.
If you already have WSL2 or Ubuntu installed, use that terminal instead of PowerShell and run the Mac/Linux command.
What the installer does: It installs Node.js (a programming environment), OpenClaw itself, and starts the setup wizard. It's safe and doesn't replace anything on your computer.
Get a free Groq API key
The API key is like a password that lets OpenClaw talk to Groq's AI. Here's how to get one:
How to create a Groq account and get your API key
Step 1: Go to console.groq.com and click "Sign Up". You can use Google or email.
Step 2: Once logged in, go to the API Keys section and click "Create API Key". Give it any name (like "my assistant").
Step 3: Copy the key — it looks like gsk_xxxxxxxxxxxx. You will only see it once. Paste it somewhere safe (your notes app).
Keep this key private. Anyone with it can use your account. Don't share it, don't post it online. If you accidentally exposed it, delete it from the Groq console and create a new one.
Create your Telegram bot
A bot is like a virtual phone number that your AI assistant listens on. Creating one takes 2 minutes.
Step-by-step: Create a bot with BotFather
Step 1: Open Telegram and search for @BotFather. It's a verified account with a blue checkmark. Tap "Start" at the bottom.
Step 2: Type /newbot and send it. BotFather will ask for a name — this is what your bot is called, visible to you. Something like "My Assistant".
Step 3: BotFather then asks for a username — this must end in bot and be unique. Like gargsumit_assistant_bot. If it's taken, try another name.
Step 4: BotFather will confirm and give you a token that looks like: 123456789:ABCdefGhIJKlmNoPQRsTUVwxYZ. Copy this token — you'll need it in the next step.
You just created a bot. It won't do anything yet — it's just a phone number. The next step connects OpenClaw to it so your AI assistant can listen on this bot.
Run the setup wizard
This is where you give OpenClaw your Groq key and Telegram bot token, and it configures everything for you.
What to run in the terminal
Open your terminal (Terminal app on Mac, WSL2/Ubuntu on Windows) and run:
openclaw onboard --install-daemonThe wizard will ask you for:
- Model provider — choose Groq
- API key — paste your Groq key from Step 2
- Model — choose
llama-3.3-70b-versatile(fast and capable) - Telegram bot token — paste your Telegram bot token from Step 3
The wizard saves everything and starts OpenClaw. It will say "Gateway running" when it's done. Keep the terminal window open (or minimize it).
Say hello on Telegram
Everything should be connected. Let's verify it works.
How to test
Step 1: Open Telegram and search for your bot's username (the one you created in Step 3, ending in bot).
Step 2: Tap "Start" or send any message — like "Hello".
Step 3: Your AI assistant should reply within a few seconds. If it does — congratulations, it's working! 🎉
If nothing happens within 30 seconds, check the FAQ below or restart the terminal step.
The terminal must stay running for your assistant to respond. If you close the terminal, the assistant stops. To run it in the background (so you can close the terminal), see "How do I keep it running all the time?" in the FAQ.
Next
What to do after setup
Your AI assistant is running but it's a blank slate. Here's how to make it actually useful.
Introduce yourself
Tell it about you. It remembers.
- "My name is [X]. I work in [field]."
- "I'm based in [city, timezone]."
- "I have a family of [N]."
Set up proactive checks
Your assistant can check your email and calendar and send you a morning briefing before you ask.
- "Check my email every morning at 8am."
- "Give me a daily briefing."
Try some tasks
Start with small things to build trust:
- "Summarize this article: [paste link]"
- "Remind me to call mom at 6pm."
- "What meetings do I have tomorrow?"
Teach it your projects
If you're working on something specific:
- "I'm building a course about [topic]."
- "Here's my GitHub: [handle]"
How do I keep it running all the time?
By default, OpenClaw stops when you close the terminal. To run it as a background service that starts automatically when your computer boots, run: openclaw onboard --install-daemon again and choose the background option. On Mac this creates a LaunchAgent, on Linux a systemd service.
Help
Common questions and problems
It says "command not found" after installation
Close your terminal completely and reopen it. Run openclaw --version to verify it's installed. If it still doesn't work, the installer might have put OpenClaw in a different location — run npm prefix -g to find where, then add it to your PATH. Or restart your computer.
The bot isn't responding on Telegram
Check: Is the terminal running with OpenClaw? Does it say "Gateway running"? Try sending "/start" to the bot. If still nothing, restart: press Ctrl+C in the terminal, then run openclaw gateway start.
I'm getting "API key invalid" errors
Double-check you copied the Groq API key correctly — it starts with gsk_. Make sure you didn't accidentally add spaces before or after. You can verify it in the Groq console.
Can I use WhatsApp instead of Telegram?
Yes, OpenClaw supports WhatsApp, but the setup is significantly more complex (requires a business WhatsApp account and specific phone setup). Telegram is strongly recommended as a first channel — it's much simpler.
Can I use GPT or Claude instead of Groq?
Yes. OpenClaw supports OpenAI, Anthropic, Google Gemini, and others. Groq is recommended because it's dramatically cheaper and faster for most use cases. To switch models, run openclaw config and change the model provider.
Will my messages be used to train the AI model?
Groq is a model provider — your messages go to Groq's servers to generate responses. Groq's API terms generally do not use customer inputs for training. For complete privacy, use a provider with a clear data policy (Groq, OpenAI, Anthropic all have this). Your OpenClaw workspace files stay on your machine.
My computer has to be on for this to work?
Yes. OpenClaw runs on your machine, so it needs to be on and connected to the internet. If you want it running 24/7 without your laptop being on, you can install it on a small cloud server (like a $6/month VPS) instead. That's more advanced but doable.
How do I update OpenClaw to a newer version?
Run: openclaw update. That's it. The update script handles everything.
Can multiple people use the same bot?
Yes. By default, anyone who messages the bot gets a response. You can restrict it to only you by configuring a pairing code in the OpenClaw dashboard. Open the dashboard with openclaw dashboard in your browser.
Ready to set up your assistant?
If you run into any trouble, reach out — the instructions above are based on the official OpenClaw documentation and the OpenClaw Discord community is helpful.
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