Clawbot (now officially called OpenClaw) is the open-source AI agent that took GitHub by storm — 149,000 stars and counting. Unlike ChatGPT, it runs on your own machine and can actually do things: run commands, manage files, control browsers, and automate workflows. This guide walks you through setting it up from scratch, connecting it to your messaging apps, and installing the best skills. We also cover where it falls short and what we're building as a secure alternative.
What you'll need
Install OpenClaw
You have three options. Pick whichever matches your setup:
Option A: npm (recommended for most users)
npm install -g clawbot@latestclawbot initThis installs the CLI globally and runs the interactive setup wizard which walks you through model selection and channel configuration.
Option B: Docker (most secure)
docker run -d \ --name clawbot \ -v ~/.clawbot:/root/.clawbot \ -p 18789:18789 \ ghcr.io/steipete/clawbot:latest
Docker is the safest option because it isolates OpenClaw from the rest of your system. If something goes wrong, the damage is contained to the container.
Option C: macOS DMG
Download the latest .dmg from the GitHub releases page. Drag to Applications. Double-click to launch. The app includes the Gateway and a menu bar icon for quick access.
Start the Gateway
The Gateway is the central process — it routes messages between your channels, the AI model, and your system.
clawbot gateway startCheck it's running:
clawbot gateway statusYou should see Gateway running on port 18789. If it fails, check that nothing else is using that port.
Connect an AI model
OpenClaw doesn't include its own AI — it's an orchestration layer that connects to the model of your choice. Edit ~/.clawbot/clawbot.json:
| Provider | Monthly cost | Quality | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anthropic Claude | $20-40 | Excellent | Best reasoning — recommended for most users |
| OpenAI GPT-4 | $25-50 | Excellent | Broad model selection, familiar ecosystem |
| DeepSeek | $5-15 | Good | Budget option with solid performance |
| Ollama (local) | Free | Varies | Maximum privacy, needs 8GB+ RAM |
Example: connecting Claude
{
"ai": {
"provider": "anthropic",
"apiKey": "sk-ant-your-key-here",
"model": "claude-sonnet-4-6"
}
}Get your API key from console.anthropic.com. Set a spending limit — $20-40/month is typical for moderate personal use.
Example: connecting Ollama (free, local)
ollama pull llama3.1:8b{
"ai": {
"provider": "ollama",
"model": "llama3.1:8b",
"endpoint": "http://localhost:11434"
}
}Connect a messaging channel
This is what makes Clawbot different — you control it through your normal messaging apps instead of a separate UI.
Telegram (easiest to start)
clawbot channel add telegramYou'll need to create a bot via @BotFather on Telegram (takes 2 minutes), then paste the token when prompted. After that, message your bot and it routes straight to your local Clawbot agent.
clawbot channel add whatsappThis uses WhatsApp's linked devices feature. Scan a QR code and your WhatsApp messages route to Clawbot. Important: WhatsApp's ToS don't allow automated bots on personal accounts. Use a secondary number for testing.
Other channels
OpenClaw supports 15+ channels including Discord, Slack, Signal, Matrix, IRC, email (IMAP), and more. Run clawbot channel list to see all available options.
Install skills
Skills are plugins that give Clawbot abilities. There are 10,700+ on ClawHub. Browse and install:
clawbot skills browseclawbot skills install google-calendar github-assistant daily-briefingTop 10 skills we recommend
Security warning on skills
820+ malicious skills have been found on ClawHub (7.6% of total). Only install skills from verified publishers with significant community usage. Avoid newly published skills with few users. Read our full security analysis.
Test it
Open your connected messaging app and send your agent a message. Start simple:
"What time is it?"Tests basic AI response"List the files in my Documents folder"Tests file system access"What's on my calendar today?"Tests Google Calendar skill"Check if google.com is reachable"Tests shell command execution"Give me a morning briefing"Tests the daily-briefing skillWhere Clawbot falls short
We use OpenClaw ourselves. It's genuinely useful. But after months of using it and building on top of it, the limitations are clear:
Security is an afterthought
512 vulnerabilities, 8 critical. The ClawJacked flaw lets websites hijack your agent. Skills run unsandboxed with full system access. Fine for a personal machine — unacceptable for client data.
Single user only
No way to share an agent across a team. No role-based access. No admin panel. If you want three people using the same AI agent, you need three separate installs.
No audit trail
What did the agent do at 3am? What files did it access? What commands did it run? There's no logging, no history, no way to answer these questions.
Skills are a Wild West
10,700+ skills with minimal vetting. 7.6% malicious rate. No sandboxing. Installing a skill is basically running someone else's code with your permissions.
No enterprise integrations
Connecting to Salesforce, QuickBooks, Xero, or your bank requires custom development. The skill ecosystem focuses on developer tools, not business workflows.
You're the ops team
Updates, backups, security patches, uptime — it's all on you. When it breaks at 2am, you're the support team.
What we're building: a secure Clawbot for businesses
At AI Makers, we loved the concept of OpenClaw. An AI that doesn't just talk — it acts. But we couldn't deploy it for our clients. The security gaps, the lack of team features, the unvetted skill ecosystem. So we're building what OpenClaw should be for businesses.
What our platform does differently
Sandboxed tool execution
Every tool runs in an isolated container. A misbehaving tool can't touch your files, credentials, or other tools.
Role-based access control
Admins control which team members can use which tools. The intern can't run shell commands. The accountant can access invoices but not code repos.
Full audit logging
Every action logged with timestamp, user, tool used, input, output, and reasoning. Exportable for compliance.
Vetted integrations
No open marketplace. We build and maintain every integration — WhatsApp Business API, Google Workspace, Xero, QuickBooks, Slack, CRM systems. Each one tested and secured.
Multi-user + team workspaces
Shared agents that the whole team can use. Individual profiles, shared knowledge base, team-level permissions.
WhatsApp Business API
Official verified sender, message templates, broadcast lists, and full ToS compliance. Not the personal linked-devices workaround.
Encryption at rest + in transit
All data encrypted with AES-256 at rest. TLS 1.3 in transit. API keys stored in encrypted vaults, not plaintext config files.
Managed infrastructure
We handle updates, security patches, uptime monitoring, and backups. 99.9% SLA. You use it, we run it.
Same philosophy as OpenClaw — your data, your server, an AI that takes actions. But built from the ground up for teams, compliance, and production workloads.
Want early access?
We're onboarding the first businesses onto our secure AI agent platform. If you like what OpenClaw does but need it production-ready — let's talk.