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CLI Onboarding Reference

This page is the full reference for openclaw onboard. For the short guide, see Onboarding Wizard (CLI).

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What the wizard does

Local mode (default) walks you through:
  • Model and auth setup (OpenAI Code subscription OAuth, Anthropic API key or setup token, plus MiniMax, GLM, Moonshot, and AI Gateway options)
  • Workspace location and bootstrap files
  • Gateway settings (port, bind, auth, tailscale)
  • Channels and providers (Telegram, WhatsApp, Discord, Google Chat, Mattermost plugin, Signal)
  • Daemon install (LaunchAgent or systemd user unit)
  • Health check
  • Skills setup
Remote mode configures this machine to connect to a gateway elsewhere. It does not install or modify anything on the remote host.

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Local flow details

1

Existing config detection

  • If ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json exists, choose Keep, Modify, or Reset.
  • Re-running the wizard does not wipe anything unless you explicitly choose Reset (or pass --reset).
  • If config is invalid or contains legacy keys, the wizard stops and asks you to run openclaw doctor before continuing.
  • Reset uses trash and offers scopes:
    • Config only
    • Config + credentials + sessions
    • Full reset (also removes workspace)
2

Model and auth

3

Workspace

  • Default ~/.openclaw/workspace (configurable).
  • Seeds workspace files needed for first-run bootstrap ritual.
  • Workspace layout: Agent workspace.
4

Gateway

  • Prompts for port, bind, auth mode, and tailscale exposure.
  • Recommended: keep token auth enabled even for loopback so local WS clients must authenticate.
  • Disable auth only if you fully trust every local process.
  • Non-loopback binds still require auth.
5

Channels

  • WhatsApp: optional QR login
  • Telegram: bot token
  • Discord: bot token
  • Google Chat: service account JSON + webhook audience
  • Mattermost plugin: bot token + base URL
  • Signal: optional signal-cli install + account config
  • BlueBubbles: recommended for iMessage; server URL + password + webhook
  • iMessage: legacy imsg CLI path + DB access
  • DM security: default is pairing. First DM sends a code; approve via openclaw pairing approve <channel> <code> or use allowlists.
6

Daemon install

  • macOS: LaunchAgent
    • Requires logged-in user session; for headless, use a custom LaunchDaemon (not shipped).
  • Linux and Windows via WSL2: systemd user unit
    • Wizard attempts loginctl enable-linger <user> so gateway stays up after logout.
    • May prompt for sudo (writes /var/lib/systemd/linger); it tries without sudo first.
  • Runtime selection: Node (recommended; required for WhatsApp and Telegram). Bun is not recommended.
7

Health check

  • Starts gateway (if needed) and runs openclaw health.
  • openclaw status --deep adds gateway health probes to status output.
8

Skills

  • Reads available skills and checks requirements.
  • Lets you choose node manager: npm or pnpm (bun not recommended).
  • Installs optional dependencies (some use Homebrew on macOS).
9

Finish

  • Summary and next steps, including iOS, Android, and macOS app options.
If no GUI is detected, the wizard prints SSH port-forward instructions for the Control UI instead of opening a browser. If Control UI assets are missing, the wizard attempts to build them; fallback is pnpm ui:build (auto-installs UI deps).

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Remote mode details

Remote mode configures this machine to connect to a gateway elsewhere.
Remote mode does not install or modify anything on the remote host.
What you set:
  • Remote gateway URL (ws://...)
  • Token if remote gateway auth is required (recommended)
  • If gateway is loopback-only, use SSH tunneling or a tailnet.
  • Discovery hints:
    • macOS: Bonjour (dns-sd)
    • Linux: Avahi (avahi-browse)

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Auth and model options

  • macOS: checks Keychain item “Claude Code-credentials”
  • Linux and Windows: reuses ~/.claude/.credentials.json if present
On macOS, choose “Always Allow” so launchd starts do not block.
Run claude setup-token on any machine, then paste the token. You can name it; blank uses default.
If ~/.codex/auth.json exists, the wizard can reuse it.
Browser flow; paste code#state.Sets agents.defaults.model to openai-codex/gpt-5.3-codex when model is unset or openai/*.
Uses OPENAI_API_KEY if present or prompts for a key, then saves it to ~/.openclaw/.env so launchd can read it.Sets agents.defaults.model to openai/gpt-5.1-codex when model is unset, openai/*, or openai-codex/*.
Prompts for OPENCODE_API_KEY (or OPENCODE_ZEN_API_KEY). Setup URL: opencode.ai/auth.
Stores the key for you.
Prompts for AI_GATEWAY_API_KEY. More detail: Vercel AI Gateway.
Prompts for account ID, gateway ID, and CLOUDFLARE_AI_GATEWAY_API_KEY. More detail: Cloudflare AI Gateway.
Config is auto-written. More detail: MiniMax.
Prompts for SYNTHETIC_API_KEY. More detail: Synthetic.
Moonshot (Kimi K2) and Kimi Coding configs are auto-written. More detail: Moonshot AI (Kimi + Kimi Coding).
Model behavior:
  • Pick default model from detected options, or enter provider and model manually.
  • Wizard runs a model check and warns if the configured model is unknown or missing auth.
Credential and profile paths:
  • OAuth credentials: ~/.openclaw/credentials/oauth.json
  • Auth profiles (API keys + OAuth): ~/.openclaw/agents/<agentId>/agent/auth-profiles.json
Headless and server tip: complete OAuth on a machine with a browser, then copy ~/.openclaw/credentials/oauth.json (or $OPENCLAW_STATE_DIR/credentials/oauth.json) to the gateway host.

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Outputs and internals

Typical fields in ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json:
  • agents.defaults.workspace
  • agents.defaults.model / models.providers (if Minimax chosen)
  • gateway.* (mode, bind, auth, tailscale)
  • channels.telegram.botToken, channels.discord.token, channels.signal.*, channels.imessage.*
  • Channel allowlists (Slack, Discord, Matrix, Microsoft Teams) when you opt in during prompts (names resolve to IDs when possible)
  • skills.install.nodeManager
  • wizard.lastRunAt
  • wizard.lastRunVersion
  • wizard.lastRunCommit
  • wizard.lastRunCommand
  • wizard.lastRunMode
openclaw agents add writes agents.list[] and optional bindings. WhatsApp credentials go under ~/.openclaw/credentials/whatsapp/<accountId>/. Sessions are stored under ~/.openclaw/agents/<agentId>/sessions/.
Some channels are delivered as plugins. When selected during onboarding, the wizard prompts to install the plugin (npm or local path) before channel configuration.
Gateway wizard RPC:
  • wizard.start
  • wizard.next
  • wizard.cancel
  • wizard.status
Clients (macOS app and Control UI) can render steps without re-implementing onboarding logic. Signal setup behavior:
  • Downloads the appropriate release asset
  • Stores it under ~/.openclaw/tools/signal-cli/<version>/
  • Writes channels.signal.cliPath in config
  • JVM builds require Java 21
  • Native builds are used when available
  • Windows uses WSL2 and follows Linux signal-cli flow inside WSL