Skip to main content

OpenClaw 🦞

OpenClaw

“EXFOLIATE! EXFOLIATE!” — A space lobster, probably

Any OS gateway for AI agents across WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord, iMessage, and more.
Send a message, get an agent response from your pocket. Plugins add Mattermost and more.

OpenClaw connects chat apps to coding agents like Pi through a single Gateway process. It powers the OpenClaw assistant and supports local or remote setups.

How it works

The Gateway is the single source of truth for sessions, routing, and channel connections.

Key capabilities

Multi-channel gateway

WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord, and iMessage with a single Gateway process.

Plugin channels

Add Mattermost and more with extension packages.

Multi-agent routing

Isolated sessions per agent, workspace, or sender.

Media support

Send and receive images, audio, and documents.

Web Control UI

Browser dashboard for chat, config, sessions, and nodes.

Mobile nodes

Pair iOS and Android nodes with Canvas support.

Quick start

1

Install OpenClaw

npm install -g openclaw@latest
2

Onboard and install the service

openclaw onboard --install-daemon
3

Pair WhatsApp and start the Gateway

openclaw channels login
openclaw gateway --port 18789
Need the full install and dev setup? See Quick start.

Dashboard

Open the browser Control UI after the Gateway starts.

OpenClaw

Configuration (optional)

Config lives at ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json.
  • If you do nothing, OpenClaw uses the bundled Pi binary in RPC mode with per-sender sessions.
  • If you want to lock it down, start with channels.whatsapp.allowFrom and (for groups) mention rules.
Example:
{
  channels: {
    whatsapp: {
      allowFrom: ["+15555550123"],
      groups: { "*": { requireMention: true } },
    },
  },
  messages: { groupChat: { mentionPatterns: ["@openclaw"] } },
}

Start here

Learn more