How to Set Up OpenClaw Locally on Your PC [Easy Guide]

Summarize This Article:

OpenClaw (formerly Clawdbot) is a personal AI assistant that’s creating waves across the internet, and for good reason. This particular AI assistant can be set up locally on your PC and run on your behalf, interacting with everyday messaging apps, like WhatsApp, Telegram, etc.

One big positive of Clawdbot is the large support for various LLMs that helps it to carry out tasks such as research, conversations, and even perform a lot of functions without being prompted or asked to do so. Such AI assistants are useful as they help save time and eliminate the need to perform simple and repetitive tasks.

Now, if this is something that has caught your attention, and you would like to give Clawdbot a try, well, you’ve come to the right place. Here’s a detailed guide on how you can set up OpenClaw and connect your favorite apps.

What is OpenClaw (formerly Clawdbot)?

OpenClaw (formerly known as Clawdbot and recently Moltbot) was created by Peter Steinberger as a weekend project where he wanted an AI that could do things by itself without being prompted by the user. After using the project for his personal use, he open-sourced it so that everyone, including you and me, can use it.

The name change from Clawdbot to OpenClaw was made to avoid confusion among users about the existing Claude, an AI assistant for coding, and Clawd, the name used for Clawdbot.

Why and Who Should Use OpenClaw?

Now, not every AI tool or AI assistant is meant for everyone. In the case of OpenClaw, it is recommended that you have technical knowledge and know-how of what you are setting up, as well as the risks that are involved. Additionally, those tech-savvy users who are researchers, marketers, and users who perform repetitive tasks regularly will benefit largely from making use of OpenClaw. It is also useful for those users who can run OpenClaw on their systems 24/7 to get the maximum benefit out of the AI assistant.

Using OpenClaw is ideal, as you can easily set it up on your PC and train it to perform various repetitive tasks without you having to give the assistant any input. OpenClaw makes use of natural language for its automated workflows when using messaging apps such as WhatsApp, Telegram, etc. Additionally, this is an open-source and free-to-use AI assistant that can be enhanced with several extensions to suit your requirements.

Pre-requisites and System Requirements to use OpenClaw

To use OpenClaw, users must have technical knowledge of AI tools and networks. Also, you need to have a stable or reliable internet connection so that you can make API calls to various LLMs such as ChatGPT, Claude, or any other LLM of your choice. In terms of software, you need to have Node.js 22+ and Git. You’ll also need API keys for the LLMs that you plan to use with OpenClaw. Without API access keys, you will not be able to do anything with OpenClaw.

Moving towards the system requirements, here’s what you will need to have

Minimum System Requirements

CPU: Intel Core i5 or AMD Ryzen 5
RAM 8 GB
GPU (not needed)
Storage: 50 GB
OS: Windows 10, macOS10.15, Ubuntu 18.04

Recommended System Requirements

CPU: Intel Core i7 or AMD Ryzen 7
RAM: 16 GB
GPU: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 or AMD equivalent
Storage: 100 GB
OS: Windows 11, macOS 12, Ubuntu 20.04

Ideal System Requirements

CPU: Intel Core i9 or AMD Ryzen 9
RAM: 32 GB
GPU: Nvidia RTX 4090 or AMD equivalent
Storage: 200 GB
OS: Windows 11, macOS 12, Ubuntu 20.04

How to Install and Set Up OpenClaw?

Let’s now take a look at how you can install and make use of OpenClaw on your PC. For this example, we will be showing you the steps on how to install it on a Windows 11 PC.

First, you will need to install Node.js on your PC. Follow these steps to install it.

Installing OpenClaw

Step 1: Visit the Node.js website to download the installer for your PC. You can choose the installer type based on the operating system and its architecture.

Step 2: Once Node.js is installed, open up your favorite web browser and visit the OpenClaw website.

Step 3: Just under the Quick Start header, you will see a command. Copy this command.

Step 4: Now, open up PowerShell on your PC, but make sure to run it as an Administrator.

Step 5: Once you hit the enter key, OpenClaw will begin installing.

Step 6: In a few moments, you will see the main OpenClaw setup. Follow the instructions on the screen to complete the installation.

Now, when the onboarding screen appears, make sure to read the security warning carefully. This is very important. If you do not understand these security warning risks, you can close PowerShell and abort the installation of OpenClaw. Proceed with the installation only if you are aware of the risks. If you don’t want to accept the risks, simply select No or choose Yes.

Once you have selected Yes, you will proceed through the onboarding process. Here, you can select from the various Model providers to use with OpenClaw. You can also select the model later on by selecting the Skip for Now option. This setup also lets you select the model provider and the channel or platform you want to use with OpenClaw. Do note that you will need to obtain the API keys yourself to get the model working with OpenClaw.

Now, if you’re someone who doesn’t want to run through all of these steps to setup and use OpenClaw (Clawdbot), there is a simple and easy-to-use way from DigitalOcean that lets you run OpenClaw with just a few clicks.

OpenClaw: Security and Privacy Tips

Now, with any tool or software out there, whether powered by AI or not, the first rule of thumb is that you should have a good idea about the tool or software you are using. Do some research about it, make notes, and understand how the tool works, what it does, and if you no longer want to use it, how you can uninstall or remove it from your system.

Now, when it comes to AI tools, make sure not to share confidential information. Information in the form of passwords, identification documents, as well as credit and debit card details. You don’t want someone to get their hands on your bank accounts and drain them right in front of your eyes.

Since you will be running this on your system and giving it 24/7 access, avoid storing any confidential data, as anyone with malicious intent can simply run prompts that gain root access to your PC and do whatever they please- stealing passwords, injecting a virus, etc.

Since tokens are necessary to get OpenClaw running, try to limit the number of tokens it can use. If the tokens do not have limits, you will see extra costs, which are not ideal for everyone. Also, enabling only the tools that you plan on using is a good idea. Having too many tools enabled for no reason will simply cause loops and confusion.

Closing Thoughts

This concludes everything you need to know about OpenClaw and how you can use it on your PC. Now, using and setting up OpenClaw is not for everyone. So, if you want to try this out, make sure to get someone who is more knowledgeable with these types of tools. If you have wires, feel free to leave them below.

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