
#153 How to Set Up OpenClaw in 7 Minutes (Step-by-Step Guide)
Build With AI
Enabling DuckDuckGo Web Search
Corey selects DuckDuckGo for web search because it requires no extra API keys and enables web search feature.
Grab the free one-page OpenClaw setup guide with every step and command listed out: https://corey-ganim.kit.com/c93f43577e
I walk through the complete OpenClaw setup process from zero to a working AI agent connected to Telegram — all in under seven minutes. You'll see every step: running the installer, configuring your Anthropic API key, creating a Telegram bot through BotFather, pairing it to your OpenClaw instance, and enabling web search with DuckDuckGo. One prerequisite, one terminal command, and you're live.
Key Takeaways:
- OpenClaw installs with a single terminal command — the only prerequisite is having Node.js installed, which is also a one-command setup
- The guided onboarding handles every configuration decision (model, API key, channel, search) through simple yes/no prompts — no manual config files
- Creating a Telegram bot through BotFather takes about 60 seconds: message BotFather, run /newbot, choose a name ending in "bot," and copy the token
- DuckDuckGo is the fastest search provider to start with because it requires zero additional API keys or setup
- Skills and hooks can be added after the initial install — you don't need to configure everything before getting your agent running
- The OpenClaw control panel gives you a browser-based chat window plus access to channels, sessions, usage stats, cron jobs, files, skills, and nodes
Timestamps:
00:00 - Introduction
00:02 - Running the OpenClaw installer from the terminal 00:30 - Node.js prerequisite (quick install)
00:45 - Guided onboarding: Quick Start setup
01:05 - Choosing Anthropic as your model provider
01:20 - Entering your Anthropic API key
01:35 - Selecting Claude Sonnet 4.6
01:52 - Creating a Telegram bot with BotFather
02:45 - Naming your bot and choosing a username
03:15 - Connecting the bot token to OpenClaw
03:30 - Enabling DuckDuckGo web search
03:45 - Skipping skills and hooks (configurable later)
04:06 - OpenClaw control panel overview
04:30 - First chat with your bot in the browser
05:15 - Pairing the bot with your Telegram account
06:10 - First Telegram message confirmed
06:30 - Setup complete — next steps for personalization
Links Mentioned:
- OpenClaw: https://openclaw.ai
- Anthropic API Console: https://console.anthropic.com
- BotFather (Telegram): https://t.me/BotFather
- DuckDuckGo: https://duckduckgo.com
- Node.js: https://nodejs.org
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