
#153 How to Set Up OpenClaw in 7 Minutes (Step-by-Step Guide)
Build With AI
Outro
Corey wraps up: OpenClaw installed and connected to Telegram, next steps are personalizing agent files.
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
Enjoyed this episode?
-> Subscribe and leave a review
-> Join the community waitlist: https://return-my-time.kit.com/1bd2720397


