clawdbot/docs/start/setup.md

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Setup guide: keep your Clawdbot setup tailored while staying up-to-date	Setting up a new machine You want “latest + greatest” without breaking your personal setup

Setup

Last updated: 2026-01-01

TL;DR

• Tailoring lives outside the repo: ~/clawd (workspace) + ~/.clawdbot/clawdbot.json (config).
• Stable workflow: install the macOS app; let it run the bundled Gateway.
• Bleeding edge workflow: run the Gateway yourself via pnpm gateway:watch, then point the macOS app at it using Debug Settings → Gateway → Attach only.

Prereqs (from source)

• Node >=22
• pnpm
• Docker (optional; only for containerized setup/e2e — see Docker)

Tailoring strategy (so updates don’t hurt)

If you want “100% tailored to me” and easy updates, keep your customization in:

• Config: ~/.clawdbot/clawdbot.json (JSON/JSON5-ish)
• Workspace: ~/clawd (skills, prompts, memories; make it a private git repo)

Bootstrap once:

clawdbot setup

From inside this repo, use the local CLI entry:

pnpm clawdbot setup

Stable workflow (macOS app first)

1. Install + launch Clawdbot.app (menu bar).
2. Complete the onboarding/permissions checklist (TCC prompts).
3. Ensure Gateway is Local and running (the app manages it).
4. Link surfaces (example: WhatsApp):

clawdbot providers login

5. Sanity check:

clawdbot health

If onboarding is not available in your build:

• Run clawdbot setup, then clawdbot providers login, then start the Gateway manually (clawdbot gateway).

Bleeding edge workflow (Gateway in a terminal)

Goal: work on the TypeScript Gateway, get hot reload, keep the macOS app UI attached.

0) (Optional) Run the macOS app from source too

If you also want the macOS app on the bleeding edge:

./scripts/restart-mac.sh

1) Start the dev Gateway

pnpm install
pnpm gateway:watch

gateway:watch runs the gateway in watch mode and reloads on TypeScript changes.

2) Point the macOS app at your running Gateway

In Clawdbot.app:

• Connection Mode: Local
• Settings → Debug Settings → Gateway → enable Attach only

This makes the app only connect to an already-running gateway and never spawn its own.

3) Verify

• In-app Gateway status should read “Using existing gateway …”
• Or via CLI:

pnpm clawdbot health

Common footguns

• Attach only enabled, but nothing is running: app shows “Attach-only enabled; no gateway to attach”.
• Wrong port: Gateway WS defaults to ws://127.0.0.1:18789; keep app + CLI on the same port.
• Where state lives:
  • Credentials: ~/.clawdbot/credentials/
  • Sessions: ~/.clawdbot/agents/<agentId>/sessions/
  • Logs: /tmp/clawdbot/

Updating (without wrecking your setup)

• Keep ~/clawd and ~/.clawdbot/ as “your stuff”; don’t put personal prompts/config into the clawdbot repo.
• Updating source: git pull + pnpm install (when lockfile changed) + keep using pnpm gateway:watch.

Linux (systemd user service)

Linux installs use a systemd user service. By default, systemd stops user services on logout/idle, which kills the Gateway. Onboarding attempts to enable lingering for you (may prompt for sudo). If it’s still off, run:

sudo loginctl enable-linger $USER

For always-on or multi-user servers, consider a system service instead of a user service (no lingering needed). See Gateway runbook for the systemd notes.

Related docs

• Gateway runbook (flags, supervision, ports)
• Gateway configuration (config schema + examples)
• Discord and Telegram (reply tags + replyToMode settings)
• Clawdbot assistant setup
• macOS app (gateway lifecycle + “Attach only”)