5.0 KiB
summary, read_when
| summary | read_when | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Beginner guide: from zero to first message (wizard, auth, providers, pairing) |
|
Getting Started
Goal: go from zero → first working chat (with sane defaults) as quickly as possible.
Recommended path: use the CLI onboarding wizard (clawdbot onboard). It sets up:
- model/auth (OAuth recommended)
- gateway settings
- providers (WhatsApp/Telegram/Discord/…)
- pairing defaults (secure DMs)
- workspace bootstrap + skills
- optional background daemon
If you want the deeper reference pages, jump to: Wizard, Setup, Pairing, Security.
Sandboxing note: agent.sandbox.mode: "non-main" uses session.mainKey (default "main"),
so group/channel sessions are sandboxed. If you want the main agent to always
run on host, set an explicit per-agent override:
{
"routing": {
"agents": {
"main": {
"workspace": "~/clawd",
"sandbox": { "mode": "off" }
}
}
}
}
0) Prereqs
- Node
>=22 pnpm(optional; recommended if you build from source)
macOS: if you plan to build the apps, install Xcode / CLT. For the CLI + gateway only, Node is enough. Windows: use WSL2 (Ubuntu recommended). WSL2 is strongly recommended; native Windows is untested and more problematic. Install WSL2 first, then run the Linux steps inside WSL. See Windows (WSL2).
1) Install the CLI (recommended)
npm install -g clawdbot@latest
# or: pnpm add -g clawdbot@latest
2) Run the onboarding wizard (and install the daemon)
clawdbot onboard --install-daemon
What you’ll choose:
- Local vs Remote gateway
- Auth: Anthropic OAuth or OpenAI OAuth (recommended), API key (optional), or skip for now
- Providers: WhatsApp QR login, Telegram/Discord bot tokens, etc.
- Daemon: background install (launchd/systemd; WSL2 uses systemd)
- Runtime: Node (recommended; required for WhatsApp) or Bun (faster, but incompatible with WhatsApp)
Wizard doc: Wizard
Auth: where it lives (important)
- OAuth credentials (legacy import):
~/.clawdbot/credentials/oauth.json - Auth profiles (OAuth + API keys):
~/.clawdbot/agents/<agentId>/agent/auth-profiles.json
Headless/server tip: do OAuth on a normal machine first, then copy oauth.json to the gateway host.
3) Start the Gateway
If you installed the daemon during onboarding, the Gateway should already be running:
clawdbot daemon status
Manual run (foreground):
clawdbot gateway --port 18789 --verbose
Dashboard (local loopback): http://127.0.0.1:18789/
⚠️ WhatsApp + Bun warning: Baileys (WhatsApp Web library) uses a WebSocket path that is currently incompatible with Bun and can cause memory corruption on reconnect. If you use WhatsApp, run the Gateway with Node until this is resolved. Baileys: https://github.com/WhiskeySockets/Baileys · Bun issue: https://github.com/oven-sh/bun/issues/5951
4) Pair + connect your first chat surface
WhatsApp (QR login)
clawdbot providers login
Scan via WhatsApp → Settings → Linked Devices.
WhatsApp doc: WhatsApp
Telegram / Discord / others
The wizard can write tokens/config for you. If you prefer manual config, start with:
Telegram DM tip: your first DM returns a pairing code. Approve it (see next step) or the bot won’t respond.
5) DM safety (pairing approvals)
Default posture: unknown DMs get a short code and messages are not processed until approved. If your first DM gets no reply, approve the pairing:
clawdbot pairing list --provider whatsapp
clawdbot pairing approve --provider whatsapp <code>
Pairing doc: Pairing
From source (development)
If you’re hacking on Clawdbot itself, run from source:
git clone https://github.com/clawdbot/clawdbot.git
cd clawdbot
pnpm install
pnpm ui:build # auto-installs UI deps on first run
pnpm build
pnpm clawdbot onboard --install-daemon
Gateway (from this repo):
node dist/entry.js gateway --port 18789 --verbose
7) Verify end-to-end
In a new terminal:
clawdbot health
clawdbot message send --to +15555550123 --message "Hello from Clawdbot"
If health shows “no auth configured”, go back to the wizard and set OAuth/key auth — the agent won’t be able to respond without it.
Local probe tip: clawdbot status --deep runs provider checks without needing a gateway connection.
Gateway snapshot: clawdbot providers status shows what the gateway reports (use status --deep for local-only probes).
Next steps (optional, but great)
- macOS menu bar app + voice wake: macOS app
- iOS/Android nodes (Canvas/camera/voice): Nodes
- Remote access (SSH tunnel / Tailscale Serve): Remote access and Tailscale