Setup guide for Windows 11 + Ubuntu (WSL2). Step-by-step. Almost no coding experience required.
I've received quite a few requests for this guide. So here it is — compiled, updated, and ready to use. OpenClaw is an open-source AI assistant that runs locally on your own computer. Your data stays with you. No subscription to yet another platform. Only the API cost for the AI model you choose.
The interesting part isn't the tool itself… but what you can build with it.
Start simple. A Telegram bot that can search the web and answer you. Then build from there:
Personal research assistant — Ask the bot anything. It searches, collects, and summarizes.
Competitor monitoring — An agent that watches competitors' websites and news.
Business validator — An agent team: one finds opportunities, one stress-tests them.
Automated content pipeline — One agent brainstorms topics, another writes drafts.
Personal knowledge base — Upload documents. Ask the bot. Get answers with context.
Project manager assistant — Track deadlines, follow-ups, and status updates automatically.
Meeting preparation — The agent gathers background, numbers, and talking points before every meeting.
Stakeholder communication — Generate tailored updates for different audiences from one source.
Market monitoring — Monitor stocks, rates, and news — get a daily overview.
Regulation and compliance — Keep track of new rules and assess what they mean for your business.
Report analysis — Upload quarterly reports. Get key figures, trends, and comparisons.
Hello! — The only limit is your imagination!!
Your own AI bot on Telegram/WhatsApp/Discord — Your personal assistant. Always available. Always yours.
Multi-agent swarm — Set up multiple bots working together. An orchestrator on top. Which then spins up other bots: e.g., a researcher, a validator, one that writes for you (preferably in "your voice"). They route messages between each other automatically. The orchestrator runs the show, with you at the head of the table.
Browser automation + vision — The bot can see and navigate web pages. Think research on autopilot. Note: I haven't tested this function yet. Let me know if it works for you!
Skills and plugins — Teach the bot new things: Spotify, GitHub, Obsidian. You ask the orchestrator to set up a connection and it gives you the recipe.
Session memory — The bot remembers context across conversations. And if the thread gets too long, it tells you how to start a new thread in Telegram. It just works.
Local data — Everything is stored on your machine. Nothing leaves it except the API call.
> IMPORTANT: Install OpenClaw on a SEPARATE machine. Use your old PC, an old gaming laptop, or a used mini-PC. Don't use your work PC or your nice home PC. For now. When you're comfortable and understand what's happening, you can always move it.
Update Windows first: Open Settings > Windows Update > Check for updates. Install everything and restart. An old Windows version can cause problems with WSL2. And this is what takes a long time!
You need four things:
WSL2 with Ubuntu — Linux environment inside Windows. OpenClaw runs best in there.
Node.js version 22+ — The engine OpenClaw runs on. Installed in Ubuntu.
API key — Access key for your AI provider (OpenAI, Anthropic, etc.)
Telegram bot token — Free from @BotFather on Telegram. Easiest channel.
WSL2 stands for "Windows Subsystem for Linux". It's a way to run Linux (Ubuntu) inside Windows without installing an entirely new operating system. Think of it as an app that runs Linux for you.
An API key is like a password that lets OpenClaw talk to an AI service. You create an account with e.g. OpenAI, generate a key, and give it to OpenClaw during setup.
Create an account and generate your key here: platform.openai.com/api-keys (OpenAI) or console.anthropic.com/settings/keys (Anthropic). At OpenAI: create account, go to API Keys, click "Create new secret key", copy the key immediately — you can't see it again.
Here's a tip that will save you hours of frustration.
When you install OpenClaw, you will sooner or later see an error message in the terminal that doesn't make sense. That's completely normal. It happens to everyone.
The solution: Set up a project in ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini that acts as your installation wingman. Give the project a system prompt that makes it your OpenClaw expert. You'll use it for troubleshooting… you'll copy error messages and "screenshots" of where you are and what you need to do specifically. This wingman will guide you the whole way!!
1. Go to chatgpt.com
2. Click "Projects" on the left side
3. Create new project: "OpenClaw Wingman"
4. Under "Instructions" — copy the system prompt from Appendix
5. Upload OpenClaw documentation as files (see sources below)
1. Go to claude.ai
2. Click "Projects" on the left side
3. Create new project: "OpenClaw Wingman"
4. Under "Project instructions" — paste the system prompt from Appendix
5. Add sources as Project Knowledge
1. Go to gemini.google.com
2. Click "Gems" on the left side
3. Create new Gem: "OpenClaw Wingman"
4. Under instructions — paste the system prompt from Appendix
The more sources you give your wingman, the better it can help:
> Start with the system prompt alone. It covers 90% of installation problems. Add sources as you go.
If you don't already have WSL2, it's surprisingly easy.
1. Search for "PowerShell" in Windows' start menu
2. Right-click and select "Run as administrator"
3. Type this command and press Enter:
```
wsl --install
```
Windows automatically installs WSL2 and Ubuntu. It takes a couple of minutes. When it's done, restart your computer.
After restart, Ubuntu opens automatically and asks you to choose a username and password. Keep it simple.
> PRO TIP: You can always open Ubuntu again by searching for "Ubuntu" in the start menu.
Check that WSL2 is running correctly. Open PowerShell:
```
wsl --version
```
You should see "WSL version: 2.x.x". If it says version 1:
```
wsl --set-default-version 2
```
Everything from here happens inside the Ubuntu terminal. Open Ubuntu from the start menu.
First check if Node.js is already installed:
```
node --version
```
Shows v22.x.x or higher? Skip to the next step. Otherwise:
```
curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_22.x | sudo -E bash -
sudo apt install -y nodejs
```
The first line fetches the installation script. The second installs Node.js. You may need to type your Ubuntu password.
> PRO TIP: "sudo" means "run as administrator". That's why it asks for a password.
Still in the Ubuntu terminal. Run this one line:
```
curl -fsSL https://openclaw.ai/install.sh | bash
```
This downloads and installs OpenClaw automatically. When it's done, the setup wizard starts. If it doesn't start on its own:
```
openclaw onboard --install-daemon
```
> PRO TIP: `--install-daemon` ensures OpenClaw starts automatically when Ubuntu runs. Set it up once, forget it.
The wizard asks you a series of questions. Here's what to answer:
"I understand this is powerful..." → Yes — press Yes/Enter
"Onboarding mode" → Choose Quick Start
"Model/auth provider" → Your AI provider (e.g., OpenAI, Anthropic)
"Auth method" → Choose API Key
"Paste your API key" → Paste your API key and press Enter
"Select a model" → See model table below
"Select channel" → Choose Telegram
"Paste your Telegram bot token" → Paste token from @BotFather
"Configure skills" → Skip — do it later
"How to hatch your bot?" → Choose Hatch in TUI
OpenAI (direct): `gpt-5.4-mini`
AIMLAPI: `aimlapi/google/claude-sonnet-4-6-preview`
Z.AI: `zai/glm-5`
Anthropic (direct): `claude-sonnet-4-6`
When the wizard is done, run these three commands:
```
openclaw doctor # Scans for problems in your setup
openclaw status # Shows if the server is running
openclaw dashboard # Opens the web interface in your browser
```
The web interface opens at http://127.0.0.1:18789/ — you can open the address directly in Chrome or Edge on Windows. WSL2 shares ports automatically.
> PRO TIP: Your gaming PC probably has a powerful GPU and plenty of RAM. OpenClaw's browser automation and vision runs fantastically on that hardware.
>
> Just remember to keep it plugged in and turned on… otherwise your AI agent farm falls asleep!
Now we connect the bot to Telegram. It takes two minutes.
1. Open Telegram and find your bot (created via @BotFather). Send a message.
2. The bot responds with a pairing code.
3. Go to the Ubuntu terminal and approve the code:
```
openclaw pairing approve telegram```
4. Send a new message. The bot now responds with AI.
> That's it. Your bot is live. Also test from terminal: `openclaw agent --message "Tell me about yourself" --model gpt-5.4-mini`
Skills are extensions that teach your bot new things. Spotify, GitHub, Obsidian, and much more.
```
npm i -g clawhub # Install ClawHub
clawhub search "github" # Search for skills
clawhub install my-skill-pack # Install a skill
clawhub update --all # Update all
```
> PRO TIP: Your bot can also write its own skills. Just ask it in the chat.
Set up a backup model so the bot never stalls completely.
Open: `nano ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json`
```json
{
"agents": {
"defaults": {
"model": {
"primary": "gpt-5.4-mini",
"fallbacks": ["gpt-5.4-nano"]
}
}
}
}
```
Save (Ctrl+O, Enter, Ctrl+X) and restart:
```
openclaw gateway restart
```
"openclaw" command doesn't work
```
export PATH="$(npm prefix -g)/bin:$PATH"
echo 'export PATH="$(npm prefix -g)/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.bashrc
source ~/.bashrc
```
Server won't start
```
openclaw doctor # Usually finds the problem
openclaw gateway --port 18789 # Run in foreground
```
Web interface won't load in Windows
PowerShell as administrator:
```
wsl --update
```
Restart Ubuntu.
> IMPORTANT: If you close the lid, Windows goes to sleep. Your bot stops responding. The fix takes 30 seconds.
1. Press the Windows key and search for "Power" (or "Power settings").
2. Click "Additional power settings" on the right side.
3. Click "Choose what closing the lid does" in the left menu.
4. Under "When I close the lid" — set BOTH columns to "Do nothing".
5. Click "Save changes".
Now you can close the lid and the PC keeps running.
PowerShell as administrator:
```
powercfg /setacvalue scheme_current sub_buttons lidaction 0
powercfg /setdcvalue scheme_current sub_buttons lidaction 0
powercfg /setactive scheme_current
```
```
powercfg /hibernate off
```
Also frees up 8–16 GB of disk space on a gaming PC.
```
powercfg /query scheme_current sub_buttons lidaction
```
"Setting Index: 0x00000000" under both (AC and DC) = "Do nothing".
> PRO TIP: Set the screen to turn off after 5 minutes. Saves energy, the machine still runs.
>
> REMEMBER: On battery with closed lid = drained battery. ALWAYS plug in power when the lid is closed.
```
openclaw doctor # Finds and reports problems
openclaw status # Shows if the server is running
openclaw dashboard # Opens the web interface
openclaw gateway restart # Restarts the server after changes
openclaw plugins list # Shows installed plugins
openclaw plugins install X # Installs a plugin
clawhub search "topic" # Searches for community skills
clawhub install # Installs a skill```
Configuration file: `~/.openclaw/openclaw.json`
Database (all bot data): `~/.openclaw/openclaw.db`
Server port: `localhost:18789`
Web interface: http://127.0.0.1:18789/
> All data stays local. The only thing sent out is your messages to the AI provider.
Copy the entire text below and paste it as instructions in your ChatGPT project, Claude project, or Gemini Gem.
> TIP: Select the entire block below, copy (Ctrl+C), and paste directly (Ctrl+V). It's ready to use.
```
You are an OpenClaw installation expert.
Help the user install and troubleshoot
OpenClaw on Windows 11 with Ubuntu/WSL2.
Speak clearly. Explain as if to a non-programmer.
Give one concrete solution at a time.
Key points you should know:
The most important commands:
When the user has an error:
1. Ask for output of 'openclaw doctor'
2. Give ONE solution at a time
3. Explain WHY, not just what
4. If you're unsure: refer to
docs.openclaw.ai or discord.gg/clawd
```
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Stefano Vincenti · AI Advisor & Trainer · aitrainer.dk · External Lecturer, IT University of Copenhagen · Cofounder & CTO BotTellMe · Partner, TryZone