FAQ

Common questions about OpenClaw.

General

What is OpenClaw?

OpenClaw is an open-source, self-hosted AI Agent gateway. It connects AI to Telegram, Discord, WeChat, and other platforms to execute code, read/write files, control browsers, and run automation.

Is OpenClaw free?

OpenClaw itself is free and open-source (Apache 2.0). You need to pay for LLM API usage (Anthropic, OpenAI, etc.).

Which LLMs are supported?

Major providers: Anthropic (Claude), OpenAI (GPT), DeepSeek, MiniMax, Moonshot, Ollama. Any OpenAI-compatible API works via custom providers.

System requirements?

• Node.js 22+
• macOS / Linux / Windows (WSL2)
• At least one LLM API key

Installation

Command not found after install?

Add the npm global bin to your PATH:

export PATH="$(npm prefix -g)/bin:$PATH"

Port 18789 already in use?

lsof -i :18789
openclaw gateway --port 19000

How to change the default model?

openclaw config set agents.defaults.model.primary "anthropic/claude-opus-4-6"
openclaw gateway restart

Channels

Telegram bot not responding?

1. Verify bot token is correct
2. Check gateway status: openclaw gateway status
3. Check pairing: openclaw pairing list telegram
4. View logs: openclaw logs --follow

Bot doesn't respond in group chats?

• Disable Privacy Mode via @BotFather
• By default, group chats require @mention; set requireMention: false to change

Troubleshooting

General steps

openclaw doctor
openclaw doctor --fix
openclaw logs --follow
openclaw status

Agent times out?

• Verify API key is valid
• Check network connectivity
• Try a faster model
• Increase timeout: timeoutSeconds: 600