How to Set Up Clawdbot – Step by Step Guide

Introduction

Have you ever wished you could have a personal assistant that works on your phone, computer, and all your favorite messaging apps at the same time? Clawdbot is a personal AI assistant you run on your own devices that makes this possible.

Unlike regular chatbots where you need to open a website or app, Clawdbot comes to you wherever you are. It works inside the messaging apps you already use every day.

What is Clawdbot?

Clawdbot answers you on the channels you already use (WhatsApp, Telegram, Slack, Discord, Google Chat, Signal, iMessage, Microsoft Teams, WebChat). Think of it as having a smart helper that never forgets what you told it and can actually do things for you.

What Makes Clawdbot Special?

Here are the main features that make Clawdbot different from other AI assistants:

1. Works Everywhere You Chat: You don’t need to learn a new app. Clawdbot operates on macOS, Windows, Linux, or a virtual private server, connecting to platforms such as WhatsApp, Telegram, iMessage, Slack, and Discord.
2. Never Forgets Your Conversations: Unlike many chatbots that forget everything after each chat, Clawdbot remembers your past conversations.
3. Can Take Action: Clawdbot can do real computer tasks like browsing the web, running commands, and managing files.
4. You Control Your Data: Because you run Clawdbot on your own computer or server, you have complete control over your information.
5. Works 24/7: Once you set it up, Clawdbot stays running in the background.

How to Set Up Clawdbot: Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1: Install Clawdbot

The easiest way to install Clawdbot is using the quick install command. For Mac and Linux users, open your terminal and type:

curl -fsSL https://clawd.bot/install.sh | bash

For Windows users: First, install WSL2 (Windows Subsystem for Linux), then run the command above inside WSL2. You can also install it using npm:

npm install -g clawdbot@latest

Step 2: Run the Setup Wizard

The CLI onboarding wizard (clawdbot onboard) sets up model/auth, gateway settings, channels, pairing defaults, workspace bootstrap and skills.

clawdbot onboard --install-daemon

The wizard will ask you several questions:

1. Choose Your AI Model: You can pick between Claude (Anthropic) or ChatGPT (OpenAI).
2. Select Your Messaging Apps: Choose which apps you want to connect (WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord).
3. Set Up Security: The wizard will create a secure token.
4. Install Background Service: This makes Clawdbot start automatically.

Step 3: Start the Gateway

If you installed the service during onboarding, the Gateway should already be running Clawd. Check if it’s running:

clawdbot gateway status

If it’s not running, start it manually:

clawdbot gateway --port 18789 --verbose

You can now open your web browser and go to http://127.0.0.1:18789/ to see the control panel.

Step 4: Connect Your First Messaging App

For WhatsApp:

1. Type: clawdbot channels login
2. A QR code will appear
3. Open WhatsApp on your phone
4. Go to Settings, then Linked Devices
5. Scan the QR code

Step 5: Approve Your First Message

For security, Clawdbot won’t respond to unknown contacts right away. When you send your first message, you’ll get a pairing code. Approve it by typing:

clawdbot pairing list whatsapp
clawdbot pairing approve whatsapp [code]

Step 6: Test It Out

Send a message to your Clawdbot from WhatsApp, Telegram, or whatever app you connected. Try asking it something simple like “What’s the weather today?” or “Help me write an email.” If everything is working, Clawdbot will respond to you!