Setup guide
Get your OpenClaw agent running in 6 steps — connect your AI key, Telegram, and you're live.
Create your instance
Choose a plan and your dedicated VPS will be ready in a few minutes.
1. Sign up and choose a plan
Go to claweasy.app and click Get started. Create your account, then pick a plan:
Click a plan to go to the checkout. After payment you'll be redirected back and your instance will start provisioning automatically.
2. Wait for provisioning
Your dedicated VPS is being set up — this takes 3–10 minutes. The status badge changes from provisioning to running when it's ready.
You'll receive an email when your instance is live.
Add your AI API key
Your agent needs an API key to talk to an AI model. You choose the provider.
Choose your AI provider
Anthropic
Claude Sonnet, Opus, Haiku. Best quality. Recommended.
console.anthropic.com
OpenAI
GPT-4o, GPT-4o Mini. Great alternative.
platform.openai.com
Gemini 1.5 Pro and Flash.
aistudio.google.com
Get your API key
- Go to your provider's console (links above)
- Create an account if you don't have one
- Navigate to API Keys → Create new key
- Copy the key — it starts with
sk-ant-(Anthropic) orsk-(OpenAI)
Enter your key in the dashboard
Go to your instance → click Configure → open AI model & API key:
Your key is stored encrypted and applied to your instance automatically. It never leaves your server unencrypted.
Connect Telegram
Chat with your agent from your phone — no app to install beyond Telegram itself.
1. Create a Telegram bot
- Open Telegram and search for
@BotFather - Send
/newbot - Choose a name (e.g. My ClawEasy Agent) and a username ending in
bot - Copy the token BotFather gives you — it looks like
123456789:AAFxxxxx
2. Enter your token in the dashboard
Go to your instance → Configure → Telegram → paste your token → click Connect:
3. Approve the pairing
OpenClaw requires you to approve yourself as the bot owner before it responds to messages. This is a security feature — only approved users can chat with your agent.
- Open Telegram → find your bot → send any message
- The bot replies with a pairing code
- Go back to Configure → Telegram pairing → click Refresh
- Your request appears — click Approve
- Done — your bot now responds to your messages
WhatsApp (optional)
WhatsApp is fully supported but requires a Meta Business account. Recommended only after Telegram is working comfortably.
- Set up a Meta Business account at business.facebook.com
- Create a WhatsApp Business app in the Meta Developer console
- Copy your Access token and Phone number ID
- Go to Configure → WhatsApp → enter both values → click Connect
Try your agent
Your agent understands natural language — no commands or syntax needed.
Just type naturally
Send any message to your bot in Telegram. Some things to try:
What your agent can do
- Answer questions and do research by searching the web in real time
- Create, read, edit and manage files on your instance
- Run calculations, write code, and analyse data
- Send and receive Telegram messages on your behalf
- Run terminal commands on your server
- Remember context within a conversation session
- Install and use OpenClaw skills for extended capabilities
Multi-step tasks
The agent chains multiple actions together in one request:
openclaw skills install memory.
Backup, restore & upgrade
Your agent's state is portable — export it, store it safely, and restore it anywhere.
Export your agent
A backup includes everything your agent has learned and created:
- Conversation sessions and memory
- Workspace files and documents
- Installed skills and custom instructions
- OpenClaw configuration and agent settings
Go to Configure → Export & import → click Download backup. You'll get a .tar.gz file — store it somewhere safe.
Import a backup
To restore a backup to your current instance (or a new one):
- Go to Configure → Export & import
- Click Click to select a .tar.gz file
- Choose your backup file
- The import restores automatically — OpenClaw restarts with your previous state
Your API keys and channel connections (Telegram, WhatsApp) are not replaced by the import — they stay as configured in the dashboard.
Upgrade your plan
When your agent needs more power, upgrade in one click:
- Go to Configure → Upgrade plan
- Select a higher tier
- Confirm the upgrade
The system automatically: backs up your current agent → provisions a new server → restores your backup → reconfigures your API keys → switches DNS over → deletes the old server. Takes about 10 minutes. Your agent will be offline during migration.
You can only upgrade to a higher tier. To downgrade, export your backup, cancel your subscription, and subscribe to a lower plan on a new instance.
Tips & tricks
Get the most out of your agent.
Be specific
The more context you give, the better the result:
Chain tasks
The agent handles multi-step instructions naturally — no need to break them into separate messages:
Managing your instance
- Status: Configure → Status section shows all active connections
- Restart OpenClaw: Admin panel → CLI tab → select instance → restart
- View logs: Admin panel → CLI tab → logs
- Check disk/memory: Admin panel → CLI tab → disk / memory
- Bandwidth: Configure → Status → bandwidth bar shows monthly usage
Bandwidth limits
All plans include 20 TB per month. The dashboard shows usage as a progress bar on your instance card:
- At 75% — warning shown in dashboard
- At 90% — your agent's network traffic is throttled
- At 100% — throttled until the 1st of next month
For most personal and small business use, 20 TB is effectively unlimited.
Security
- Your API keys are stored encrypted — only your instance can decrypt them
- Telegram requires pairing approval — strangers can't chat with your agent
- Your instance runs behind SSL and a firewall
- EU data residency — all servers are in Hetzner EU data centres