After 100+ hours of actual usage, I’ve organized a comprehensive guide to OpenClaw (OpenClaw, the original project) – an AI employee that truly works 24/7 for you, helping you eliminate busywork and freeing up more time to focus on what really matters.
1️⃣ The Question: What is OpenClaw?
Simply put: an AI assistant that can control your computer, mobile phone, and the internet.
- vs ChatGPT: ChatGPT can only chat; OpenClaw can actually do things for you – send messages, control your phone, operate your computer, handle tasks
- vs Cursor/Windsurf: Those are limited to programming assistance; OpenClaw can manage your entire life – work, household, entertainment
Think of it as a blend of Jarvis + Alfred: both a highly intelligent AI assistant and a dedicated butler.
2️⃣ Cool Stuff OpenClaw Can Do (Personal Favorites!)
🏠 Smart Home:
- “Turn on the lights/close the curtains” – Done
- “It’s hot, turn on the AC to 24°C” – Handled
- Can even water your plants when you’re away traveling
📱 Messaging & Notifications:
- Automatically reply to WeChat/WhatsApp messages
- Proactively remind you: “Meeting in 30 minutes”
- Help filter spam messages
💻 Computer Automation:
- “Download this video and send it to WeChat friend XXX”
- “Help me compile this month’s expense report”
- Batch process files (rename, compress, organize)
📊 Information Monitoring:
- Track stock/crypto prices
- Monitor hot search topics
- Grab flash sale items (I successfully got sneakers with it!)
My favorite feature: The “heartbeat” mechanism. Even when I’m not using it, it actively checks emails, schedules, and notifies me of important matters – truly like having a personal secretary.
3️⃣ Three Major Advantages vs Other AI Tools
✅ Local Deployment, Privacy First
- All data stored on your own computer
- No need to upload chat history to cloud
- Especially suitable for handling sensitive work information
✅ True Multi-Platform Integration
vs Automation tools like Zapier:
- Zapier can only connect apps that have APIs
- OpenClaw can control ANYTHING (even games if you want)
- Like the difference between “scheduled bus route” and “private car on demand”
✅ Autonomous Learning & Evolution
- Has “memory”: remembers your habits and preferences
- Can “spawn sub-agents”: when encountering complex tasks, automatically creates a specialized AI to handle it
- Example: When I asked it to “organize this week’s work summary”, it spawned a specialized text processing agent
4️⃣ Who Should Use OpenClaw? (Real User Portraits)
👨💻 Programmers/Tech Workers
- Automate development environment setup
- Code review reminders
- Automatically organize technical documentation
👔 Business/Operations Personnel
- Batch send emails/messages
- Automatically generate data reports
- Meeting reminders & notes organization
🏠 Smart Home Enthusiasts
- Connect various smart devices
- Custom automation scenarios (e.g., wake up → turn on lights + curtains + play news)
🤖 AI Geek/Tinkerer
- Can customize your own AI personality
- Develop various automated workflows
- Connect any API and tools you want
Not recommended for:
- Users with zero technical background (installation requires some command line knowledge)
- Users who want “install and immediately use” (needs some configuration)
But! If you’re willing to spend 2-3 hours learning, the returns are definitely worth it.
5️⃣ Practical Setup Guide (Most Common Pitfalls!)
Step 1: Installation (Windows/Mac/Linux supported)
# Official installation tutorial
git clone ...
npm install
⚠️ Common Pitfall: Node.js version too low (requires v18+), or forget to install dependencies
Step 2: Connect to AI Model
OpenClaw itself doesn’t include AI models, you need to connect:
- OpenAI API (GPT-4 recommended)
- Claude API (I personally use this, context window is larger)
- Or domestic models (Tongyi, Wenxin, etc.)
💡 Tip: Can configure multiple models, automatically switch based on task complexity
Step 3: Configure “Skills”
This is where OpenClaw shines – through “Skills” to expand capabilities:
- Message automation: Connect WhatsApp/Telegram/Discord
- Smart home: Connect Home Assistant/HomeKit
- Computer control: Screen recording, file operations, browser automation
Official skill marketplace: [link]
💡 My recommendation: Start with 2-3 core skills, don’t try to configure everything at once (it gets overwhelming)
Step 4: Train Your AI
The first conversation with OpenClaw is crucial – it will ask:
- What should I call you?
- What’s your schedule?
- What tasks do you want me to help with?
This information will be written into MEMORY.md, becoming its “long-term memory”
🔥 Pro Tip: Write down your common tasks/preferences in advance, let the AI learn your habits faster
6️⃣ Advanced Gameplay (The Real Power!)
🤖 Sub-Agents (Sessions Spawn)
When encountering complex tasks, OpenClaw can “spawn” specialized sub-agents:
You: "Help me research the top 10 AI tools this month and generate a comparison table"
OpenClaw: *spawns data collection agent + analysis agent*
Benefits:
- Main agent remains responsive
- Sub-agents can use different models (cost-saving)
- Task results automatically return to main session
⏰ Scheduled Tasks (Cron Jobs)
Example 1: Daily 9 AM weather + schedule reminder
Example 2: Check email every 30 minutes, alert on important messages
Example 3: Friday evening automatically generate weekly work summary
The difference between Cron and Heartbeat:
- Heartbeat: More like “passive check”, flexible timing, token-saving
- Cron: Precise timing, suitable for fixed schedules
🧠 Memory Management
OpenClaw’s memory is divided into:
- Short-term memory: Current conversation content
- Long-term memory: MEMORY.md file, storing important info
- Daily notes: memory/YYYY-MM-DD.md, recording daily events
💡 Best Practice: Review and organize MEMORY.md weekly, keep AI memory from getting “bloated”
📱 Multi-Platform Messaging
Can connect simultaneously:
- WhatsApp (personal account, not business API)
- Telegram Bot
- Discord Bot
- Slack
- Even SMS (via Twilio)
Real scenario: Someone messages me on WeChat → OpenClaw automatically replies → logs to memory → if important, sends Telegram notification to me
7️⃣ Cost Analysis (How Much Does It Cost?)
Essential Expenses:
- AI Model API Fee
- GPT-4: ~$20-50/month (depending on usage)
- Claude: ~$20/month
- Domestic models: cheaper, ~$10/month
Optional Expenses:
- VPS hosting (if you want 24/7 operation): $5-10/month
- Some third-party API services (like weather, maps): $0-10/month
My actual expenses:
- Claude API: ~$25/month
- VPS (Vultr): $6/month
- Total: ~$30/month
Worth it? Absolutely! Consider how much it saves in time:
- Daily saves 1-2 hours of busywork
- Hourly rate calculated, pays for itself in a few days
8️⃣ FAQ (Questions I Had Too)
Q: Is it safe? What about privacy?
A: Locally deployed, data doesn’t leave your computer. But note:
- API calls to AI models will transmit conversation content
- It’s recommended to use APIs from trusted providers
- Sensitive information can use local models (Ollama)
Q: Will it get out of control? Like in sci-fi movies?
A: No worries:
- All actions require your authorization
- Has “safety boundaries” set (e.g., won’t auto-delete files)
- You can stop it anytime
Q: Do I need programming knowledge?
A: Basic command line knowledge is helpful, but:
- Official documentation is very detailed
- Community has lots of ready-made configurations
- No need to write code, just use configuration files
Q: Can it replace a real assistant?
A: Not yet, but:
- ✅ Can handle 80% routine tasks
- ✅ 24/7 no breaks
- ❌ Can’t do physical tasks (like making coffee)
- ❌ Can’t fully replace human judgment
9️⃣ My Setup Sharing (Complete Config!)
Core Skills I Use:
- message – Unified messaging management
- cron – Scheduled task automation
- browser – Web automation (grab info, auto-fill forms)
- nodes – Phone control (screenshots, notifications)
Typical Workflow Examples:
Morning Routine:
8:00 - Heartbeat triggers
→ Check weather
→ Check calendar
→ Check email
→ Send summary to Telegram
Work Automation:
When receiving work email
→ Auto-categorize (urgent/normal/spam)
→ Urgent ones immediately notify
→ Normal ones log to daily notes
Evening Summary:
10:00 PM
→ Generate today's task completion status
→ Update MEMORY.md
→ Prepare tomorrow's schedule
🔟 Pitfalls & Warnings (Read This!)
❌ Don’t blindly install all skills
- Start with core functions, add gradually
- Too many skills = slow startup + high token consumption
❌ Don’t let AI make important decisions autonomously
- Set safety boundaries
- Critical operations require manual confirmation
❌ Don’t ignore memory management
- Regularly clean MEMORY.md
- Or AI gets “confused” (too much info can’t find key points)
❌ Don’t save API keys in plaintext
- Use environment variables
- Or dedicated password management tools
✅ Best Practice:
- Start with a single scenario (e.g., messaging only)
- Once stable, gradually expand
- Weekly review AI behavior, timely adjustments
Summary: Is OpenClaw Worth Using?
If you’re:
- ✅ Willing to invest time learning (first 2-3 hours)
- ✅ Have basic command line knowledge
- ✅ Want to truly improve efficiency rather than just for novelty
Then OpenClaw will be one of the best AI tools you’ve ever used.
If you:
- ❌ Want instant results without learning
- ❌ Zero technical background, don’t want to spend time
- ❌ Just want to chat with AI
Then ChatGPT or Claude web version is more suitable for you.
My bottom line:
After 100+ hours of actual use, OpenClaw has become an indispensable part of my daily workflow. It’s not perfect, but it’s the closest I’ve found to a “true AI assistant”.
Worth a try? Absolutely.
Need patience? Yes.
Will regret it? At least I don’t.
Hope this helps! Feel free to ask if you have any questions~ 🚀