ClawdBot Complete Installation and Usage Guide

What is ClawdBot

In January 2026, an open-source AI assistant called ClawdBot gained widespread attention in the tech community. Unlike familiar chatbots like ChatGPT and Claude, ClawdBot represents a new paradigm: evolving from passive "conversational AI" to proactive "agentic AI".

ClawdBot's biggest feature is that it doesn't just answer your questions — it can proactively contact you. Imagine: waking up to a WhatsApp message: "You have 3 important meetings today, agenda already organized; 15 emails received last night, 2 require urgent replies." This is how ClawdBot works.

More importantly, ClawdBot is local-first. It runs on your own hardware — whether a Mac Mini, unused laptop, or cloud server. All data stays under your control, never uploaded to third-party platforms. For privacy-conscious users, this is a huge advantage.

Preparation

Before starting installation, ensure you have:

System Requirements

Hardware Options (choose one):

• Mac Mini or MacBook (recommended, best experience)
• Linux server (Ubuntu/Debian-based)
• Windows PC (requires WSL2 installation)
• Cloud server (Hetzner, AWS, DigitalOcean, etc.)

Software Requirements:

• Node.js 22 or higher (required)
• Basic command-line experience

AI Service Providers

You need to prepare one of the following:

• Anthropic (Claude) (strongly recommended)
  • Claude Pro account (supports OAuth authorization)
  • Or Anthropic API Key
• OpenAI (ChatGPT)
  • ChatGPT Plus account
  • Or OpenAI API Key

💡 Why recommend Claude? Claude has a longer context window, suitable for handling complex multi-step tasks. Plus, Anthropic's commitment to data privacy is stricter.

Messaging Platform Accounts

At least one messaging platform (Telegram recommended for initial setup):

• Telegram: Need to create a Bot Token via @BotFather
• WhatsApp: Requires phone QR code login
• Discord: Need to create a Bot in Discord Developer Portal

Estimated Time

According to tutorials from AI domain blogger Damian Player, complete installation and configuration takes about 30 minutes (assuming you have the above conditions ready).

Installation Guide

Step 1: One-Click Installation Command

This is the simplest, fastest installation method. Open your terminal and run:

curl -fsSL https://install.clawdbot.dev | bash

This script automatically:

• Detects your operating system
• Confirms Node.js 22+ installation (auto-installs if missing)
• Globally installs ClawdBot CLI tool

Step 2: Configuration Complete When ClawdBot Onboarding Appears

When you see the ClawdBot onboarding interface, installation is complete.

Step 3: Configure AI Provider

The wizard will first ask which AI service you want to use:

Choose Anthropic (Claude) (recommended):

• If you have a Claude Pro account, choose OAuth authorization (simplest)
• If you have an API Key, paste it directly

Choose OpenAI:

• Provide your OpenAI API Key

Connect Messaging Platforms

ClawdBot itself has no chat interface; it interacts with you through your commonly used messaging apps.

Method 1: Telegram (Most Recommended)

Telegram is the easiest option, suitable for beginners.

Step 4: Configure Telegram

1. Search and open @BotFather in Telegram (Telegram's official bot management tool)
2. Send the /newbot command to create a new bot
3. Follow prompts to name your bot:
   • Display Name: Display name (e.g., "My AI Assistant")
   • Username: Username, must end with bot (e.g., "my_ai_assistant_bot")
4. @BotFather will return a Bot Token, like:

   110201543:AAHdqTcvCH1vGWJxfSeofSAs0K5PALDsaw

5. Save this Token securely!
6. Return to terminal, paste this Token in the clawdbot onboard wizard
7. After completion, search for your bot's username in Telegram, send a message to activate it
8. Run the following command to lock your account (only you can use it):

   clawdbot health

Step 5: Connect ClawdBot to Telegram

Follow the prompts to complete Telegram connection.

Install and Use Skills (Optional, Can Skip)

ClawdBot's real power comes from its "Skills" system — these are pluggable functional modules that let ClawdBot access your various tools and services.

Browse Available Skills

Visit skills.clawdbot.dev to view all official and community-provided skills. Common ones include:

• google-calendar: Manage your Google Calendar
• gmail: Read and reply to emails
• linear: Manage project tasks
• slack: Send and receive messages
• github: View issues, PRs, and code
• web-browser: Browse web pages for information

Install Skills

Use these commands to install skills:

clawdbot skills install google-calendar
clawdbot skills install gmail
clawdbot skills install linear

During installation, ClawdBot will guide you through OAuth authorization so the bot can access corresponding services.

View Installed Skills

clawdbot skills list

Real Application Scenarios

After installing skills, you can say to ClawdBot:

• "Check what meetings I have today"
• "Summarize important emails received yesterday"
• "Add this task to Linear"
• "Search for recent news about AI Agents"

It will automatically call the corresponding Skills to complete tasks.

Write Custom Skills

If you're familiar with TypeScript, you can write your own skill. The official documentation provides detailed API guides:

clawdbot skills create my-custom-skill

This generates a template project you can develop on.

Pairing

Check if Service is Running

Enter the following command in terminal, check by your port (default 18789):

ss -lntp | grep 18789

If there's output, the service started successfully.

Note: If there's no output, startup failed. You may need to write a systemd service to auto-start (prompt: "help me write a systemd service using port 18790").

Step 6: Get Pairing Code

Open Telegram, chat with the bot you just created. Send /start, a pairing code will appear.

Step 7: Approve Pairing

Enter in terminal: clawdbot pairing approve telegram + your pairing code:

clawdbot pairing approve telegram ZEGWXXXX

Step 8: Check Status

Type /stats in the Telegram bot to check status.

Security Recommendations

Since ClawdBot has advanced permissions (can execute commands, read files, access emails, etc.), security configuration must be taken seriously.

1. Restrict Access

Edit the configuration file ~/.clawdbot/clawdbot.json, add the allowFrom field:

{
  "allowFrom": ["+8613800138000"],  // Your phone number (WhatsApp)
  // Or
  "allowFrom": ["123456789"]  // Your Telegram User ID
}

This way only you can use this bot; strangers cannot trigger it.

2. Don't Share API Keys and Bot Information

• Never share your Claude/OpenAI API Key with anyone
• Never expose your Telegram Bot Token
• Don't tell untrusted people your bot username

3. VPS Deployment Security

If running ClawdBot on a cloud server:

Configure Firewall:

# Only allow local access to Gateway port
sudo ufw deny 18789
sudo ufw allow from 127.0.0.1 to any port 18789

Use SSH Tunnel:

If you need remote access to the control panel, use SSH tunnel instead of directly exposing the port:

ssh -L 18789:localhost:18789 user@your-vps-ip

Then access http://127.0.0.1:18789 in your local browser.

4. Start with Limited Permissions

Don't give ClawdBot full system access from the start:

• First install 1-2 low-risk Skills (like web-browser)
• Observe its behavior, check logs
• Gradually expand permissions (email, calendar, etc.)

5. Regularly Check Logs

In the control panel (http://127.0.0.1:18789), you can view all ClawdBot operation records. Review regularly to ensure no abnormal behavior.

Help Documentation

For more help, visit: docs.clawdbot.dev