| summary | Full reference for the CLI onboarding wizard: every step, flag, and config field | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| read_when |
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| title | Onboarding Wizard Reference | |||
| sidebarTitle | Wizard Reference |
This is the full reference for the openclaw onboard CLI wizard.
For a high-level overview, see Onboarding Wizard.
` or use allowlists.
- macOS: LaunchAgent
- Requires a logged-in user session; for headless, use a custom LaunchDaemon (not shipped).
- Linux (and Windows via WSL2): systemd user unit
- Wizard attempts to enable lingering via `loginctl enable-linger ` so the Gateway stays up after logout.
- May prompt for sudo (writes `/var/lib/systemd/linger`); it tries without sudo first.
- **Runtime selection:** Node (recommended; required for WhatsApp/Telegram). Bun is **not recommended**.
- Starts the Gateway (if needed) and runs `openclaw health`.
- Tip: `openclaw status --deep` adds gateway health probes to status output (requires a reachable gateway).
- Reads the available skills and checks requirements.
- Lets you choose a node manager: **npm / pnpm** (bun not recommended).
- Installs optional dependencies (some use Homebrew on macOS).
- Summary + next steps, including iOS/Android/macOS apps for extra features.
If no GUI is detected, the wizard prints SSH port-forward instructions for the Control UI instead of opening a browser.
If the Control UI assets are missing, the wizard attempts to build them; fallback is `pnpm ui:build` (auto-installs UI deps).
Use --non-interactive to automate or script onboarding:
openclaw onboard --non-interactive \
--mode local \
--auth-choice apiKey \
--anthropic-api-key "$ANTHROPIC_API_KEY" \
--gateway-port 18789 \
--gateway-bind loopback \
--install-daemon \
--daemon-runtime node \
--skip-skills
Add --json for a machine‑readable summary.
`--json` does **not** imply non-interactive mode. Use `--non-interactive` (and `--workspace`) for scripts.
```bash
openclaw onboard --non-interactive \
--mode local \
--auth-choice gemini-api-key \
--gemini-api-key "$GEMINI_API_KEY" \
--gateway-port 18789 \
--gateway-bind loopback
```
```bash
openclaw onboard --non-interactive \
--mode local \
--auth-choice zai-api-key \
--zai-api-key "$ZAI_API_KEY" \
--gateway-port 18789 \
--gateway-bind loopback
```
```bash
openclaw onboard --non-interactive \
--mode local \
--auth-choice ai-gateway-api-key \
--ai-gateway-api-key "$AI_GATEWAY_API_KEY" \
--gateway-port 18789 \
--gateway-bind loopback
```
```bash
openclaw onboard --non-interactive \
--mode local \
--auth-choice cloudflare-ai-gateway-api-key \
--cloudflare-ai-gateway-account-id "your-account-id" \
--cloudflare-ai-gateway-gateway-id "your-gateway-id" \
--cloudflare-ai-gateway-api-key "$CLOUDFLARE_AI_GATEWAY_API_KEY" \
--gateway-port 18789 \
--gateway-bind loopback
```
```bash
openclaw onboard --non-interactive \
--mode local \
--auth-choice moonshot-api-key \
--moonshot-api-key "$MOONSHOT_API_KEY" \
--gateway-port 18789 \
--gateway-bind loopback
```
```bash
openclaw onboard --non-interactive \
--mode local \
--auth-choice synthetic-api-key \
--synthetic-api-key "$SYNTHETIC_API_KEY" \
--gateway-port 18789 \
--gateway-bind loopback
```
```bash
openclaw onboard --non-interactive \
--mode local \
--auth-choice opencode-zen \
--opencode-zen-api-key "$OPENCODE_API_KEY" \
--gateway-port 18789 \
--gateway-bind loopback
```
openclaw agents add work \
--workspace ~/.openclaw/workspace-work \
--model openai/gpt-5.2 \
--bind whatsapp:biz \
--non-interactive \
--json
The Gateway exposes the wizard flow over RPC (wizard.start, wizard.next, wizard.cancel, wizard.status).
Clients (macOS app, Control UI) can render steps without re‑implementing onboarding logic.
The wizard can install signal-cli from GitHub releases:
- Downloads the appropriate release asset.
- Stores it under
~/.openclaw/tools/signal-cli/<version>/.
- Writes
channels.signal.cliPath to your config.
Notes:
- JVM builds require Java 21.
- Native builds are used when available.
- Windows uses WSL2; signal-cli install follows the Linux flow inside WSL.
Typical fields in ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json:
agents.defaults.workspace
agents.defaults.model / models.providers (if Minimax chosen)
gateway.* (mode, bind, auth, tailscale)
channels.telegram.botToken, channels.discord.token, channels.signal.*, channels.imessage.*
- Channel allowlists (Slack/Discord/Matrix/Microsoft Teams) when you opt in during the prompts (names resolve to IDs when possible).
skills.install.nodeManager
wizard.lastRunAt
wizard.lastRunVersion
wizard.lastRunCommit
wizard.lastRunCommand
wizard.lastRunMode
openclaw agents add writes agents.list[] and optional bindings.
WhatsApp credentials go under ~/.openclaw/credentials/whatsapp/<accountId>/.
Sessions are stored under ~/.openclaw/agents/<agentId>/sessions/.
Some channels are delivered as plugins. When you pick one during onboarding, the wizard
will prompt to install it (npm or a local path) before it can be configured.
- Wizard overview: Onboarding Wizard
- macOS app onboarding: Onboarding
- Config reference: Gateway configuration
- Providers: WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord, Google Chat, Signal, BlueBubbles (iMessage), iMessage (legacy)
- Skills: Skills, Skills config