OpenClaw Quick Tutorial

Your already-running VPS setup guide

For VPS users who want to get started fast | March 2026

OpenClaw is your self-hosted, autonomous personal AI agent (open-source, runs 24/7). It uses an LLM (Claude, OpenAI, local via Ollama, etc.) + skills (tools/plugins) to actually do things like read/write emails, control your browser, manage calendar/files, run shell commands, and more — all while keeping your data private. It has persistent memory (Markdown files), proactive behavior (cron jobs + heartbeats), and talks to you via Telegram (already connected), Web UI, or TUI.

1. Essentials: How to Use It Right Now

Access the Interfaces

TUI (Terminal UI) – Best for quick/dev use. SSH into your VPS and run:
```
openclaw tui
```
Type messages directly; it feels like a hacker-style chat. Use arrow keys / Ctrl+C to navigate.
Web UI / Dashboard – Full chat + config + logs + skill browser. Open in your browser:
```
http://YOUR_VPS_IP:18789
```
Many VPS hosts give you a direct dashboard link after deploy.
Telegram – Already set up? Just DM your bot or mention it in allowed groups. It works in DMs and groups.

🌐 Access the Web Dashboard Securely via SSH Tunnel (Mac Terminal)

The OpenClaw Web UI gives you a beautiful dashboard with chat, skill management, logs, and configuration — all in your browser. For maximum security on a VPS (especially if you don't want to expose port 18789 to the public internet), use an SSH tunnel. This lets you access the dashboard as if it were running on your own Mac.

Step-by-step (from your Mac Terminal)

Open Terminal on your Mac (Spotlight → type "Terminal").
Create the SSH tunnel with this one-line command:
```
ssh -L 18789:localhost:18789 yourusername@your_VPS_IP
```
What this does: The -L 18789:localhost:18789 flag tells SSH to forward your local Mac's port 18789 to the VPS's localhost:18789. This creates a secure encrypted tunnel — your browser talks to your Mac, which then securely forwards the traffic to your VPS through the SSH connection.
Keep this Terminal window open — the tunnel stays active while the connection is running.
Open your browser and go to:
```
http://localhost:18789
```
You'll see the OpenClaw dashboard just like it was running locally!

💡 Pro Tip

If you want the tunnel to run in the background, add -N (no remote commands) and -f (fork to background):

ssh -N -f -L 18789:localhost:18789 yourusername@your_VPS_IP

Or create an alias in your ~/.zshrc or ~/.bashrc:

alias openclaw-tunnel='ssh -L 18789:localhost:18789 yourusername@your_VPS_IP'

Must-Know CLI Commands (run on VPS)

Command	What It Does
`openclaw doctor`	Quick health/security check (run this first!)
`openclaw onboard`	Re-run setup wizard to tweak models, channels, or skills
`openclaw gateway status`	Control the backend server
`openclaw logs --follow`	Live logs
`openclaw skills list`	See installed skills

Basic In-Chat Commands

These work in TUI, Web UI, and Telegram:

/status → Agent health + memory usage
/new or /reset → Fresh conversation
/compact → Summarize & shrink memory
/think low/medium/high → Change reasoning depth

Next-Level CLI Commands (VPS Essentials)

Here are the next-level must-know commands that every VPS user should have bookmarked. They build directly on the essentials above. Run them from your SSH session.

Gateway & Service Management

openclaw gateway restart → Restart the WebSocket backend (use after config changes or skills updates)
openclaw gateway start / openclaw gateway stop → Manual start/stop (rarely needed if daemon is installed)
openclaw gateway status --deep → Full health + connected channels/skills (more detailed than plain status)
openclaw health → Quick one-liner gateway + memory + model status

Channels (Telegram is already set up — these keep it healthy)

openclaw channels list → See all connected messaging channels (Telegram, WhatsApp, etc.)
openclaw channels status → Live status of each channel (polling, errors, last message)
openclaw channels add telegram → Re-add or fix your Telegram bot if it ever breaks

Models & Config

openclaw models list → Show all available models + current selection
openclaw models status → Usage, quotas, and fallback status
openclaw models set <provider/model> → Switch your primary LLM on the fly (e.g. anthropic/claude-3.7-sonnet)
openclaw config get → Dump your current openclaw.json settings
openclaw config set <key> <value> → Quick tweak (e.g. openclaw config set agents.defaults.thinking high)

Skills & Plugins

openclaw skills install <name> or openclaw skills search <keyword> → Install directly from ClawHub (no browser needed)
openclaw skills update → Update all installed skills to latest versions
openclaw plugins list → See any extra plugins you've added

Monitoring & Maintenance

openclaw doctor --fix → Auto-repair common issues (most powerful flag)
openclaw status --all --deep → Complete system overview (gateway + agents + memory + cron)
openclaw security audit → Run a full security scan (permissions, secrets, sandbox)
openclaw dashboard → Open the Web UI directly from terminal (handy on VPS)

Daily/Advanced Workflow

openclaw tui → Launch the Terminal UI (you already know this, but great for quick testing)
openclaw update → Update the OpenClaw CLI itself (run monthly)
openclaw cron list → See your scheduled proactive tasks
openclaw agents list → List all sub-agents you've created in AGENTS.md
openclaw reset --scope config → Reset only config (keeps workspace/sessions — use with caution)

🔗 Pro VPS Tip: Create Aliases

Add these to your ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc:

alias oc='openclaw'
alias ocd='openclaw doctor --fix'
alias ocg='openclaw gateway restart'
alias ocl='openclaw logs --follow'

Run openclaw doctor first thing every time you SSH in — it's the single best habit. These commands cover 95% of daily VPS management.

Core Files to Know

Located in ~/.openclaw/workspace/ or your configured workspace:

SOUL.md → Edit this to change your agent's personality
MEMORY.md / AGENTS.md → Persistent context & multi-agent setup
skills/ → Skills live here

Security Basics on VPS

Run openclaw doctor regularly
Use strong gateway token (auto-generated on most VPS installs)
For remote access, add Tailscale (super easy)

2. Cool Things to Try (Start Here for Maximum Fun)

🛠️ Install Your First Skills

This is where the magic happens. Go to the Web UI → Skills tab (or search ClawHub at clawhub.ai). Try these popular ones first:

Browser control (web search, form filling, scraping)
Gmail / Email (clear inbox, summarize, send)
GitHub (PRs, issues, code review)
Calendar / Todoist

Just say in chat: "Install the browser skill" or use the UI.

📅 Daily Proactive Stuff

"Every morning at 8am summarize my unread emails and send me a Telegram digest"

Or:

"Check my calendar and remind me 30 min before meetings"

👥 Multi-Agent Swarms (Super Powerful)

Edit AGENTS.md and create sub-agents (e.g., one for coding, one for personal finance, one that only talks to your friends).

💡 Example Prompt

"Create a coding sub-agent that can push to GitHub"

🎙️ Voice + Fun Automations

Enable voice mode (ElevenLabs TTS) → talk to it hands-free
Ask it to: "Check me in for my flight"
Or: "Unsubscribe from all my newsletters"

🛠️ Build a Custom Skill

It can write the code for you! Just ask.

3. Advanced Hacker Stuff

Give it full file/shell access (with sandbox on by default)
Run local models only (Ollama) for zero cost/privacy
Set up cron jobs + webhooks
Clone your own OpenClaw instance as a sub-agent

🎯 Pro Tip for VPS Users

Everything works great remotely. Start in TUI (openclaw tui) to test fast, then move to Telegram for daily use and Web UI for managing skills/logs.

You're already past the hard part (setup). Play around with skills and /think high — that's when OpenClaw goes from "chatbot" to "actually does my life admin."

Ready to Explore?

Check out the other tutorials and start building with OpenClaw today.

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