OpenClaw Cheat Sheet

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1. Architecture at a Glance

You ──▶ Channel ──▶ Gateway ──▶ Agent ──▶ Skill
                        │                    │
                        ▼                    ▼
                     Memory              External APIs

2. Key Config Files

All personality and behavior files live in ~/clawd/. The main system config lives in ~/.openclaw/.

Config File Priority

When the agent makes a decision, it consults these files in order:

1. RULES.md — Hard rules always take precedence
2. SOUL.md — Personality and behavioral defaults
3. USER.md — Your preferences and context
4. MEMORY.md — Learned facts and accumulated knowledge
5. MESSAGING.md — Channel-specific routing

3. Essential CLI Commands

Installation and Setup

bashCopy
1# Install OpenClaw globally
2npm install -g @anthropic-ai/openclaw
3
4# Run the onboarding wizard — sets up config, API keys, and first channel
5openclaw onboard
6
7# Verify installation
8openclaw --version

Starting and Stopping

bashCopy
1# Start the Gateway (foreground)
2openclaw start
3
4# Start the Gateway (background/daemon)
5openclaw start --daemon
6
7# Stop the Gateway
8openclaw stop
9
10# Restart the Gateway
11openclaw restart
12
13# Check if the Gateway is running and healthy
14openclaw status

Configuration

bashCopy
1# Open the main config file in your default editor
2openclaw config
3
4# View current configuration (read-only)
5openclaw config --show
6
7# Set a specific config value
8openclaw config set <key> <value>
9
10# Set your default AI model
11openclaw config set model claude-sonnet-4-20250514
12
13# Set up API keys
14openclaw config set anthropicApiKey sk-ant-xxxxx
15openclaw config set openaiApiKey sk-xxxxx

Skills

bashCopy
1# Browse available skills on ClawHub
2openclaw skill list
3
4# Search for a specific skill
5openclaw skill search <keyword>
6
7# Install a skill
8openclaw skill install <skill-name>
9
10# Uninstall a skill
11openclaw skill uninstall <skill-name>
12
13# List installed skills
14openclaw skill installed
15
16# Update all installed skills
17openclaw skill update

Channels

bashCopy
1# List available channel types
2openclaw channel list
3
4# Add a new channel
5openclaw channel add <channel-type>
6
7# Remove a channel
8openclaw channel remove <channel-name>
9
10# Test a channel connection
11openclaw channel test <channel-name>

Memory and Logs

bashCopy
1# View recent memory entries
2openclaw memory list
3
4# Search memory
5openclaw memory search <query>
6
7# Clear memory (use with caution)
8openclaw memory clear
9
10# View Gateway logs
11openclaw logs
12
13# View logs with filtering
14openclaw logs --level error
15openclaw logs --tail 50

Diagnostics

bashCopy
1# Full system diagnostic — checks all components, connections, and configs
2openclaw doctor
3
4# Test AI model connectivity
5openclaw test model
6
7# Test a specific channel
8openclaw test channel <channel-name>

4. Channel Quick-Start

iMessage

Requires macOS with Messages app configured. Uses the Shortcuts bridge.

jsonCopy
1{
2  "channels": {
3    "imessage": {
4      "enabled": true,
5      "pairedDevices": ["+1234567890"]
6    }
7  }
8}

Slack

Create a Slack app at api.slack.com/apps, get a Bot Token.

jsonCopy
1{
2  "channels": {
3    "slack": {
4      "enabled": true,
5      "botToken": "xoxb-your-bot-token",
6      "appToken": "xapp-your-app-token",
7      "signingSecret": "your-signing-secret"
8    }
9  }
10}

WhatsApp

Uses the WhatsApp Business API or community bridges.

jsonCopy
1{
2  "channels": {
3    "whatsapp": {
4      "enabled": true,
5      "phoneNumber": "+1234567890",
6      "bridge": "whatsapp-web"
7    }
8  }
9}

Telegram

Create a bot via @BotFather, get the token.

jsonCopy
1{
2  "channels": {
3    "telegram": {
4      "enabled": true,
5      "botToken": "123456:ABC-DEF1234ghIkl-zyx57W2v1u123ew11"
6    }
7  }
8}

Discord

Create an application at discord.com/developers, get a bot token.

jsonCopy
1{
2  "channels": {
3    "discord": {
4      "enabled": true,
5      "botToken": "your-discord-bot-token",
6      "guildId": "your-server-id"
7    }
8  }
9}

Signal

Uses the signal-cli bridge. Requires a dedicated phone number.

jsonCopy
1{
2  "channels": {
3    "signal": {
4      "enabled": true,
5      "phoneNumber": "+1234567890"
6    }
7  }
8}

WebChat

Built-in, no external setup required. Available immediately after starting the Gateway.

http://localhost:18789

5. Security Defaults

These are the recommended safe defaults for a new installation. Adjust only after reading the full Security Guide.

DM and Group Policies

jsonCopy
1{
2  "security": {
3    "dmPolicy": "paired-only",
4    "groupPolicy": "allowlisted",
5    "allowlistedGroups": []
6  }
7}

Sandboxing

jsonCopy
1{
2  "security": {
3    "sandboxEnabled": true,
4    "allowedPaths": ["~/Documents", "~/Downloads"],
5    "networkAccess": "restricted",
6    "maxTokensPerRequest": 4096
7  }
8}

API Key Safety

• Store API keys in openclaw.json, not in .md config files
• Use environment variables as an alternative: ANTHROPIC_API_KEY, OPENAI_API_KEY
• Never commit ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json to version control
• Set spending limits on your AI provider dashboards
• Rotate keys periodically

Quick Security Checklist

6. Cron Job Examples

Cron jobs are defined in openclaw.json under the cron array. The schedule uses standard cron syntax.

Cron Syntax Quick Reference

┌────────── minute (0-59)
│ ┌──────── hour (0-23)
│ │ ┌────── day of month (1-31)
│ │ │ ┌──── month (1-12)
│ │ │ │ ┌── day of week (0-7, 0 and 7 = Sunday)
│ │ │ │ │
* * * * *

Practical Examples

Morning briefing (weekdays at 7 AM):

jsonCopy
1{
2  "schedule": "0 7 * * 1-5",
3  "prompt": "Deliver my daily briefing: weather, calendar, top tasks, and any overnight alerts.",
4  "channel": "imessage"
5}

Email triage (three times daily on weekdays):

jsonCopy
1{
2  "schedule": "0 8,12,17 * * 1-5",
3  "prompt": "Check my inbox for new messages since the last check. Triage by urgency. Draft responses for routine items.",
4  "channel": "slack"
5}

Weekly review (Friday at 5 PM):

jsonCopy
1{
2  "schedule": "0 17 * * 5",
3  "prompt": "Weekly review: summarize what I accomplished this week, what's still open, and what's on deck for next week. Check memory for commitments I made.",
4  "channel": "slack"
5}

Competitor monitoring (Monday at 10 AM):

jsonCopy
1{
2  "schedule": "0 10 * * 1",
3  "prompt": "Weekly competitive intelligence: search for news, product updates, and social media activity from [Competitor A], [Competitor B], and [Competitor C] in the past 7 days.",
4  "channel": "slack"
5}

Hydration reminder (every 2 hours during work hours):

jsonCopy
1{
2  "schedule": "0 9,11,13,15,17 * * 1-5",
3  "prompt": "Quick reminder: drink some water.",
4  "channel": "imessage"
5}

Monthly invoice reminder (1st of each month):

jsonCopy
1{
2  "schedule": "0 8 1 * *",
3  "prompt": "It's the first of the month. List all active clients and the invoices I need to send today. Include amounts if I've told you.",
4  "channel": "imessage"
5}

7. Common Troubleshooting

Gateway Will Not Start

Symptoms: openclaw start exits immediately or shows a port conflict error.

Fixes:

bashCopy
1# Check if something else is using port 18789
2lsof -i :18789
3
4# Kill the existing process if needed
5kill -9 <PID>
6
7# Or change the port in openclaw.json
8openclaw config set port 18790
9
10# Check Node.js version (requires 22+)
11node --version

Agent Not Responding to Messages

Symptoms: You send a message through a channel but get no response. The Gateway is running.

Fixes:

1. Check channel connection: openclaw channel test <channel-name>
2. Check dmPolicy: If set to paired-only, make sure your number/account is in the paired list
3. Check logs for errors: openclaw logs --level error --tail 20
4. Verify API key: openclaw test model
5. Restart the Gateway: openclaw restart

"Model Not Found" or API Errors

Symptoms: Errors mentioning model names, rate limits, or authentication failures.

Fixes:

bashCopy
1# Verify your API key is set
2openclaw config --show | grep -i apikey
3
4# Test model connectivity
5openclaw test model
6
7# Check your provider dashboard for:
8# - API key validity
9# - Spending limits reached
10# - Rate limit status

Common model names:

• Anthropic: claude-sonnet-4-20250514, claude-opus-4-0-20250115
• OpenAI: gpt-4o, gpt-4o-mini
• Google: gemini-2.0-flash, gemini-2.5-pro

Memory Not Persisting

Symptoms: The agent forgets things you told it in previous sessions.

Fixes:

1. Check that memory is enabled in config:

   jsonCopy
   1{
   2  "memory": {
   3    "enabled": true,
   4    "backend": "local"
   5  }
   6}

2. Verify MEMORY.md exists: ls ~/clawd/MEMORY.md
3. Check memory manually: openclaw memory list
4. Ensure you are not clearing memory on restart — check for clearOnRestart: true in your config

Cron Jobs Not Firing

Symptoms: Scheduled tasks do not run at the expected time.

Fixes:

1. Verify the Gateway is running: openclaw status
2. Check cron syntax: Use crontab.guru to validate your schedule
3. Check timezone: Cron schedules use your system timezone. Verify with date
4. Check the cron config is valid JSON: Common issue is trailing commas or missing brackets
5. Check logs at the scheduled time: openclaw logs --tail 50 right after the cron should have fired
6. Verify the channel exists and is connected: The cron output needs somewhere to go

High API Costs

Symptoms: Your AI provider bill is higher than expected.

Fixes:

1. Review cron frequency: Every-minute crons add up fast. Do you really need */1 * * * *?
2. Set maxTokensPerRequest in your security config to cap individual responses
3. Use cheaper models for simple tasks: Route briefings to gpt-4o-mini or claude-haiku
4. Check for runaway sessions: openclaw logs | grep "session" to look for stuck loops
5. Set spending limits on your provider dashboards (Anthropic, OpenAI, Google)

8. Quick Recipes

Minimal copy-paste snippets for common setups.

Minimal SOUL.md

markdownCopy
You are my personal assistant. Be concise and direct. No pleasantries
unless I initiate them. Prefer bullet points over paragraphs.
When uncertain, ask rather than guess.

Minimal USER.md

markdownCopy
1## About Me
2- Name: [Your name]
3- Location: [City, State]
4- Timezone: [e.g., America/Los_Angeles]
5- Work: [Job title] at [Company]
6- Communication preference: Brief and direct

Minimal RULES.md

markdownCopy
1## General Rules
2- Never share my personal information with anyone
3- If you are unsure about something, ask before acting
4- Save important facts I tell you to memory automatically
5- When I say "remind me," create a reminder and confirm the time

Minimal openclaw.json (Core Structure)

jsonCopy
1{
2  "model": "claude-sonnet-4-20250514",
3  "anthropicApiKey": "sk-ant-xxxxx",
4  "port": 18789,
5  "security": {
6    "dmPolicy": "paired-only",
7    "groupPolicy": "allowlisted",
8    "sandboxEnabled": true
9  },
10  "channels": {
11    "imessage": {
12      "enabled": true,
13      "pairedDevices": ["+1234567890"]
14    }
15  },
16  "cron": [
17    {
18      "schedule": "0 7 * * *",
19      "prompt": "Good morning. Deliver my daily briefing.",
20      "channel": "imessage"
21    }
22  ],
23  "memory": {
24    "enabled": true,
25    "backend": "local"
26  }
27}

9. Model Routing

OpenClaw supports multiple AI providers simultaneously. You can route different tasks to different models based on cost and capability.

Fallback Configuration

jsonCopy
1{
2  "model": "claude-sonnet-4-20250514",
3  "fallbackModels": ["gpt-4o", "gemini-2.0-flash"],
4  "fallbackOnError": true
5}

If Claude is unavailable, OpenClaw will try GPT-4o, then Gemini, before failing.

10. Environment Variables

Alternative to storing values in openclaw.json — useful for deployments and version control safety.

Set them in your shell profile:

bashCopy
export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="sk-ant-xxxxx"
export OPENAI_API_KEY="sk-xxxxx"

Or in a .env file in ~/.openclaw/ (never commit this file).

11. Useful Links