Documentation

Guides

Step-by-step guides for every stage of working with OpenClaw — from first install through production deployments and third-party integrations. All guides are tested against a live environment before publishing.

Setup

OpenClaw Setup Guide

Install and configure OpenClaw from scratch. Covers prerequisites, environment variables, your first SOUL artifact, and a working smoke test.

Beginner30 min

Configuring Your First SOUL

Understand the SOUL artifact format, required fields, optional scopes, and how to wire a SOUL to an active agent session.

Beginner20 min

Deployment

Deploying OpenClaw to a VPS

Run OpenClaw on a bare Ubuntu 22.04 server. Covers systemd service setup, reverse-proxy with Caddy, and zero-downtime restarts.

Intermediate45 min

OpenClaw on Fly.io

Deploy OpenClaw to Fly.io with persistent volumes for MEMORY storage. Includes fly.toml reference and common pitfalls.

Intermediate25 min

Integrations

OpenClaw Integrations Overview

Supported integration points: webhooks, REST, MCP tools, and direct SDK usage. Understand which integration pattern fits your stack.

Intermediate15 min

Connecting OpenClaw to Slack

Wire an OpenClaw agent to a Slack workspace as a bot. Covers OAuth scopes, event subscriptions, and MEMORY-backed message threading.

Intermediate40 min

Troubleshooting

Debugging MEMORY Retrieval Failures

Diagnose and fix the most common MEMORY lookup failures: stale indexes, key collisions, and mis-scoped artifact references.

Intermediate20 min

Comparisons

OpenClaw vs DIY Agent Stacks

When does rolling your own agent plumbing make sense? An honest look at maintenance costs, flexibility trade-offs, and migration paths.

Beginner10 min

New to OpenClaw? The setup guide is the right first step, regardless of your background.

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