Private AI Agent — Quick Start

Step 1 — Install Ollama

Get the AI Brain

Runs AI models locally on your hardware. Nothing leaves your machine.

# Linux / macOS / WSL
curl -fsSL https://ollama.ai/install.sh | sh

Step 2 — Download a Model

Pick Your Model

Choose based on your RAM. All support tool calling.

RAM	Model	Command
8 GB	Qwen3 4B	ollama pull qwen3:4b
16 GB ★	Qwen3 8B	ollama pull qwen3:8b
32 GB	Qwen3 14B	ollama pull qwen3:14b
GPU 16+	Mistral Small 3.2	ollama pull mistral-small3.2

Test it: ollama run qwen3:8b "What is 2+2?"

Step 3 — Install OpenClaw

Build the Agent

Gives your AI persistent memory, tools, web browsing, messaging, and automation.

# Install (Node.js 22+ required)
curl -fsSL https://openclaw.ai/install.sh | bash

Alternative: npm install -g openclaw@latest

Step 4 — Run the Setup Wizard

One Command Does It All

The wizard walks you through everything — model selection, auth, channels (Telegram, WhatsApp, Discord), and auto-start.

openclaw onboard --install-daemon

Choose QuickStart for defaults or Advanced for full control.

Or — Use Claude Instead

No Local Hardware Needed

Don't want to run Ollama? Skip steps 1–2 and use Claude as your model. The wizard supports it — just pick Anthropic during setup.

You'll need either a Claude Pro/Max subscription or an Anthropic API key from console.anthropic.com. Claude is smarter than most local models and works instantly — you just pay per use.

The wizard also supports OpenAI, OpenRouter, and other cloud providers.

Step 5 — Chat Instantly

Talk to Your Agent

No channel setup needed for a quick test — just open the web dashboard:

openclaw dashboard

Or visit http://localhost:18789 in your browser. Start chatting immediately.

Step 6 — Connect Your Phone

Telegram / WhatsApp / Discord

If you didn't set up a channel during the wizard, run:

# Reconfigure channels anytime
openclaw configure

# Or link WhatsApp directly
openclaw channels login

Message your bot. Wait 10–60 seconds. That's it.

Bonus — Claude Code

AI Coding Partner

Pair with Claude Code for coding tasks alongside your agent.

curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash
cd your-project && claude

Useful Commands

Reference

openclaw status          # full system status
openclaw doctor          # diagnose issues
openclaw health          # health check
openclaw configure       # reconfigure anything
openclaw gateway restart # restart agent
openclaw dashboard       # open web chat

⚠️ Security — Read This

Lock It Down

Ollama has no authentication. By default it binds to localhost (safe), but if you expose it to your network or internet, anyone can use your AI, steal your models, or execute code (CVE-2024-37032). Never change OLLAMA_HOST to 0.0.0.0 unless behind a firewall.

# Run the OpenClaw security audit
openclaw security audit --deep

# Auto-fix common issues
openclaw security audit --fix