OpenClaw Cheat Sheet

Quick Start

Install + First Run

curl -fsSL https://openclaw.ai/install.sh | bash
openclaw onboard --install-daemon
openclaw doctor
openclaw status
openclaw health
openclaw dashboard

Daily Operations

openclaw doctor
openclaw status --all
openclaw logs --follow

Most Used Slash Commands

/status
/new
/compact
/model
/stop
/think

Installation

One-line Install (Recommended)

macOS / Linux

curl -fsSL https://openclaw.ai/install.sh | bash

Windows (PowerShell)

iwr -useb https://openclaw.ai/install.ps1 | iex

If you skipped onboarding

openclaw onboard --install-daemon

Manual Install (Node.js)

npm or pnpm

npm install -g openclaw@latest
# or
pnpm add -g openclaw@latest

openclaw onboard --install-daemon

Fix sharp build errors

SHARP_IGNORE_GLOBAL_LIBVIPS=1 npm install -g openclaw@latest

Requirements

Node >= 22
macOS, Linux, or Windows (WSL2)

Gateway

Run Gateway

openclaw gateway --port 18789

Manage as System Service

openclaw gateway service status
openclaw gateway service install
openclaw gateway service start
openclaw gateway service stop
openclaw gateway service restart

Gateway Logs

openclaw logs --follow
openclaw logs --limit 200
openclaw logs --plain
openclaw logs --json

Channels

WhatsApp Login

openclaw channels login
openclaw channels logout

Add Channel Account

openclaw channels add --channel telegram --account alerts --name "Alerts Bot" --token $TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN
openclaw channels add --channel discord --account work --name "Work Bot" --token $DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN

Channel Status

openclaw channels status
openclaw channels status --probe

Diagnostics

Health Check

openclaw doctor
openclaw status
openclaw health --json
openclaw dashboard

Deep Diagnostics

openclaw doctor --deep
openclaw status --all
openclaw status --deep

Models & Auth

List & Switch Models

openclaw models list
openclaw models status
openclaw models set <model>

Authentication

openclaw models auth add
openclaw models auth setup-token --provider anthropic
openclaw models auth paste-token --provider <provider>

Skills & Plugins

Skills

openclaw skills list
openclaw skills info <name>
openclaw skills check

Plugins

openclaw plugins list
openclaw plugins install <path|.tgz|npm-spec>
openclaw plugins enable <id>
openclaw plugins disable <id>
openclaw plugins doctor

Memory

openclaw memory status
openclaw memory index
openclaw memory search "<query>"

Browser

Browser Automation

openclaw browser status
openclaw browser start
openclaw browser tabs
openclaw browser open https://example.com
openclaw browser snapshot
openclaw browser screenshot

Slash Commands

Commands are processed by the Gateway; most should be sent as a standalone message.

Commands

	Show status, provider quota
	Show identity (alias: /id)
	New session (/new [model])
	Compress context
	Switch/list models
	Abort current run
	Restart (needs commands.restart: true)

Directives (Session Toggles)

	Thinking intensity
	Verbose output
	Reasoning messages
	Elevated mode
	Tool execution routing

Bash (disabled by default)

	Run host shell (needs commands.bash: true)
	View/stop background bash tasks

Workspace

The workspace is the agent's "home" — read/written as context. The state directory holds config, credentials, sessions, and indexes.

Default Locations

State root
Default workspace
Multi-profile
Dev isolation

Key Workspace Files

`AGENTS.md`	High-level agent directives (behavior/goals)
`SOUL.md`	Persona (identity, tone, boundaries)
`USER.md`	Your preferences/background
`IDENTITY.md`	Identity info (written on first boot)
`TOOLS.md`	Environment notes for current machine/skills
`HEARTBEAT.md`	Heartbeat task instructions (active mode)
`BOOTSTRAP.md`	First-run Q&A; deleted after setup
`memory/YYYY-MM-DD.md`	Daily memory (append-only); loads today+yesterday
`MEMORY.md`	Long-term memory (optional; private main session only)

openclaw setup

Path Reference

Main config (state)
Credentials (state)
Sessions (state)
Logs (default)
Memory index (SQLite)
Cron jobs

Cron Jobs

Jobs stored in ~/.openclaw/cron/jobs.json, persist across Gateway restarts. Runs in 'main' (system event) or 'isolated' (separate session).

Manage Cron Jobs

openclaw cron list
openclaw cron status
openclaw cron add --name "Reminder" --at "20m" --session main --system-event "Reminder: ..." --wake now
openclaw cron run <jobId> --force
openclaw cron runs --id <jobId>

Troubleshooting

No private reply?

Usually a pairing/allowlist issue

openclaw pairing list whatsapp
openclaw pairing approve whatsapp <code> --notify

Silent in group chat?

Check routing.groupChat.mentionPatterns and requireMention config. Send /status to test.

Gateway down?

Run deep diagnostics

openclaw doctor --deep
openclaw status --deep

Memory search broken?

Force reindex

openclaw memory index
openclaw memory status