What the Gateway actually is
The OpenClaw Gateway is a long-running Node.js process — think of it as a personal server for your AI agents. It stays on, listens on every channel you've configured, and routes messages to the right agent workspace.
The 5-step install
npm install -g @openclaw/cli
openclaw doctor # checks your environment
openclaw init # downloads example workspaces
openclaw agents list # see what's available
Wire your first channel
Telegram is the fastest to test:
@BotFather→/newbot→ copy the token.- Open
~/.openclaw/openclaw.json. - Add your token under
channels.telegram. - Run
openclaw start.
Verify it works
openclaw agents list --bindings
You should see your agent listed with Telegram as a bound channel. Send /start to your bot. The agent replies.
Common mistake
Most people add 3 channels on day one. Don't. One channel, one reply, then expand. Every channel you add is another thing that can fail silently.
What's next
Add a skill. Start with web-search or note-taking — both are single-line additions to your workspace config.