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OpenClaw Docs

Getting Started

Welcome to OpenClaw! This guide will take you from unboxing to a working AI agent in under 5 minutes.

What You Need

Section titled “What You Need”
  • An ESP-Claw compatible board (ESP32-S3 or ESP32-C3)
  • A USB-C data cable (not charge-only)
  • Chrome or Edge browser (version 89+)
  • A Wi-Fi network
  • An AI API key (Claude, OpenAI, or compatible)

Step 1: Flash Firmware

Section titled “Step 1: Flash Firmware”

The fastest way to get started is using our browser-based flasher. No toolchain installation required.

  1. Go to the Install page
  2. Select your board type
  3. Click Connect & Flash
  4. Select your USB device in the browser popup
  5. Wait for the flash to complete (~30 seconds)

Step 2: Connect to Wi-Fi

Section titled “Step 2: Connect to Wi-Fi”

After flashing, your board will create a Wi-Fi hotspot:

  1. On your phone or computer, connect to ESPClaw-XXXX
  2. A configuration page will open automatically
  3. Enter your home Wi-Fi network name and password
  4. Click Save

The captive portal should open automatically. If not, open http://192.168.4.1 in your browser.

Step 3: Set Up Communication Channel

Section titled “Step 3: Set Up Communication Channel”

Configure how you’ll talk to your AI agent:

Section titled “Telegram (Recommended)”
  1. Message @BotFather on Telegram
  2. Send /newbot and follow the instructions
  3. Copy the API token
  4. Enter it in the ESP-Claw configuration page

Discord

Section titled “Discord”
  1. Create a bot at the Discord Developer Portal
  2. Copy the bot token
  3. Enter it in the configuration page

MQTT

Section titled “MQTT”
  1. Set your MQTT broker address and credentials in the configuration page

Step 4: Talk to Your AI

Section titled “Step 4: Talk to Your AI”

Send a message to your bot — you should get a response within seconds!

Try these:

  • “Hello, what can you do?”
  • “What’s the temperature?” (if you have a sensor connected)
  • “Turn on the LED” (if you have an LED on GPIO 2)

🎉 Congratulations! Your $5 AI agent is up and running.

Next Steps

Section titled “Next Steps”