CLI Commands and Configuration Cheat Sheet
openclaw is the only CLI entry point. You have already installed OpenClaw following the prerequisite page, and the commands you use frequently day to day actually number no more than ten: skim the two tables below first, and come back to consult this OpenClaw command reference whenever you face a specific task. The facts on this page are based on version 2026.10.9.
Command Quick Reference
First, look at the three command domains in the official CLI index most relevant to this page:
| Command domain | Commands |
|---|---|
| Installation and onboarding | openclaw · setup · onboard · configure · config · completion · doctor · dashboard |
| Reset, backup, and migration | backup · database · migrate · reset · uninstall · update |
| Messaging and agents | message · agent · agents · templates · attach · acp · mcp |
Then pick a command based on "what you want to do":
| Your intent | Command and description |
|---|---|
| Try it without installing | npx openclaw@latest |
| Full guided initialization | openclaw setup or openclaw onboard: first verify that inference is available, then start the Gateway, workspace, channels, skills, and health settings |
| Skip onboarding, baseline only | openclaw setup --baseline: only creates the baseline configuration and workspace, without going through the onboarding flow |
| Change part of an existing configuration | openclaw configure: make targeted changes to model authentication, the Gateway, channels, plugins, or skills |
| Add a channel once the baseline is ready | openclaw channels add: only the selected channel goes through onboarding; with an account, credentials, or channel configuration parameters, it takes the direct-configuration path, which suits scripting |
Note that setup/onboard puts inference verification first, so you don't discover the model is unavailable only after finishing channel configuration.
Configuration Cheat Sheet
update.checkOnStart: false: disables the daily version check at startup. Enabled by default; anonymous statistics require opting in yourself and are not reported by default.- @@I18N_KEEP_000010@@ Whether a personal assistant and a team deployment share the same Gateway (the difference lying only in configuration) has no basis found in the source material yet; to be supplemented.
- @@I18N_KEEP_000011@@ The complete key list of the Gateway configuration reference (corresponding to docs/gateway/configuration-reference.md) has not been collected yet; to be supplemented.
Example 1: Fresh install and baseline generation
curl -fsSL https://openclaw.ai/install.sh | bash # macOS / Linux / WSL2
openclaw setup --baselinePrerequisites: Node 24.16.0+ (24.x) or 26.1.0+. If Node is missing, the installer will install Node 26 on macOS and Node 24 LTS on Linux. On Windows, use the PowerShell installer iwr -useb https://openclaw.ai/install.ps1 | iex, or choose WSL2 to run the Gateway. If you just want a quick taste, you can also skip installation and run npx openclaw@latest directly.
Example 2: Modify configuration and add a channel
openclaw configure # 定向改模型认证、Gateway、渠道、插件或技能
openclaw channels add # 交互式选渠道；脚本里可带凭据参数直配Limitations and Notes
databasehas no standalone reference page; its documentation hangs under theopenclawmain command page.configandconfigureare two different commands; the specifics of how their duties differ remain to be collected@@I18N_KEEP_000012@@.- Version pitfall: the package released as
2026.9.1-beta.1has a mislabeled version number and actually corresponds to2026.8.1-beta.4; don't be misled by it when troubleshooting. - The complete parameter lists for each command are not expanded on this page; defer to the official CLI reference pages.
- This page covers only the CLI; in-chat slash commands (such as
/model) are a separate system — see the further reading.