Onboarding overview

OpenClaw has terminal and macOS app onboarding. Both establish inference first: they detect existing AI access, require a live completion, and only then start OpenClaw to configure the remaining setup. A reachable, configured Gateway whose default agent already has a configured model skips onboarding and opens the normal agent UI. The terminal flow also offers the full classic wizard for detailed setup.

Which path should I use?

Most users should start with CLI onboarding — it works everywhere and gives you the most control.

What onboarding configures

The guided inference phase establishes only:

1. Model provider and auth — detected access or a verified provider sign-in, API key, or token
2. Verified inference — a real completion on the default agent's effective model

After that completion passes, OpenClaw can configure the workspace, Gateway, Gateway service, channels, agents, plugins, and other optional features.

The classic CLI wizard can additionally configure:

1. Channels (optional) — built-in and bundled chat channels such as Discord, Feishu, Google Chat, iMessage, Mattermost, Microsoft Teams, Telegram, WhatsApp, and more
2. Advanced Gateway controls — remote mode, network settings, and daemon choices

CLI onboarding

Run in any terminal:

openclaw onboard

The guided flow detects existing AI access, live-tests candidates in order, and falls through on failure. If detection is exhausted, it shows OpenAI, Anthropic, xAI (Grok), Google, and OpenRouter first. More… contains the remaining providers in provider groups, with regions, plans, and supported browser, device, API-key, or token methods in a second menu. It saves the model and credential only after a passing completion, then starts OpenClaw to configure the workspace, Gateway, channels, agents, plugins, and other optional features. Skip for now exits without starting OpenClaw. There is no in-flow classic handoff; exit and run openclaw onboard --classic when you want the classic wizard instead.

After inference passes, OpenClaw can hand channel setup to a masked terminal wizard. It does not open guided or classic provider setup; exit OpenClaw and run openclaw onboard to change the model provider or its authentication.

Use openclaw onboard --classic for detailed model/auth, channel, skill, remote Gateway, or import setup. Adding --install-daemon also selects the classic flow and installs the background service in one step. Use openclaw openclaw for conversational non-inference setup and repair. openclaw onboard --modern is a compatibility alias that uses the same live-inference gate.

Full reference: Onboarding (CLI) CLI command docs: openclaw onboard

macOS app onboarding

Open the OpenClaw app. If its configured local or remote Gateway is reachable and the default agent already has a configured model, the app skips onboarding and OpenClaw and opens the normal agent UI immediately.

For a fresh or incomplete Gateway, the first-run flow detects existing AI access (Claude Code, Codex, or API keys), live-tests the best option, and saves it only after a real reply — falling back automatically and offering a verified manual API-key step when nothing is found. Sensitive credentials use masked input. Once inference passes, OpenClaw starts and helps configure the rest.

Gemini CLI remains available for normal agents after setup, but it is not offered for this inference gate because it cannot enforce the tool-free probe.

Full reference: Onboarding (macOS App)

Custom or unlisted providers

If your provider is not listed, run openclaw onboard --classic, choose Custom Provider, and enter:

• Endpoint compatibility: OpenAI-compatible (/chat/completions), OpenAI Responses-compatible (/responses), Anthropic-compatible (/messages), or unknown (probes all three and auto-detects)
• Base URL and API key (API key is optional if the endpoint does not require one)
• Model ID and optional model alias

Multiple custom endpoints can coexist — each gets its own endpoint ID.

Related

• Getting started
• CLI setup reference