This comprehensive guide covers everything you need to configure OpenClaw after installation. Learn how to set up AI models, customize your SOUL.md personality, integrate messaging platforms, install skills, and optimize security settings.
OpenClaw is highly customizable. This guide covers essential and advanced configuration options.
OpenClaw is model-agnostic and supports multiple AI models. Configure your preferred models here.
Configure Claude Opus 4.6, Claude 4.5 series (Opus, Sonnet, Haiku), or older Claude models.
openclaw config set model claude-opus-4-6
openclaw config set apiKey YOUR_CLAUDE_API_KEYclaude-opus-4-6 - Latest flagship (Feb 2026)claude-opus-4-5 - Most capable with effort parameterclaude-sonnet-4-5 - Best coding performance, 1M token contextclaude-haiku-4-5 - Fastest, cost-efficientConfigure GPT-5, GPT-5.3-Codex, or other OpenAI models.
openclaw config set model gpt-5
openclaw config set apiKey YOUR_OPENAI_API_KEYgpt-5 - Latest flagship modelgpt-5-3-codex - Most capable agentic coding model (Feb 2026)Run AI models locally on your computer with no API costs. Requires models with ≥64,000 token context.
curl -fsSL https://ollama.ai/install.sh | shollama launch openclawglm-5 - Zhipu AI's latest open modelqwen3-coder - Qwen series coding specialistgpt-oss:20b / gpt-oss:120b - Open-source GPT variantskimi-k2.5 - Local deployment of Moonshot's modelAutomatically select the most cost-effective model based on task complexity.
openclaw config set model openrouter/openrouter/auto
openclaw config set apiKey YOUR_OPENROUTER_API_KEYGet OpenRouter API key from openrouter.ai
SOUL.md is OpenClaw's revolutionary personality configuration system. Customize your AI agent's personality, values, and communication style.
SOUL.md is a Markdown file that defines your agent's personality, values, communication style, and behavior. Every time your agent wakes, it reads SOUL.md first - "it reads itself into being."
"Be the assistant you'd want to talk to at 2am. Not a corporate drone. Not a sycophant. Just... good."
- Peter Steinberger, Creator of OpenClaw
Each OpenClaw workspace contains its own SOUL.md file:
cd ~/.openclaw/workspaces/default
nano SOUL.md# SOUL.md - My AI Agent's Personality
## Core Identity
I am a knowledgeable, direct assistant who values efficiency and clarity.
## Communication Style
- Brief and to the point
- No corporate pleasantries
- Honest feedback, even when critical
- Humor when appropriate
## Values
- Truth over politeness
- Action over discussion
- Simplicity over complexity
- Results over process
## Behavior Rules
- Never say 'I'd be happy to help' - just help
- If the answer is one sentence, give one sentence
- Call out inefficient approaches
- Suggest better alternatives when I see them
## Areas of Focus
- Software development and coding
- System architecture and design
- Productivity and workflow optimization
- Technical problem-solvingopenclaw restart
Connect OpenClaw to messaging platforms to chat with your AI assistant from anywhere. OpenClaw supports 50+ integrations.
openclaw config set discord.token YOUR_DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN
openclaw platform enable discord/newbot commandopenclaw config set telegram.token YOUR_TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN
openclaw platform enable telegramopenclaw platform enable whatsapp
# Follow on-screen QR code instructionsOpenClaw supports 50+ integrations total. See official docs for complete list.
The OpenClaw web interface provides a local dashboard for chatting and managing your AI assistant.
By default, OpenClaw web interface runs at:
http://127.0.0.1:18789/
If port 18789 is already in use, configure a different port:
openclaw config set port 8080
openclaw restartFor remote access, use SSH tunneling or a VPN instead of exposing the port directly.
Extend OpenClaw's capabilities with skills from the ClawHub marketplace. 5,705 community skills available as of Feb 2026.
openclaw skill install <skill-name>
openclaw restartopenclaw skill listAll ClawHub skills are now scanned with VirusTotal threat intelligence for safety.
Protect your API keys and configure security settings to keep your OpenClaw installation secure.
Store API keys in environment variables instead of config files:
export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY='your-key-here'
export OPENAI_API_KEY='your-key-here'CVE-2026-25253 - Critical RCE vulnerability (CVSS 8.8)
npm update -g openclaw@latestEnable persistent memory with Voyage AI integration:
openclaw config set memory.enabled true
openclaw config set memory.provider voyageOpenClaw stores configuration in:
~/.openclaw/config.json%USERPROFILE%\.openclaw\config.jsonopenclaw config listopenclaw config reset
# Warning: This will delete all configuration!