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Hello everyone, this is programmer Wan Feng, currently all in on AI Programming Practice 🤖

Recently many students have been asking me: What exactly is OpenClaw? How do I learn it? Are there systematic learning materials?

Today I'm organizing this "Complete Guide for Beginners to Learn OpenClaw" for you, including official documentation, video tutorials, practical projects, and community resources—both official and community-contributed.

After reading this article, you'll fully master OpenClaw, from beginner to pro.

What is OpenClaw?

Let me briefly introduce it: OpenClaw is an open source multi-channel AI gateway that lets your AI assistant work simultaneously on dozens of messaging platforms.

Imagine:

  • You send messages to AI on WeChat, WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord any platform
  • AI uniformly processes your requests
  • Results automatically return to the corresponding platform
  • All conversation history, context, and memory stay synchronized

This is more than just message forwarding—it's a true AI central nervous system.

Core Features

  • Multi-Channel Support: WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord, Slack, Feishu, DingTalk, etc.
  • Intelligent Memory System: Long-term + short-term memory, AI remembers your preferences and projects
  • Modular Skill System: Weather queries, stock monitoring, PPT creation, code execution, etc.
  • Enterprise-Grade Security: Permission control, data isolation, audit logs

📚 Learning Path: From Beginner to Pro

I've organized a 4-week learning plan for you, starting from zero and progressing step by step.

Week 1: Basic Introduction (2-3 hours/day)

Goal: Complete installation and configuration, send first message

1.1 Official Documentation (Required Reading)

Chinese Documentation:

English Documentation (Updated faster):

💡 Recommended Reading (Suitable for Ordinary People):

1.2 Quick Start Steps

📢 Beginner Recommendation: If this is your first time接触 OpenClaw, recommended to read this tutorial first:

《Get Your Free AI Assistant Now! OpenClaw Download and Installation Tutorial, Easy for Beginners》

  • Specifically written by programmer Wan Feng for zero-foundation students
  • Detailed steps with screenshots for each step
  • Includes FAQs and pitfall avoidance guide
  • Easier to understand than official documentation, strongly recommended for beginners!

Official Installation Commands (Suitable for those with technical background):

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# 1. Install CLI (5 minutes)
curl -fsSL https://openclaw.ai/install.sh | bash

# Or use npm
npm install -g openclaw@latest

# 2. Run onboarding wizard (10 minutes)
openclaw onboard --install-daemon

# 3. Check Gateway status
openclaw gateway status

# 4. Pair WhatsApp (scan QR code)
openclaw channels login

⚠️ Notes:

  • Official documentation is more technical, suitable for those with development experience
  • Zero-foundation beginners should read the WeChat tutorial above first
  • If you encounter problems, you can leave comments in the WeChat article

1.3 Video Tutorials

Official Videos:

Community Tutorials:

1.4 Week 1 Homework

  • ✅ Successfully install OpenClaw
  • ✅ Configure WhatsApp or Telegram channel
  • ✅ Send first test message
  • ✅ Understand OpenClaw's basic architecture

Week 2: Core Features (2-3 hours/day)

Goal: Master core features, configure channels and skills

2.1 Channel Configuration (Channels)

Official Documentation:

Configuration Example:

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{
  "channels": {
    "whatsapp": {
      "allowFrom": ["+86-138-xxxx-xxxx"],
      "pairing": { "required": true }
    },
    "telegram": {
      "botToken": "YOUR_BOT_TOKEN"
    }
  }
}

2.2 Skills System (Skills)

Official Documentation:

Common Skills:

  • weather - Weather query
  • stock-watcher - Stock monitoring
  • video-frames - Video frame extraction
  • pptx-creator - PPT creation
  • browser - Web browsing
  • exec - Code execution

Skills Examples:

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# Query weather
"Help me check Beijing weather for tomorrow"

# Monitor stocks
"Add Tencent Holdings to stock watch list"

# Create PPT
"Help me create an outline for an AI programming PPT"

2.3 Memory System (Memory)

Official Documentation:

Memory File Structure:

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workspace/
├── MEMORY.md              # Long-term curated memory
├── memory/
│   ├── 2026-02-28.md      # Daily raw logs
│   └── 2026-02-27.md
└── HEARTBEAT.md           # Periodic check tasks

2.4 Week 2 Homework

  • ✅ Configure at least 2 messaging channels
  • ✅ Use 3+ built-in skills
  • ✅ Understand how the memory system works
  • ✅ Create one custom skill

Week 3: Advanced Applications (2-3 hours/day)

Goal: Master advanced features, deployment and automation

3.1 Automation Tasks

Official Documentation:

Configuration Example:

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{
  "automation": {
    "cron": {
      "jobs": [
        {
          "schedule": "0 9 * * *",
          "command": "openclaw message send --target @channel --message 'Good morning! Today to-do:...'"
        }
      ]
    }
  }
}

3.2 Remote Access

Official Documentation:

Deployment Scenarios:

  • Cloud server deployment (DigitalOcean, Hetzner, Alibaba Cloud)
  • Raspberry Pi deployment
  • macOS remote access
  • Docker containerized deployment

3.3 Security Configuration

Official Documentation:

Security Best Practices:

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{
  "gateway": {
    "auth": {
      "token": "your-secure-token"
    },
    "sandbox": {
      "mode": "non-main"
    }
  },
  "channels": {
    "whatsapp": {
      "allowFrom": ["+86-138-xxxx-xxxx"]
    }
  }
}

3.4 Week 3 Homework

  • ✅ Configure one automated cron task
  • ✅ Implement remote access (cloud server or Tailscale)
  • ✅ Complete security audit: openclaw security audit --deep

Week 4: Practical Projects (3-4 hours/day)

Goal: Complete one complete practical project

Project 1: Personal Assistant Bot

  • Features: Schedule reminders, email checks, weather push notifications
  • Skills: cron, message, weather, email
  • Difficulty: ⭐⭐

Project 2: Stock Monitoring Bot

  • Features: Stock price alerts, news push, technical analysis
  • Skills: stock-watcher, web-fetch, message
  • Difficulty: ⭐⭐⭐

Project 3: Content Creation Assistant

  • Features: Article outline generation, PPT creation, image generation
  • Skills: pptx-creator, qwen-image, browser
  • Difficulty: ⭐⭐⭐

Project 4: Team Collaboration Bot

  • Features: Task assignment, progress tracking, daily report generation
  • Skills: discord, slack, message, exec
  • Difficulty: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

4.2 Project Documentation

Each project should include:

  • Project documentation (README.md)
  • Configuration file (openclaw.json)
  • Custom skills (skills/)
  • Deployment script (deploy.sh)

4.3 Week 4 Homework

  • ✅ Complete one complete practical project
  • ✅ Write project documentation
  • ✅ Open source your project on GitHub
  • ✅ Share your experience in the OpenClaw community

🎯 Learning Resources Summary

Official Resources

Resource TypeLinkDescription
Official Documentationhttps://docs.openclaw.aiMost authoritative reference
GitHub Repositoryhttps://github.com/openclaw/openclawSource code + Issues + Discussions
Official Discordhttps://discord.com/invite/clawdCommunity discussion + Help
Skill Marketplacehttps://clawhub.comThird-party skill downloads
NPM Packagehttps://www.npmjs.com/package/openclawCLI tools

Chinese Resources

Resource TypeLinkDescription
Chinese Documentationhttps://docs.openclaw.ai/zh-CNOfficial Chinese translation
AI Programming Training Camphttps://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/8p2eviFUmYa1V0pswmDRmwMy practical course
WeChat Official Account Articleshttps://mp.weixin.qq.comSearch "OpenClaw"
Zhihu Columnhttps://zhuanlan.zhihu.comSearch "OpenClaw"
B站 Tutorialshttps://www.bilibili.comSearch "OpenClaw"

Video Tutorials (To be added)

Official Videos:

Community Tutorials:

Book Recommendations

  • "Node.js in Action" - Understand OpenClaw's tech stack
  • "AI Agent Development Guide" - AI Agent development basics
  • "Python Office Automation" - Use with OpenClaw skills

💡 Learning Tips

1. Hands-on Practice is Most Important

Don't just read documentation, must practice hands-on:

  • Practice immediately after learning each feature
  • Don't be afraid of errors—they're learning opportunities
  • Try different configuration combinations

2. Use Debugging Tools Well

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# Check status
openclaw gateway status

# View logs
openclaw logs --tail 100

# Test skills
openclaw skills test weather

Further Reading

Two courses included:

🎓 AI 编程实战课程

想系统学习 AI 编程？程序员晚枫的 AI 编程实战课 帮你从零上手！