EP01 · 10 Minutes to Adopt Your First Lobster

By Yuki & Claw

Zero-code OpenClaw install · One-click setup for Mac/Windows Just follow along — no programming experience needed

📺 Video Tutorial

Follow along step by step with the video:

💡 Tip: The video auto-selects your preferred platform (Bilibili for Chinese users, YouTube for international users)

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What's a Lobster?

"Lobster" = your AI assistant. It lives on your computer (or in the cloud) and can help you write code, research, manage your schedule, and even send messages on your behalf.

OpenClaw is the lobster's "home" — today we're setting up that home.

☁️ Don't Want to Install? Try Cloud

If you don't want to install anything on your computer, sign up for ImaClaw Cloud — no installation needed, just scan and go.

👉 Sign Up for Cloud (Free) →

Step 1: Find Your Terminal

The Terminal is where you "talk" to your computer. All installation commands go here.

🍎 Mac Users

3 ways to open Terminal (pick one):

• Method 1 (fastest): Press ⌘ + Space, type Terminal, hit Enter
• Method 2: Open Launchpad → Other → Terminal
• Method 3: Finder → Applications → Utilities → Terminal

🪟 Windows Users

⚠️ We recommend using WSL2 (Windows Subsystem for Linux) to run OpenClaw for better stability.

Open PowerShell:

• Method 1: Press Win key, type PowerShell, click to open
• Method 2: Right-click the Windows icon (bottom-left) → Windows PowerShell

Recommended: Install WSL2 (once and done)

PS C:\> wsl --install
Installing: Ubuntu...
After restart, open "Ubuntu" from the Start menu

Once WSL2 is installed, just open the "Ubuntu" app — all commands work the same as Mac.

Step 2: One-Click Install

The official one-click install script auto-detects your system, installs dependencies, and launches the setup wizard.

🍎 Mac / Linux / WSL2

Copy-paste this line into your terminal and hit Enter:

~ $ curl -fsSL https://openclaw.ai/install.sh | bash
==> Downloading OpenClaw...
==> Installing Node 22...
🎉 OpenClaw installed successfully!
Running onboarding wizard...

Wait 2-3 minutes. See the 🎉? You're done! The script auto-launches the setup wizard.

🪟 Windows (Native PowerShell)

If you don't want to use WSL, run this in PowerShell:

PS C:\Users\You> iwr -useb https://openclaw.ai/install.ps1 | iex
Downloading OpenClaw for Windows...
✅ Installation complete!

Wait 2-3 minutes. See the ✅? You're good.

💥 Crash Moment #1: Command Not Found?

Symptom: curl: command not found or iwr: not recognized

Cause: Your system is too old and missing basic tools

Fix: Install via npm instead (requires Node.js first)

npm install method:

~ $ npm install -g openclaw@latest
~ $ openclaw onboard --install-daemon

Go to nodejs.org, download the LTS version, install it, then run the commands above.

Step 3: Complete the Setup Wizard

The install script auto-launches openclaw onboard, a setup wizard that asks a few questions to configure your lobster.

What Does the Wizard Ask?

? Choose your AI provider:
  > OpenAI (GPT-4)
    Anthropic (Claude)
    Google Gemini
    Skip for now

? Enter your API key: [hidden]

✅ Configuration saved!
Starting gateway...
🦞 Gateway is running on port 3000

Tip: If you don't have an API Key yet, choose "Skip for now" (you can set it up later). EP02 covers how to give your lobster a brain in detail.

💥 Crash Moment #2: Port Already in Use?

Symptom: Error: Port 3000 is already in use

Cause: Didn't shut down properly last time

Fix:

~ $ openclaw gateway stop
~ $ openclaw gateway start

Step 4: Verify Installation

Check Status

Open a new terminal window and type:

~ $ openclaw status
🦞 Gateway: running
   Port: 3000
   Version: 1.x.x

See 🦞 Gateway: running? Congrats! Your lobster's home is ready 🎉

Next Up: Give Your Lobster a Brain

Your lobster has a home now, but no brain yet. EP02 teaches you how to configure OpenAI/Claude/Gemini and other LLMs so it can actually think.

📌 Key Takeaways

• Terminal = the window where you talk to your computer. Mac uses Terminal, Windows recommends WSL2
• Install command: curl -fsSL https://openclaw.ai/install.sh | bash (Mac) or iwr -useb https://openclaw.ai/install.ps1 | iex (Windows)
• The one-click script auto-installs Node, OpenClaw, and launches the setup wizard
• openclaw status checks status — see 🦞 running = success
• A lobster without a brain won't respond to messages. EP02 covers LLM configuration

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Next: EP02: Give Your Lobster a Brain (LLM Configuration)

OpenAI, Claude, Gemini, Kimi, DeepSeek, Volcengine… which one? How to set it up? How much does it cost? All answered in one article.

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