Aniket Maurya

Posted on Feb 4

5 Ways to Set Up OpenClaw (aka ClawdBot / MoltBot) — and Actually Use It Day-to-Day

#ai #openclaw #tutorial #productivity

Most “setup guides” jump straight into commands. That’s backwards.

This blog will help you get connected to an OpenClaw bot with minimal setup, you can:

respond from phone,
run tasks (code, reminders, web research),
stay secure,
without spending a whole weekend to set it up.

So first: the real problem is choosing the right setup for how you’ll use it.

Below are five practical setups (from easiest to most powerful), each framed around the pain it solves.

1) The “Phone-First” Setup: Telegram DM Bot (fastest time-to-value)

The problem it solves

You want to talk to your agent from anywhere—especially your phone—without opening a laptop, VPN, or SSH app. You also want a clean “inbox-like” experience: quick prompts, quick replies.

Why this setup works

Telegram is lightweight, reliable, and behaves like a “command line for humans.” It’s ideal for:

quick questions (“summarize this”, “draft a message”)
reminders (“remind me at 11am”)
lightweight ops (“check RAM”, “list files”, “run a script”)

What it looks like

You create a Telegram bot (BotFather)
OpenClaw connects to it
You DM your assistant like a person

Best for: personal assistants, founders, solo builders, “run my life from my phone” workflows.

Celesto AI provides a no-setup, no-server solution for humans! Get OpenClaw on your Telegram for free here.

2) The “I Want It Everywhere” Setup: Multi-Channel Bot (Telegram + Discord/Slack)

The problem it solves

Your work happens in communities and team spaces—not just DMs. You want the agent where decisions happen:

Discord communities
Slack team channels
group chats where people collaborate

Why this setup works

A multi-channel setup turns OpenClaw into an “ambient operator”:

answers when mentioned
summarizes threads
drafts responses
keeps notes
can be restricted by allowlists / mention-only behavior

What it looks like

One OpenClaw instance
Multiple channel plugins enabled
Rules like “only respond on @mention” to avoid being spammy

Best for: startup teams, communities, internal “ops bot” usage.

3) The “Automation Brain” Setup: Scheduled Reminders + Cron Jobs

The problem it solves

You don’t need a chatbot. You need a system that remembers.
Following up, applying, sending that DM, doing the weekly check-in—humans drop these constantly.

Why this setup works

OpenClaw can schedule exact-time tasks (one-shot or recurring) that fire without you remembering:

“Tomorrow after noon, remind me to apply”
“Tuesday 10am: send a DM”
“Every weekday at 9:30: give me today’s priorities”

This is where assistants become infrastructure, not conversation.

What it looks like

You tell OpenClaw what/when
It schedules a job (cron)
It pings you at the right moment with context and links

Best for: founders, ADHD-friendly workflows, anyone juggling deals + meetings.

4) The “Coding Agent” Setup: Workspace + Exec (turn it into a real dev assistant)

The problem it solves

You want more than advice—you want actual output:

code changes
scripts run
files edited
repos managed
quick prototypes built

Why this setup works

When OpenClaw has:

a workspace directory
permission to run commands safely …it becomes a practical coding agent that can do the work, not just talk about it.

What it looks like

You point OpenClaw at a workspace (repo or project folder)
It can edit files and run tests/build commands
You review results (diffs, logs, artifacts)

Best for: building product fast, automating repetitive dev tasks, “ship while on your phone.”

5) The “Security-First” Setup: Hard Sandbox (gVisor / MicroVMs / strict mounts)

The problem it solves

If you’re running agents that can execute commands, your threat model changes:

“What if the agent (or a dependency) is compromised?”
“What if a prompt injection tries to exfiltrate secrets?”
“What if a container escape happens?”

Why this setup works

Containers are convenient, but they share the host kernel. If you want serious isolation, you tighten the boundaries:

Common patterns:

gVisor: syscall interception; stronger isolation than vanilla containers with less overhead than full VMs.
MicroVMs (e.g., Firecracker): VM boundary; stronger isolation for “run untrusted stuff” workloads.
Read-only containers + minimal mounts: only mount what’s needed, no host root access, no ambient credentials.
Split duties: keep “internet browsing” separate from “has secrets” workloads.

What it looks like

Run OpenClaw with strict filesystem access (only specific mounted directories)
Use hardened runtime (gVisor / MicroVM) if you’re serious about untrusted execution
Keep keys out of chat logs; use env vars/secrets management

Best for: security-conscious builders, anyone running agents on a machine with real credentials.