A Beginner‑Friendly Guide to Running OpenClaw for Free

#openclaw #ai #llm #tutorial

If you want to experiment with OpenClaw without paying for API calls, this walkthrough shows how to run the entire system using zero‑cost LLMs from OpenRouter and NVIDIA.

OpenClaw can automate your system, run commands, control your browser, and integrate with tools like Slack — all through a chat interface. The best part is that you don’t need a paid model to get started.

What This Guide Covers

• Installing OpenClaw on Windows
• Choosing free LLM providers
• Updating your config.json
• Testing commands and basic automation
• Adding integrations like Slack and browser control
• What free models handle well (and where they struggle)

Why Free Models Work Surprisingly Well

For everyday tasks — file operations, browser automation, running scripts, system commands — free models are more capable than you might expect. They only start to struggle with long reasoning chains or complex multi‑step planning.

A Note on Trust

Giving an AI agent access to your system is a big step. The guide walks through how OpenClaw handles permissions and how to experiment safely while keeping control over what the agent can do.