What To Do After
Installing Openclaw

You're Installed – Now What?

If you used the automated installer, Openclaw (now called Moltbot) is already running on your VPS as a system service. But an installed binary isn't a useful assistant yet—you still need to run the setup wizard, plug in API keys, and connect channels so your AI assistant can actually talk to users.

This guide walks you through the exact sequence of steps to take immediately after installation, based on the official Openclaw/Moltbot docs and our own setup wizard guide.

1. Confirm the Service Is Running

First, make sure the gateway is actually alive. SSH into your VPS:

ssh clawd@YOUR_VPS_IP
# or, if you only have root:
ssh root@YOUR_VPS_IP

Then check the systemd service status:

sudo systemctl status openclaw.service

You should see active (running). If not, restart it with:

sudo systemctl restart openclaw.service

2. Open the Dashboard via SSH Tunnel

Openclaw exposes a local web dashboard (the Gateway UI) on port 18789. For security, it’s bound to 127.0.0.1 on the VPS, so you should access it through an SSH tunnel from your own machine.

1. Open a terminal on your local computer and run:

   ssh -L 18789:127.0.0.1:18789 clawd@YOUR_VPS_IP

2. Leave that terminal window open. It keeps the tunnel alive.
3. In your browser, open:

   http://127.0.0.1:18789/

You should now see the Openclaw dashboard with chats, config, channels, and sessions—this is your control center.

3. Run the Setup Wizard (`openclaw onboard`)

The setup wizard configures your AI provider, identity, and basic defaults. According to the official Moltbot/Openclaw CLI docs, you’ll use the openclaw onboard command for this.

Step 3.1 – SSH into the VPS

From your local machine:

ssh clawd@YOUR_VPS_IP
# or
ssh root@YOUR_VPS_IP

Step 3.2 – Start the wizard

Once logged in, run:

openclaw onboard

The wizard will prompt you for:

• Instance name – what you want to call this assistant.
• Primary provider – e.g. Anthropic (Claude) or OpenAI.
• API key – paste the key from your provider dashboard.
• Default language / tone (optional).

API keys are entered directly into the VPS wizard. They never go through the ClawdInstaller service, which keeps secrets under your control.

4. Connect Channels (`openclaw channels login`)

After onboarding, you can connect messaging channels so real users can talk to Openclaw.

From the same SSH session:

openclaw channels login

The CLI will walk you through each supported channel (based on current Openclaw docs), for example:

• Telegram – asks for a bot token from @BotFather.
• WhatsApp – may show a QR code or ask for Cloud API credentials (Facebook Business) depending on your integration method.
• Discord / Slack – ask for bot tokens and channel IDs.

You can always re-run openclaw channels login later to add or reconfigure channels.

5. Verify Everything Is Working

1. Check gateway health:

   sudo systemctl status openclaw.service

2. Open the dashboard via SSH tunnel at http://127.0.0.1:18789/ and confirm your instance name shows up.
3. Send a test message from Telegram/WhatsApp/Discord (whichever you connected) like: “Hi Openclaw”
4. Watch the dashboard logs to confirm the message is received and answered.

6. Where Our Installer Stops (and You Begin)

ClawdInstaller automates the VPS provisioning and core install, but post-install configuration is intentionally done on your VPS, using the official Moltbot/Openclaw CLI. That’s where you:

• Enter API keys directly into your server.
• Choose your provider and defaults.
• Connect messaging channels.
• Optionally install Premium skills and workflows.

7. Summary Checklist

• ✅ Service running: systemctl status openclaw.service.
• ✅ Dashboard reachable on http://127.0.0.1:18789/ via SSH tunnel.
• ✅ Setup wizard completed: openclaw onboard.
• ✅ Channels connected: openclaw channels login.
• ✅ Test message sent and answered in at least one channel.

Once you’ve checked all of the above, Openclaw isn’t just “installed” anymore—it’s live and ready to handle real traffic.