OpenClaw First Config: Four Post-Install Steps

Install done ≠ usable

Service started is not the milestone. Do these four steps before channels and skills:

1. Set Gateway authentication
2. Configure at least one model provider
3. Run a first test
4. Run openclaw doctor

1. Gateway auth

openclaw config set gateway.auth.mode token
openclaw config set gateway.auth.token your-secure-token-here

Verify:

openclaw config list | grep gateway.auth

You should see gateway.auth.mode = token and a masked token.

2. Model provider

openclaw config set model.provider deepseek
openclaw config set model.api_key sk-your-key-here
openclaw config set model.name deepseek-chat

Or for OpenAI:

openclaw config set model.provider openai
openclaw config set model.api_key sk-***
openclaw config set model.name gpt-4o

3. First test

openclaw run --prompt "Hello"

You should get a model response. If not, check the API key and network.

4. Verify with doctor

openclaw doctor

Ensure all checks pass. For auto-fix of known issues:

openclaw doctor --repair

Checklist

• gateway.auth.mode set
• gateway.auth.token (or password) configured
• At least one model provider with valid API key
• openclaw run --prompt "Hello" returns a reply
• openclaw doctor passes

Extra resources

• If you need a dedicated debugging path, open Troubleshooting.
• For the latest config fields, check the official docs.
• If something breaks during setup, use GitHub Issues.