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Clawboo runs the same way for everyone. Install it with npm install -g clawboo and run clawboo (or npx clawboo to try it without installing), which launches a local dashboard and walks you through a first-run wizard. Onboarding is native-first: you paste one provider key and land in a working team, with no runtime to pick up front. The OpenClaw Gateway and the coding-agent runtimes are opt-in, connected during the optional Add-runtimes step or later from Settings. This page explains the fast native path and the OpenClaw path so you can choose which quickstart to follow.
These docs describe Clawboo v0.3.1, the current release.

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Prerequisites

  • Node.js 22 or newer: Clawboo’s engines field requires node >=22.0.0. The OpenClaw path also enforces this: the wizard’s detection step flags Node older than 22.
  • A provider API key if you choose the native path: Anthropic (sk-ant-…), OpenAI (sk-…), or OpenRouter (sk-or-…). A running local Ollama works with no key, and a ChatGPT subscription works with no key too (the OpenAI card’s Sign in with ChatGPT connects the Codex runtime). The OpenClaw path needs a provider key too, entered during Gateway configuration.
  • A global install (npm i -g clawboo) is recommended for a persistent clawboo command and one-click updates, but not required; npx clawboo downloads and launches the bundled dashboard server without one. (The OpenClaw path can install the openclaw CLI for you from inside the wizard.)
That is the full list. You do not need OpenClaw, a Gateway, Docker, or any database; Clawboo bundles its own SQLite store and dashboard server.

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What clawboo does

The launcher prints the Clawboo logo, does a quick informational probe of the OpenClaw Gateway port (localhost:18789) so it can tell you whether a Gateway is already up, starts the bundled dashboard server, then opens your browser at the discovered URL. The dashboard binds to loopback 127.0.0.1 on port 18790 (auto-falling back through 18790–18809 if that port is busy). On a fresh machine the first-run wizard appears. The Gateway probe is purely informational; a “No Gateway detected” result does not block anything; the dashboard simply guides you through setup either way. See Installation for the full launch sequence (port discovery, bundled vs dev server, the browser-open step).

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How onboarding flows

After the welcome splash, the wizard takes you straight to Connect your AI provider: pick a provider and paste a key (or point at a local Ollama) to power the built-in native runtime. An optional Add more runtimes step then lets you connect OpenClaw or a coding-agent runtime as peers, a Team step lets you pick a starter team from the marketplace and deploy it, and a final Your team is ready screen drops you into the dashboard. There is no up-front “pick a runtime” question; native is the default and everything else is additive. Both quickstarts share this spine; they differ only in whether you connect the OpenClaw Gateway along the way.
Nothing is permanent. Every runtime is a peer; you can add OpenClaw, Claude Code, Codex, or Hermes anytime from Settings, then the Runtimes panel, and mix runtimes within one team. See Connecting runtimes.

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The native path (the fast route)

Clawboo’s native runtime (clawboo-native) is an in-process harness that talks to provider SDKs directly (Anthropic, OpenAI, OpenRouter, or a local Ollama), so there is nothing extra to install and no Gateway. You paste a provider key, optionally test it, then click Continue; Clawboo stores the key in its encrypted vault. After an optional runtimes step, you pick a starter team from the marketplace and deploy it (every agent native, sharing one memory), and land directly in that team’s group chat. This is the fastest route to a running team. Follow it step by step in the native quickstart.

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The OpenClaw path (opt-in)

Want to run OpenClaw agents on a local Gateway? Connect OpenClaw from the wizard’s Add more runtimes step (a “Set up OpenClaw” detour that detects, installs, configures, and starts the Gateway, then returns you to the wizard) or later from Settings, then the Runtimes panel. The detour checks Node.js, whether the openclaw CLI is installed, and whether a Gateway is running, and can install OpenClaw, write its config and provider key, and start the Gateway for you. Once it is connected you can deploy or add OpenClaw agents to a team. This path involves more moving parts (a separate CLI and a long-lived Gateway process) but unlocks OpenClaw’s own agents and channels. Follow it step by step in the OpenClaw quickstart.

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Next steps

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See also

Last modified on August 6, 2026