---
summary: "CLI onboarding: guided setup for gateway, workspace, channels, and skills"
read_when:
  - Running or configuring CLI onboarding
  - Setting up a new machine
title: "Onboarding (CLI)"
sidebarTitle: "Onboarding: CLI"
---

```bash
openclaw onboard
```

CLI onboarding is the recommended terminal setup path on macOS, Linux, and
Windows (native or WSL2). By default it detects AI access already available on
the machine, verifies it with a real completion, and configures a workspace and
local Gateway. `openclaw setup` runs the same flow ([Setup](/cli/setup) covers
the `--baseline` config-only variant). Windows desktop users can also start
from [Windows Hub](/platforms/windows).

The guided flow offers the classic wizard for provider sign-in, remote Gateway
setup, channel pairing, daemon controls, skills, and imports. You can also open
Crestodian chat or skip AI setup and return later.

Guided setup, the classic wizard, and Crestodian chat are interchangeable. The
guided flow offers chat and classic choices; inside Crestodian, use `open setup
wizard`, `open classic wizard`, or `open channel wizard for <channel>` to switch
back. Channel setup that needs secrets always continues in a masked terminal
wizard.

<Info>
Fastest first chat: finish guided setup, run `openclaw dashboard`, and chat in
the browser through the Control UI. Docs: [Dashboard](/web/dashboard).
</Info>

## Locale

The wizard localizes fixed onboarding copy. Resolve order: `OPENCLAW_LOCALE`,
`LC_ALL`, `LC_MESSAGES`, `LANG`, then English. Supported locales: `en`,
`zh-CN`, `zh-TW`.

```bash
OPENCLAW_LOCALE=zh-CN openclaw onboard
```

Product names, commands, config keys, URLs, provider IDs, model IDs, and
plugin/channel labels stay in English regardless of locale.

To reconfigure later:

```bash
openclaw configure
openclaw agents add <name>
```

<Note>
`--json` does not imply non-interactive mode. For scripts, use `--non-interactive` (see [CLI automation](/start/wizard-cli-automation)).
</Note>

<Tip>
The classic wizard includes a web search step where you can pick a provider: Brave,
DuckDuckGo, Exa, Firecrawl, Gemini, Grok, Kimi, MiniMax Search, Ollama Web
Search, Perplexity, SearXNG, or Tavily. Some need an API key; others are
key-free. Configure this later with `openclaw configure --section web`. Docs:
[Web tools](/tools/web).
</Tip>

## Guided default

Plain `openclaw onboard` follows this path:

1. Accept the security notice and choose the workspace.
2. Detect configured models, API-key environment variables, and supported local
   AI CLIs.
3. Test the recommended candidate with a real completion. On failure, show the
   reason and continue to the next usable candidate.
4. If detection is exhausted, try another detected candidate, enter a provider
   API key in a masked prompt, open Crestodian chat, use the classic wizard, or
   skip AI setup.
5. Persist the model, credential, workspace, and QuickStart Gateway settings
   only after a passing test. Then install/start the Gateway service and probe
   it for reachability.

Re-running the command on a configured installation tests the current default
model first, making the guided flow a verification and repair pass. A failing
check never replaces the configured model automatically; onboarding stops and
asks how to continue. Run `openclaw channels add` or `openclaw configure` for
later additions.

## Classic wizard: QuickStart vs Advanced

Run `openclaw onboard --classic` to open the full wizard. It starts with a
choice between **QuickStart** (defaults) and **Advanced** (full control). Pass
`--flow quickstart` or `--flow advanced` (alias `manual`) to select the classic
flow and skip that prompt.

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="QuickStart (defaults)">
    - Local gateway, loopback bind
    - Workspace default (or existing workspace)
    - Gateway port **18789**
    - Gateway auth **Token** (auto-generated, even on loopback)
    - Tool policy: `tools.profile: "coding"` for new setups (an existing explicit profile is preserved)
    - DM isolation: `session.dmScope: "per-channel-peer"` for new setups. Details: [CLI setup reference](/start/wizard-cli-reference#outputs-and-internals)
    - Tailscale exposure **Off**
    - Telegram and WhatsApp DMs default to **allowlist**: Telegram asks for a numeric Telegram user ID, WhatsApp asks for a phone number

  </Tab>
  <Tab title="Advanced (full control)">
    - Exposes every step: mode, workspace, gateway, channels, daemon, skills

  </Tab>
</Tabs>

Remote mode (`--mode remote`) always uses the advanced flow; it only
configures this machine to connect to a Gateway elsewhere and never installs
or changes anything on the remote host.

## What classic onboarding configures

Local mode (default) walks through these steps:

1. **Model/Auth** - pick a provider auth flow (API key, OAuth, or
   provider-specific manual auth), including Custom Provider
   (OpenAI-compatible, OpenAI Responses-compatible, Anthropic-compatible, or
   Unknown auto-detect). Pick a default model.
   Security note: if this agent will run tools or process webhook/hook
   content, prefer the strongest latest-generation model available and keep
   tool policy strict - weaker or older tiers are easier to prompt-inject.
   For non-interactive runs, `--secret-input-mode ref` stores env-backed refs
   instead of plaintext API key values; the referenced env var must already
   be set, or onboarding fails fast. Interactive secret reference mode can
   point at an environment variable or a configured provider ref (`file` or
   `exec`), with a fast preflight check before saving. After model/auth setup,
   the wizard offers an optional live completion test; a failure can return to
   model/auth setup once or be ignored without blocking the rest of onboarding.
2. **Workspace** - directory for agent files (default `~/.openclaw/workspace`). Seeds bootstrap files.
3. **Gateway** - port, bind address, auth mode, Tailscale exposure. In
   interactive token mode, choose plaintext token storage (default) or opt
   into a SecretRef. Non-interactive SecretRef path: `--gateway-token-ref-env <ENV_VAR>`.
4. **Channels** - built-in and official plugin chat channels, including
   Discord, Feishu, Google Chat, iMessage, Mattermost, Microsoft Teams,
   QQ Bot, Signal, Slack, Telegram, WhatsApp, and more.
5. **Daemon** - installs a LaunchAgent (macOS), a systemd user unit
   (Linux/WSL2), or a native Windows Scheduled Task with a per-user
   Startup-folder fallback.
   If token auth is required and `gateway.auth.token` is SecretRef-managed,
   daemon install validates it but does not persist a resolved token into
   supervisor service environment metadata; an unresolved SecretRef blocks
   install with guidance. If both `gateway.auth.token` and
   `gateway.auth.password` are set while `gateway.auth.mode` is unset, install
   is blocked until you set the mode explicitly.
6. **Health check** - starts the Gateway and verifies it is reachable.
7. **Skills** - installs recommended skills and their optional dependencies.

<Note>
Re-running onboarding does **not** wipe anything unless you explicitly choose
**Reset** (or pass `--reset`). CLI `--reset` defaults to config, credentials,
and sessions; use `--reset-scope full` to also remove the workspace. If the
config is invalid or contains legacy keys, onboarding asks you to run
`openclaw doctor` first.
</Note>

`--flow import` runs a detected migration flow (for example Hermes) in the
classic wizard instead of fresh setup; see [Migrate](/cli/migrate) and the migration guides under
[Install](/install/migrating-hermes). `openclaw onboard --modern` starts
[Crestodian](/cli/crestodian), a conversational setup/repair assistant.
`openclaw crestodian` opens the same assistant directly.

## Add another agent

Use `openclaw agents add <name>` to create a separate agent with its own
workspace, sessions, and auth profiles. Running without `--workspace` starts
an interactive flow for name, workspace, auth, channels, and bindings - it is
not the full `openclaw onboard` wizard.

What it sets:

- `agents.list[].name`
- `agents.list[].workspace`
- `agents.list[].agentDir`

Notes:

- Default workspace: `~/.openclaw/workspace-<agentId>` (or under
  `agents.defaults.workspace` if that is set).
- Add `bindings` to route inbound messages to this agent (onboarding can do this for you).
- Non-interactive flags: `--model`, `--agent-dir`, `--bind`, `--non-interactive`.

## Full reference

For detailed step-by-step behavior and config outputs, see
[CLI setup reference](/start/wizard-cli-reference).
For non-interactive examples, see [CLI automation](/start/wizard-cli-automation).
For the full flag reference, see [`openclaw onboard`](/cli/onboard).

## Related docs

- CLI command reference: [`openclaw onboard`](/cli/onboard)
- Onboarding overview: [Onboarding overview](/start/onboarding-overview)
- macOS app onboarding: [Onboarding](/start/onboarding)
- Agent first-run ritual: [Agent Bootstrapping](/start/bootstrapping)