openclaw-openclaw/docs/start/wizard-cli-reference.md

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Step-by-step behavior for openclaw onboard: what each step does, config it writes, and internals	You need detailed behavior for a specific openclaw onboard step You are debugging onboarding results or integrating onboarding clients	CLI setup reference	CLI reference

This page covers step-by-step onboarding behavior, outputs, and internals. For a walkthrough, see Onboarding (CLI). For the full CLI flag reference (every --flag, non-interactive examples, provider-specific commands), see openclaw onboard.

What the wizard does

Local mode (default) walks you through:

• Model and auth setup (Anthropic, OpenAI Code subscription OAuth, xAI, OpenCode, custom endpoints, and more provider-owned auth flows)
• Workspace location and bootstrap files
• Gateway settings (port, bind, auth, Tailscale)
• Channels and providers (Discord, Feishu, Google Chat, iMessage, Mattermost, Microsoft Teams, QQ Bot, Signal, Slack, Telegram, WhatsApp, and other bundled or plugin channels)
• Web search provider (optional)
• Daemon install (LaunchAgent, systemd user unit, or native Windows Scheduled Task with Startup-folder fallback)
• Health check
• Skills setup

Remote mode configures this machine to connect to a Gateway elsewhere. It does not install or modify anything on the remote host.

Local flow details

- If `~/.openclaw/openclaw.json` exists, choose **Keep current values**, **Review and update**, or **Reset before setup**. - Re-running the wizard does not wipe anything unless you explicitly choose Reset (or pass `--reset`). - CLI `--reset` defaults to `config+creds+sessions`; use `--reset-scope full` to also remove the workspace. - If config is invalid or contains legacy keys, the wizard stops and asks you to run `openclaw doctor` before continuing. - Reset moves state to Trash (never deletes directly) and offers scopes: - Config only - Config + credentials + sessions - Full reset (also removes the workspace) - Full option matrix is in [Auth and model options](#auth-and-model-options). - Default `~/.openclaw/workspace` (configurable). - Seeds workspace files needed for first-run bootstrap. - Workspace layout: [Agent workspace](/concepts/agent-workspace). - Prompts for port, bind, auth mode, and Tailscale exposure. - Recommended: keep token auth enabled even for loopback so local WS clients must authenticate. - In token mode, interactive setup offers: - **Generate/store plaintext token** (default) - **Use SecretRef** (opt-in) - In password mode, interactive setup also supports plaintext or SecretRef storage. - Non-interactive token SecretRef path: `--gateway-token-ref-env `. - Requires a non-empty env var in the onboarding process environment. - Cannot be combined with `--gateway-token`. - Disable auth only if you fully trust every local process. - Non-loopback binds still require auth. - [WhatsApp](/channels/whatsapp): optional QR login - [Telegram](/channels/telegram): bot token - [Discord](/channels/discord): bot token - [Google Chat](/channels/googlechat): service account JSON + webhook audience - [Mattermost](/channels/mattermost): bot token + base URL - [Signal](/channels/signal): optional `signal-cli` install + account config - [iMessage](/channels/imessage): `imsg` CLI path + Messages DB access; use an SSH wrapper when the Gateway runs off-Mac - DM security: default is pairing. First DM sends a code; approve via `openclaw pairing approve ` or use allowlists. - Pick a provider (Brave, DuckDuckGo, Exa, Firecrawl, Gemini, Grok, Kimi, MiniMax Search, Ollama Web Search, Perplexity, SearXNG, Tavily) or skip. - Skip this step with `--skip-search`; reconfigure later with `openclaw configure --section web`. - macOS: LaunchAgent - Requires logged-in user session; for headless, use a custom LaunchDaemon (not shipped). - Linux and Windows via WSL2: systemd user unit - Wizard attempts `loginctl enable-linger ` so gateway stays up after logout. - May prompt for sudo (writes `/var/lib/systemd/linger`); it tries without sudo first. - Native Windows: Scheduled Task first - If task creation is denied, OpenClaw falls back to a per-user Startup-folder login item and starts the gateway immediately. - Scheduled Tasks remain preferred because they provide better supervisor status. - Runtime selection: only Node is offered interactively. Bun can corrupt memory on WhatsApp/Telegram reconnect and is not a supported daemon runtime for those channels; pass `--daemon-runtime bun` only outside that combination. - Starts gateway (if needed) and runs `openclaw health`. - `openclaw status --deep` adds the live gateway health probe to status output, including channel probes when supported. - Reads available skills and checks requirements. - Lets you choose node manager: npm, pnpm, or bun. - Installs optional dependencies for trusted bundled skills when the required installer is available. - Skips unavailable Homebrew, uv, and Go installers, then groups the affected skills with manual setup guidance. Run `openclaw doctor` after installing the missing prerequisites. - Summary and next steps, including iOS, Android, and macOS app options. If no GUI is detected, the wizard prints SSH port-forward instructions for the Control UI instead of opening a browser. If Control UI assets are missing, the wizard attempts to build them; fallback is `pnpm ui:build` (auto-installs UI deps).

Remote mode details

Remote mode configures this machine to connect to a Gateway elsewhere. It does not install or modify anything on the remote host.

What you set:

• Remote gateway URL (ws://... or wss://...)
• Token, password, or no auth, matching the remote Gateway's configuration

If `dns-sd` (macOS) or `avahi-browse` (Linux) is available, onboarding offers to search for Bonjour/mDNS gateway beacons before falling back to manual URL entry. Wide-area DNS-SD discovery is also attempted when configured. Docs: [Gateway discovery](/gateway/discovery), [Bonjour](/gateway/bonjour). When a beacon is selected, choose direct WebSocket or an SSH tunnel: - **Direct**: connects over `wss://` and prompts to trust the discovered TLS fingerprint (trust-on-first-use pinning; only pinned if you accept). - **SSH tunnel**: prints an `ssh -N -L 18789:127.0.0.1:18789 @` command to run first, then connects to the local tunnel endpoint. Choose token (recommended), password, or no auth, then optionally store it as a SecretRef instead of plaintext. If the gateway is loopback-only and not discoverable, use SSH tunneling or a tailnet manually. Plaintext `ws://` is accepted for loopback, private IP literals, `.local`, and Tailnet `*.ts.net` URLs; other private-DNS names need `OPENCLAW_ALLOW_INSECURE_PRIVATE_WS=1`.

Auth and model options

Uses `ANTHROPIC_API_KEY` if present or prompts for a key, then saves it for daemon use. Preferred local path in interactive onboarding/configure; reuses an existing Claude CLI sign-in when available. Browser flow; paste `code#state`.

Sets `agents.defaults.model` to `openai/gpt-5.5` through the Codex runtime when model is unset or already OpenAI-family.

Browser pairing flow with a short-lived device code.

Sets `agents.defaults.model` to `openai/gpt-5.5` through the Codex runtime when model is unset or already OpenAI-family.

Uses `OPENAI_API_KEY` if present or prompts for a key, then stores the credential in auth profiles.

Sets `agents.defaults.model` to `openai/gpt-5.5` when model is unset, `openai/*`, or legacy Codex model refs.

Browser sign-in for eligible SuperGrok or X Premium accounts. This is the recommended xAI path for most users. OpenClaw stores the resulting auth profile for Grok models, Grok `web_search`, `x_search`, and `code_execution`. Remote-friendly browser sign-in with a short code instead of a localhost callback. Use this from SSH, Docker, or VPS hosts. Prompts for `XAI_API_KEY` and configures xAI as a model provider. Use this when you want an xAI Console API key instead of subscription OAuth. Prompts for `OPENCODE_API_KEY` (or `OPENCODE_ZEN_API_KEY`) and lets you choose the Zen or Go catalog (one API key covers both). Setup URL: [opencode.ai/auth](https://opencode.ai/auth). Stores the key for you. Prompts for `AI_GATEWAY_API_KEY`. More detail: [Vercel AI Gateway](/providers/vercel-ai-gateway). Prompts for account ID, gateway ID, and `CLOUDFLARE_AI_GATEWAY_API_KEY`. More detail: [Cloudflare AI Gateway](/providers/cloudflare-ai-gateway). Config is auto-written. Hosted default is `MiniMax-M3`; API-key setup uses `minimax/...`, and OAuth setup uses `minimax-portal/...`. More detail: [MiniMax](/providers/minimax). Config is auto-written for StepFun standard or Step Plan on China or global endpoints. Standard currently includes `step-3.5-flash`, and Step Plan also includes `step-3.5-flash-2603`. More detail: [StepFun](/providers/stepfun). Prompts for `SYNTHETIC_API_KEY`. More detail: [Synthetic](/providers/synthetic). Prompts for `Cloud + Local`, `Cloud only`, or `Local only` first. `Cloud only` uses `OLLAMA_API_KEY` with `https://ollama.com`. The host-backed modes prompt for base URL (default `http://127.0.0.1:11434`), discover available models, and suggest defaults. `Cloud + Local` also checks whether that Ollama host is signed in for cloud access. More detail: [Ollama](/providers/ollama). Moonshot (Kimi K2) and Kimi Coding configs are auto-written. More detail: [Moonshot AI (Kimi + Kimi Coding)](/providers/moonshot). Works with OpenAI-compatible, OpenAI Responses-compatible, and Anthropic-compatible endpoints.

Interactive onboarding supports the same API key storage choices as other provider API key flows:
- **Paste API key now** (plaintext)
- **Use secret reference** (env ref or configured provider ref, with preflight validation)

Onboarding infers image support for common vision model IDs (GPT-4o/4.1/5.x, Claude 3/4, Gemini, Qwen-VL, LLaVA, Pixtral, and similar) and only asks when the model name is unknown.

Non-interactive flags:
- `--auth-choice custom-api-key`
- `--custom-base-url`
- `--custom-model-id`
- `--custom-api-key` (optional; falls back to `CUSTOM_API_KEY`)
- `--custom-provider-id` (optional)
- `--custom-compatibility <openai|openai-responses|anthropic>` (optional; default `openai`)
- `--custom-image-input` / `--custom-text-input` (optional; override inferred model input capability)

Leaves auth unconfigured.

Model behavior:

• Pick default model from detected options, or enter provider and model manually.
• When onboarding starts from a provider auth choice, the model picker prefers that provider automatically. For Volcengine and BytePlus, the same preference also matches their coding-plan variants (volcengine-plan/*, byteplus-plan/*).
• If that preferred-provider filter would be empty, the picker falls back to the full catalog instead of showing no models.
• Wizard runs a model check and warns if the configured model is unknown or missing auth.

Credential and profile paths:

• Auth profiles (API keys + OAuth): ~/.openclaw/agents/<agentId>/agent/auth-profiles.json
• Legacy OAuth import: ~/.openclaw/credentials/oauth.json

Credential storage mode:

• Default onboarding behavior persists API keys as plaintext values in auth profiles.
• --secret-input-mode ref enables reference mode instead of plaintext key storage. In interactive setup, you can choose either:
  • environment variable ref (for example keyRef: { source: "env", provider: "default", id: "OPENAI_API_KEY" })
  • configured provider ref (file or exec) with provider alias + id
• Interactive reference mode runs a fast preflight validation before saving.
  • Env refs: validates variable name + non-empty value in the current onboarding environment.
  • Provider refs: validates provider config and resolves the requested id.
  • If preflight fails, onboarding shows the error and lets you retry.
• In non-interactive mode, --secret-input-mode ref is env-backed only.
  • Set the provider env var in the onboarding process environment.
  • Inline key flags (for example --openai-api-key) require that env var to be set; otherwise onboarding fails fast.
  • For custom providers, non-interactive ref mode stores models.providers.<id>.apiKey as { source: "env", provider: "default", id: "CUSTOM_API_KEY" }.
  • In that custom-provider case, --custom-api-key requires CUSTOM_API_KEY to be set; otherwise onboarding fails fast.
• Gateway auth credentials support plaintext and SecretRef choices in interactive setup:
  • Token mode: Generate/store plaintext token (default) or Use SecretRef.
  • Password mode: plaintext or SecretRef.
• Non-interactive token SecretRef path: --gateway-token-ref-env <ENV_VAR>.
• Existing plaintext setups continue to work unchanged.

Headless and server tip: complete OAuth on a machine with a browser, then copy that agent's `auth-profiles.json` (for example `~/.openclaw/agents//agent/auth-profiles.json`, or the matching `$OPENCLAW_STATE_DIR/...` path) to the gateway host. `credentials/oauth.json` is only a legacy import source.

Outputs and internals

Typical fields in ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json:

• agents.defaults.workspace
• agents.defaults.skipBootstrap when --skip-bootstrap is passed
• agents.defaults.model / models.providers (if Minimax chosen)
• tools.profile (local onboarding defaults to "coding" when unset; existing explicit values are preserved)
• gateway.* (mode, bind, auth, tailscale)
• session.dmScope (local onboarding defaults this to per-channel-peer when unset; existing explicit values are preserved)
• channels.telegram.botToken, channels.discord.token, channels.matrix.*, channels.signal.*, channels.imessage.*
• Channel allowlists (Discord, iMessage, Signal, Slack, Telegram, WhatsApp) when you opt in during prompts; Discord and Slack also resolve entered names to IDs
• skills.install.nodeManager
  • The setup --node-manager flag accepts npm, pnpm, or bun.
  • Manual config can still set skills.install.nodeManager: "yarn" later.
• wizard.lastRunAt
• wizard.lastRunVersion
• wizard.lastRunCommit
• wizard.lastRunCommand
• wizard.lastRunMode
• wizard.securityAcknowledgedAt

openclaw agents add writes agents.list[] and optional bindings.

WhatsApp credentials go under ~/.openclaw/credentials/whatsapp/<accountId>/. Sessions are stored under ~/.openclaw/agents/<agentId>/sessions/.

Some channels are delivered as plugins. When selected during setup, the wizard prompts to install the plugin (npm or local path) before channel configuration.

Non-interactive setup

--non-interactive requires --accept-risk (acknowledges that agents are powerful and full system access is risky):

openclaw onboard --non-interactive --accept-risk \
  --auth-choice apiKey \
  --anthropic-api-key "$ANTHROPIC_API_KEY"

Full flag reference and provider-specific examples: openclaw onboard, CLI automation.

Gateway wizard RPC

• wizard.start
• wizard.next
• wizard.cancel
• wizard.status

Clients (macOS app and Control UI) can render steps without re-implementing onboarding logic.

Signal setup behavior

• Downloads the appropriate release asset from the official signal-cli GitHub releases (native build, Linux x86-64 only)
• On other platforms (macOS, non-x64 Linux), installs via Homebrew instead
• Stores the release-asset install under ~/.openclaw/tools/signal-cli/<version>/
• Writes channels.signal.cliPath in config
• Native Windows is not supported yet; run onboarding inside WSL2 to get the Linux install path

Related docs

• Onboarding hub: Onboarding (CLI)
• Automation and scripts: CLI Automation
• Command reference: openclaw onboard