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Setup

docs/cli/setup.md

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openclaw setup

Initialize the baseline config and agent workspace. With any onboarding flag present, also runs the wizard.

<Note> `openclaw setup` is for mutable config installs. In Nix mode (`OPENCLAW_NIX_MODE=1`) OpenClaw refuses setup writes because the config file is managed by Nix. Use the first-party [nix-openclaw Quick Start](https://github.com/openclaw/nix-openclaw#quick-start) or the equivalent source config for another Nix package. </Note>

Options

FlagDescription
--workspace <dir>Agent workspace directory (default ~/.openclaw/workspace; stored as agents.defaults.workspace).
--wizardRun interactive onboarding.
--non-interactiveRun onboarding without prompts.
--mode <mode>Onboarding mode: local or remote.
--import-from <provider>Migration provider to run during onboarding.
--import-source <path>Source agent home for --import-from.
--import-secretsImport supported secrets during onboarding migration.
--remote-url <url>Remote Gateway WebSocket URL.
--remote-token <token>Remote Gateway token (optional).

Wizard auto-trigger

openclaw setup runs the wizard when any of these flags are explicitly present, even without --wizard:

--wizard, --non-interactive, --mode, --import-from, --import-source, --import-secrets, --remote-url, --remote-token.

Examples

bash
openclaw setup
openclaw setup --workspace ~/.openclaw/workspace
openclaw setup --wizard
openclaw setup --wizard --import-from hermes --import-source ~/.hermes
openclaw setup --non-interactive --mode remote --remote-url wss://gateway-host:18789 --remote-token <token>

Notes

  • Plain openclaw setup initializes config and workspace without running the full onboarding flow.
  • After plain setup, run openclaw onboard for the full guided journey, openclaw configure for targeted changes, or openclaw channels add to add channel accounts.
  • If Hermes state is detected, interactive onboarding can offer migration automatically. Import onboarding requires a fresh setup; use Migrate for dry-run plans, backups, and overwrite mode outside onboarding.