OpenClaw Installation and Configuration Guide

This guide explains how to install OpenClaw and configure it to use CC Club’s API proxy.

About this document This document focuses on helping you configure the CC Club baseUrl and apiKey in OpenClaw, so you can access Claude without restrictions. For other OpenClaw features and detailed documentation, refer to the official documentation.

System Requirements

Item	Minimum	Recommended
Node.js	≥ 22.12.0	Latest LTS
Memory	1GB	4GB+
Operating system	macOS 12+ / Ubuntu 20.04+ / Windows 10+	macOS 14+

1. Install OpenClaw

macOS / Linux / WSL2:

curl -fsSL https://openclaw.ai/install.sh | bash

Windows (PowerShell):

iwr -useb https://openclaw.ai/install.ps1 | iex

The install script automatically detects your environment, installs the CLI, and runs the onboarding wizard. To skip the wizard and only install the CLI:

curl -fsSL https://openclaw.ai/install.sh | bash -s -- --no-onboard

brew install openclaw/tap/openclaw
openclaw onboard --install-daemon

# npm
npm install -g openclaw@latest
 
# or pnpm
pnpm add -g openclaw@latest
 
openclaw onboard --install-daemon

⚠️

If sharp installation fails (macOS + Homebrew libvips conflict), use:

npm install -g openclaw@latest --ignore-scripts
npm rebuild sharp --platform=linux --arch=x64

Ubuntu servers need Node.js installed first — nvm is recommended:

# Install nvm
curl -o- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvm-sh/nvm/v0.40.3/install.sh | bash
 
# Load nvm (no need to restart shell)
\. "$HOME/.nvm/nvm.sh"
 
# Install Node.js 24
nvm install 24
 
# Verify
node -v
npm -v

Then install OpenClaw:

npm install -g openclaw@latest

The Node.js path installed by nvm is written into the systemd service file. After upgrading the Node.js version, run openclaw doctor --repair to update the service configuration.

git clone https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw.git
cd openclaw
 
# One-click interactive startup
./docker-setup.sh

Or manually with Docker Compose:

cp .env.example .env
# Edit .env to fill in API keys and tokens
docker compose up -d

2. Run the Onboarding Wizard

After installation, run the onboarding to complete the initial configuration:

openclaw onboard --install-daemon

The wizard will guide you through:

Selecting a model provider (choose Anthropic)
Entering your API key
Setting up the Gateway (port, authentication method)
Configuring messaging channels (Telegram / WhatsApp / Discord, etc.)
Installing the background service (launchd / systemd / Windows scheduled task)

3. Configure the CC Club API Proxy

⚠️

Important: Using CC Club requires manually configuring two things: the API key and a custom baseUrl.

Configuration File Locations

OpenClaw’s configuration directory:

~/.openclaw/
├── openclaw.json               # Main configuration file
├── .env                        # Environment variables (API keys and other sensitive info)
└── agents/main/agent/
    └── auth-profiles.json      # API key credentials

Step 1: Write Your API Key

Edit ~/.openclaw/agents/main/agent/auth-profiles.json (Windows: C:\Users\<username>\.openclaw\agents\main\agent\auth-profiles.json):

{
  "version": 1,
  "profiles": {
    "anthropic:default": {
      "type": "api_key",
      "provider": "anthropic",
      "key": "your-CC-Club-API-Key"
    }
  },
  "lastGood": {
    "anthropic": "anthropic:default"
  }
}

You can also configure this via the command line:

openclaw onboard --auth-choice apiKey --anthropic-api-key your-CC-Club-API-Key

Step 2: Configure the Custom baseUrl

Edit ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json and add a models section:

{
  "models": {
    "mode": "merge",
    "providers": {
      "anthropic": {
        "baseUrl": "https://claude-code.club/api",
        "models": []
      }
    }
  }
}

"models": [] is required. Leaving it empty means the provider’s default model list will be used. Omitting this field will cause a configuration validation error:

Invalid config: models.providers.anthropic.models: expected array, received undefined

CC Club API Nodes

Choose the best node based on your network conditions:

Address	Description
`https://claude-code.club/api`	Default address (fastest when direct connection latency < 100ms)
`https://jp.claude-code.club/api`	Japan node (Alibaba Cloud, optimized for China)
`https://hk.claude-code.club/api`	Hong Kong node (Alibaba Cloud, optimized for China)

Enter one of the above addresses in the models.providers.anthropic.baseUrl field of openclaw.json.

Step 3: Restart the Gateway

launchctl stop ai.openclaw.gateway
launchctl start ai.openclaw.gateway

Or:

kill $(lsof -ti :18789) && openclaw gateway

systemctl --user restart openclaw-gateway.service

openclaw gateway stop
openclaw gateway start

4. Complete Configuration Example

Here is a complete openclaw.json example using CC Club:

{
  "meta": {
    "lastTouchedVersion": "2026.2.19"
  },
  "agents": {
    "defaults": {
      "model": {
        "primary": "anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-6"
      },
      "workspace": "~/.openclaw/workspace",
      "compaction": {
        "mode": "safeguard"
      }
    }
  },
  "models": {
    "mode": "merge",
    "providers": {
      "anthropic": {
        "baseUrl": "https://claude-code.club/api",
        "models": []
      }
    }
  },
  "commands": {
    "native": "auto",
    "nativeSkills": "auto"
  },
  "gateway": {
    "mode": "local",
    "auth": {
      "mode": "token",
      "token": "your-gateway-token"
    },
    "port": 18789
  }
}

Key configuration notes:

Config key	Description	Example value
`agents.defaults.model.primary`	Default model to use — requires provider prefix	`anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-6`
`models.providers.anthropic.baseUrl`	CC Club API address	`https://claude-code.club/api`
`models.providers.anthropic.models`	Model list — leave empty to use defaults	`[]`
`gateway.auth.token`	Dashboard access token	Generate with `openssl rand -hex 32`
`gateway.port`	Gateway listening port	`18789`

5. Start the Gateway

# Foreground (for debugging)
openclaw gateway --port 18789 --verbose
 
# Background service (recommended)
openclaw onboard --install-daemon

When the Gateway starts successfully, it will display:

[gateway] listening on ws://127.0.0.1:18789 (PID xxxxx)

Service Management

# Check status
launchctl list | grep openclaw
 
# Stop / Start
launchctl stop ai.openclaw.gateway
launchctl start ai.openclaw.gateway

# Check status
systemctl --user status openclaw-gateway
 
# Restart
systemctl --user restart openclaw-gateway
 
# View logs
journalctl --user -u openclaw-gateway -f

# Install as a scheduled task with administrator privileges
openclaw gateway install --force
openclaw gateway start
openclaw gateway status
 
# Uninstall
openclaw gateway uninstall

6. Access the Dashboard

# Open automatically (recommended)
openclaw dashboard
 
# Or navigate manually
# http://127.0.0.1:18789/#token=your-gateway-token

Dashboard features:

Feature	Description
Chat	Chat directly with AI
Agents	Manage agent sessions and history
Channels	View channel status
Models	View available models
Settings	Configure tokens, themes, etc.

7. Configure Messaging Channels

Create a Bot

Open Telegram, find @BotFather, send /newbot, set a name and username as prompted, and obtain the Bot Token (format: 123456789:ABCDEF...).

Configure the Channel

Add the following to ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json:

{
  "channels": {
    "telegram": {
      "enabled": true,
      "dmPolicy": "open",
      "allowFrom": ["*"],
      "groupPolicy": "allowlist",
      "streamMode": "partial"
    }
  },
  "plugins": {
    "entries": {
      "telegram": { "enabled": true }
    }
  }
}

Set the Bot Token

# ~/.openclaw/.env
TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN=123456789:ABCDEF...

Pair with Telegram

Send a message to your Bot in Telegram. The Bot will return a pairing code, which you then approve on the server:

openclaw pairing approve telegram XXXXXXXX

Discord / Slack / WhatsApp

WhatsApp requires scanning a QR code to log in:

openclaw channels login --channel whatsapp

For Discord and Slack, configure the Bot Token in .env — see the official documentation for details.

8. Complete Ubuntu Server Setup

Full steps for deploying OpenClaw on a remote Ubuntu server:

Install Node.js (via nvm)

curl -o- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvm-sh/nvm/v0.40.3/install.sh | bash
\. "$HOME/.nvm/nvm.sh"
nvm install 24

Install OpenClaw

npm install -g openclaw@latest

Configure CC Club API Key

Edit ~/.openclaw/agents/main/agent/auth-profiles.json:

{
  "version": 1,
  "profiles": {
    "anthropic:default": {
      "type": "api_key",
      "provider": "anthropic",
      "key": "cr_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"
    }
  },
  "lastGood": {
    "anthropic": "anthropic:default"
  }
}

Configure the Custom baseUrl

Edit ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json:

{
  "models": {
    "mode": "merge",
    "providers": {
      "anthropic": {
        "baseUrl": "https://claude-code.club/api",
        "models": []
      }
    }
  }
}

Run the Onboarding Wizard

openclaw onboard --install-daemon

Select the Anthropic model in the wizard and configure your Telegram Bot Token.

Pair with Telegram

openclaw pairing approve telegram XXXXXXXX

9. Troubleshooting

API Key Error: `No API key found for provider "anthropic"`

Checklist:

Confirm the file exists: ~/.openclaw/agents/main/agent/auth-profiles.json
Confirm the format is correct (refer to Section 3)
Restart the Gateway

Configuration File Validation Failure

Invalid config: models.providers.anthropic.models: expected array, received undefined

Fix: Add "models": [] under models.providers.anthropic in openclaw.json.

Gateway Port Already in Use

Port 18789 is already in use. pid xxxxx

Fix (Linux/macOS):

kill $(lsof -ti :18789)

Fix (Windows):

Stop-Process -Id <pid> -Force

TUI shows `pairing required` or `device token mismatch`

# Clear old device pairing files
rm -f ~/.openclaw/devices/paired.json \
      ~/.openclaw/identity/device-auth.json \
      ~/.openclaw/identity/device.json
 
# Restart Gateway
systemctl --user restart openclaw-gateway.service
 
# Verify status
sleep 5 && openclaw gateway status

Dashboard shows “unauthorized”

Access with a token-bearing URL:

http://localhost:18789/#token=your-gateway-token

Or view the current token:

openclaw config get gateway.auth.token

Verify Proxy Reachability

curl -X POST "https://claude-code.club/api/v1/messages" \
  -H "x-api-key: your-API-Key" \
  -H "anthropic-version: 2023-06-01" \
  -H "content-type: application/json" \
  -d '{"model":"claude-sonnet-4-6","max_tokens":64,"messages":[{"role":"user","content":"hi"}]}'

Update OpenClaw

# Stable release (recommended)
openclaw update --channel stable
 
# Or update directly via npm
npm update -g openclaw

Quick Command Reference

openclaw --version              # Show version
openclaw doctor                 # Diagnose configuration issues
openclaw doctor --repair        # Auto-fix configuration
openclaw gateway --verbose      # Start Gateway (verbose logging)
openclaw dashboard              # Open Dashboard
openclaw status                 # Show running status
openclaw onboard                # Re-run the onboarding wizard
openclaw tui                    # Open the terminal interactive interface
openclaw logs --follow          # Stream logs in real time
openclaw update --channel stable # Update to stable release

Comparison with Claude Code

Item	Claude Code	OpenClaw
Purpose	Command-line coding assistant	Self-hosted multi-channel AI gateway
Configuration tool	CC Switch / environment variables	Manual JSON editing
Configuration file	`~/.claude/settings.json`	`~/.openclaw/openclaw.json`
API key storage	Environment variables	`auth-profiles.json`
Interface	Command line	Web Dashboard
Messaging platforms	Terminal	Telegram, WhatsApp, and 20+ more

References

Official documentation: https://docs.openclaw.ai/
GitHub repository: https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw
Get CC Club API Key
CC Club Node Configuration

Note: Compared to Claude Code, OpenClaw may consume more quota because it needs to handle more channels and context requests.

Introduction

OpenClaw Installation and Configuration Guide

System Requirements

1. Install OpenClaw

2. Run the Onboarding Wizard

3. Configure the CC Club API Proxy

Configuration File Locations

Step 1: Write Your API Key

Step 2: Configure the Custom baseUrl

CC Club API Nodes

Step 3: Restart the Gateway

4. Complete Configuration Example

5. Start the Gateway

Service Management

6. Access the Dashboard

7. Configure Messaging Channels

Telegram

Create a Bot

Configure the Channel

Set the Bot Token

Pair with Telegram

Discord / Slack / WhatsApp

8. Complete Ubuntu Server Setup

Install Node.js (via nvm)

Install OpenClaw

Configure CC Club API Key

Configure the Custom baseUrl

Run the Onboarding Wizard

Pair with Telegram

9. Troubleshooting

API Key Error: No API key found for provider "anthropic"

Configuration File Validation Failure

Gateway Port Already in Use

TUI shows pairing required or device token mismatch

Dashboard shows “unauthorized”

Verify Proxy Reachability

Update OpenClaw

Quick Command Reference

Comparison with Claude Code

References

API Key Error: `No API key found for provider "anthropic"`

TUI shows `pairing required` or `device token mismatch`