Open Source

OpenClaw Quickstart

OpenClaw is an open-source agent orchestrator that gives Claude Code a persistent brain — memory, agents, workflows, and skills — all in plain text files.

What Is OpenClaw?

OpenClaw sits on top of Claude Code and adds structure. Without it, each Claude session starts fresh with no memory of what happened before. With it, your agent knows its role, remembers past decisions, and follows consistent workflows.

Everything lives in plain markdown files checked into your repository. No database, no proprietary format, no lock-in. If you stop using OpenClaw, the files stay and you can read every decision your agent ever made.

Free and open source. OpenClaw is MIT-licensed. The AI Starter Package builds on top of it with pre-configured agents, memory architecture, and 1,730+ skills — delivered as a ready-to-run workspace.

Core Concepts

Agents

Specialist AI personalities with defined roles, memory, and tools. Each agent handles a specific type of work.

Workflows

Ordered sequences of agent tasks. A workflow might run planner → coder → reviewer in sequence.

Memory

Persistent context that survives across sessions. Stored in markdown files, read at session start.

Skills

Reusable prompt libraries loaded on demand. Skills give agents specialized domain knowledge without bloating the base prompt.

Installation & First Run

Install OpenClaw

npm install -g openclaw

Initialise a workspace

openclaw init my-workspace

Configure your first agent

openclaw agent create --name planner

Run a workflow

openclaw run planning --task "Build a login page"

Connect to Claude Code

openclaw connect --runtime claude-code

Your First Agent Configuration

An agent is defined by a markdown file in openclaw/workspace/agents/. Here's a minimal example:

# Planner Agent

## Role
You are a senior software architect. When given a feature request,
you break it down into a concrete implementation plan with ordered steps.

## Memory
Read MEMORY.md before every response.
Write key decisions to MEMORY.md after completing a plan.

## Output Format
Always return a numbered task list with:
- Task description
- Estimated complexity (S/M/L)
- Dependencies on other tasks
- Files likely to be modified

Connecting to Claude Code

OpenClaw uses Claude Code as its execution runtime. Point OpenClaw at your Claude Code installation and it will spawn sessions automatically:

# openclaw/config.json
{
  "runtime": "claude-code",
  "model": "claude-sonnet-4-5",
  "workspace": "./openclaw/workspace",
  "memory": "./openclaw/workspace/MEMORY.md",
  "agents_dir": "./openclaw/workspace/agents"
}

Once connected, running openclaw run <workflow> launches a Claude Code session with the right agent context already loaded.

Ready for the Full Setup?

The full OpenClaw setup guide covers the 7-layer brain architecture, 12-agent army, 5-tier memory, and automated workflows — exactly how we configure it for customers.

Full OpenClaw Setup Guide View Pricing