Free OpenClaw Guide: Building an Automated AI Content Creation Workflow (Worth 5000 ¥)

Why OpenClaw

OpenClaw is a self‑hosted AI gateway that runs on a local machine and bridges messaging applications (Feishu, WhatsApp, Telegram, etc.) with AI assistants. Its core capabilities are a programmable skill system, workflow automation, multi‑channel support, and local data privacy.

Skill system : install skill packages for image generation, video processing, multi‑platform publishing, etc.

Workflow automation : configure scheduled tasks, webhooks, and multi‑agent routing.

Multi‑channel access : a single gateway can serve Feishu, WhatsApp, Telegram simultaneously.

Local execution : data stays on your hardware, avoiding third‑party privacy concerns.

Environment preparation

System requirements

Node 24 (recommended) or Node 22 LTS (22.16+) for compatibility.

Stable network connection.

API keys from the providers you will use.

Approximately 5 minutes for installation.

Supported OS: macOS, Linux, Windows (WSL2), Raspberry Pi, Docker, Kubernetes.

Check Node version

node --version

If the version is lower than 22.16, upgrade:

brew install node@22

nvm install 22
nvm use 22

Install OpenClaw

Method 1 – Quick install script (recommended)

macOS/Linux:

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

Windows (PowerShell):

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

Method 2 – npm global install

npm install -g openclaw@latest

Run configuration wizard

openclaw onboard --install-daemon

This command will:

Create ~/.openclaw/ directory.

Generate a default configuration file.

Optionally install a background daemon.

Validate installation

# Check OpenClaw version
openclaw --version
# Check gateway status
openclaw gateway status
# Open web dashboard
openclaw dashboard

If successful, a browser opens http://127.0.0.1:18789/ showing the control panel.

Skill system

OpenClaw’s skill system has three layers:

Packaged skills : built‑in with the installation.

Hosted/local skills : stored in ~/.openclaw/skills.

Workspace skills : stored in <workspace>/skills.

Priority order is workspace > local > packaged, allowing custom overrides.

ClawHub skill market

npm i -g clawhub

Search and install required skills, for example:

# Install Home Assistant skill
clawhub install homeassistant
# Install Bambu CLI (3D printer control)
clawhub install bambu-cli
# Update all installed skills
clawhub update --all

API configuration details

Anthropic (Claude) API

Option A – API key :

openclaw onboard --anthropic-api-key "$ANTHROPIC_API_KEY"

Configuration file ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json contains:

{
  "env": {"ANTHROPIC_API_KEY": "sk-ant-..."},
  "agents": {"defaults": {"model": {"primary": "anthropic/claude-opus-4-6"}}}
}

Option B – Subscription token :

# Generate token on any machine
claude setup-token
# Paste token on the gateway host
openclaw models auth paste-token --provider anthropic

Multi‑model configuration

{
  "agents": {
    "defaults": {
      "model": {
        "primary": "anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-5",
        "fallbacks": ["openai/gpt-5.2"]
      },
      "models": {
        "anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-5": {"alias": "Sonnet"},
        "openai/gpt-5.2": {"alias": "GPT"}
      }
    }
  }
}

Prompt caching (cost reduction)

Enable caching to avoid repeated prompts:

{
  "agents": {
    "defaults": {
      "models": {
        "anthropic/claude-opus-4-6": {
          "params": {
            "cacheRetention": "long",  // 1 hour cache
            "context1m": true           // 1 M context window (beta)
          }
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

none

: no cache. short: 5 minutes (default). long: 1 hour.

Budget settings

{
  "usageTracking": {
    "enabled": true,
    "budgetLimit": 100,   // monthly budget in USD
    "alertThreshold": 0.8 // warn at 80 %
  }
}

Disable heartbeat checks

{
  "agents": {
    "defaults": {
      "heartbeat": {"every": "0m"} // set to 0m to turn off
    }
  }
}

Feishu bot configuration

Run the onboarding wizard or add the channel manually:

openclaw onboard
openclaw channels add   # select Feishu

Edit ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json with your Feishu credentials:

{
  "channels": {
    "feishu": {
      "enabled": true,
      "dmPolicy": "pairing",
      "accounts": {
        "main": {
          "appId": "cli_xxx",
          "appSecret": "xxx",
          "botName": "My AI assistant"
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Required scopes in the Feishu Open Platform include aily:file:read, aily:file:write, im:message, and related permissions. Restart the gateway and test by sending a message to the bot; a proper reply confirms success.

Workflow example – Curtain image generation

Design flow

User sends a room photo via Feishu.

OpenClaw analyses the room style.

Calls the Moli (模力方舟) image‑generation API to create a curtain mock‑up.

Returns the processed image to the user.

Configure image‑gen skill

{
  "skills": {
    "entries": {
      "image-gen": {
        "enabled": true,
        "apiKey": {
          "source": "env",
          "provider": "default",
          "id": "MOLI_API_KEY"
        }
      }
    }
  },
  "env": {
    "MOLI_API_KEY": "your-moli-api-key-here"
  }
}

Feishu image handling

{
  "channels": {
    "feishu": {
      "enabled": true,
      "accounts": {
        "main": {
          "appId": "cli_xxx",
          "appSecret": "xxx",
          "botName": "窗帘助手"
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Test the workflow

Send a room photo in Feishu.

Enter the command “帮我生成这款窗帘的效果图”.

Receive the generated curtain image.

Common issues:

Missing aily:file:read permission – add it in Feishu scopes.

Invalid Moli API key – verify the key.

Quota exhausted – check usage limits.

Workflow example – Viral content dissection + copywriting

Design flow

User shares a short‑video or Xiaohongshu link.

OpenClaw uses its built‑in browser tool to fetch the page.

Extracts title, structure, keywords, and engagement data.

Calls Alibaba Cloud Baileian API to generate a new copy that preserves the original style.

Browser tool configuration

{
  "agents": {
    "list": [
      {
        "id": "content-creator",
        "workspace": "~/.openclaw/workspace-content",
        "tools": {"web": {"enabled": true}, "browser": {"enabled": true}}
      }
    ]
  }
}

Baileian API configuration

{
  "env": {"ALIYUN_BAILIAN_API_KEY": "your-aliyun-api-key-here"},
  "agents": {
    "defaults": {
      "models": {
        "aliyun/bailian-v1": {
          "alias": "Bailian",
          "apiKey": {"source": "env", "id": "ALIYUN_BAILIAN_API_KEY"}
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Using the workflow

Send a viral content link in Feishu.

Enter “拆解这篇内容,并生成类似的文案”.

AI fetches the page, analyses it, and returns a new piece of copy.

Optional multi‑platform publishing

clawhub search "publisher"
clawhub install multi-platform-publisher

{
  "skills": {
    "entries": {
      "multi-platform-publisher": {
        "enabled": true,
        "config": {
          "platforms": ["douyin", "xiaohongshu", "weibo"],
          "credentials": {
            // platform authentication details go here
          }
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Notion archiving

Method 1 – Webhook integration

{
  "hooks": {
    "enabled": true,
    "token": "shared-secret",
    "path": "/hooks",
    "mappings": [
      {
        "match": {"path": "notion"},
        "action": "agent",
        "agentId": "content-creator",
        "deliver": true
      }
    ]
  }
}

Configure a Notion webhook to call OpenClaw when a new page is created.

Method 2 – Custom Notion skill

Create a skill under ~/.openclaw/skills/ that uses the Notion API to create pages, then invoke it from a workflow.

Method 3 – Browser automation

Use the built‑in browser tool to log into Notion and programmatically create a page.

Common commands cheat sheet

Basic operations

# Start gateway
openclaw gateway --port 18789
# Check status
openclaw gateway status
# Open dashboard
openclaw dashboard
# Follow live logs
openclaw logs --follow
# Health check
openclaw health
# Run diagnostics
openclaw doctor
# Auto‑fix issues
openclaw doctor --fix

Skill management

# Search skills
clawhub search "keyword"
# Install a skill
clawhub install homeassistant
# Update all skills
clawhub update --all
# List installed skills
clawhub list
# Backup custom skills
clawhub sync --all

Channel management

# Add a channel
openclaw channels add
# Login to a channel (e.g., WhatsApp)
openclaw channels login
# View channel status
openclaw channels status

Feishu commands (send in chat)

“帮我生成这款窗帘的效果图” – after sending a photo.

“拆解这篇内容,并生成类似的文案” – after sending a link.

“把这篇内容存档到 Notion” – requires Notion integration.

“分析这个小红书账号的数据” – requires xiaohongshu-analytics skill.

FAQ

Q1: Cannot access http://localhost:18789

A: Verify the following:

OpenClaw is running: openclaw gateway status Port 18789 is not occupied: lsof -i :18789 Firewall rules allow the connection.

Q2: Feishu bot does not reply

A: Check Feishu Open Platform permission scopes, confirm appId and appSecret, and view logs with openclaw logs --follow | grep feishu.

Q3: Image generation fails

A:

Verify the Moli API key.

Ensure sufficient API quota.

Inspect OpenClaw logs for error details.

Q4: Skill installation fails

A:

Confirm network connectivity.

Ensure the skill exists on ClawHub.

Try downloading the package manually to ~/.openclaw/skills/.

Q5: How to backup configuration

# Copy the directory
cp -r ~/.openclaw ~/openclaw-backup-$(date +%Y%m%d)
# Or use git for versioning
cd ~/.openclaw
git init
git add .
git commit -m "Backup configuration"

Q6: View API usage

# Show current usage
openclaw usage
# Or inspect the config file
cat ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json | grep usageTracking