My Actual Setup — March 2026
Build Your First
AI Agent in
10 Steps.
My exact flow. Install OpenClaw, connect Claude Code or OpenAI, cd into your workspace, and start building. No fluff. No theory. Just the commands.
Real session. Claude Code diagnosing and fixing a LinkedIn AI agent — live, autonomous, no hand-holding. March 2026.
The Setup — 10 Steps
01
Install OpenClaw
Open your terminal and run the install script for your OS. One command. Done.
Terminal
$ curl -fsSL https://openclaw.ai/install.sh | bash02
Add Your LLM via OAuth
Connect your AI brain. Use the Anthropic or OpenAI OAuth token method to link your LLM to OpenClaw.
OpenClaw CLI
# Choose one
$ openclaw auth add --provider anthropic
$ openclaw auth add --provider openai💡
Both Claude and GPT-4 work. I use Claude — it's better at reasoning through complex configs and writing skills.
03
Find Your OpenClaw Workspace
OpenClaw creates a workspace inside your home folder automatically. This is your agent's brain — where skills, memory, and config live.
📁 ~/.openclaw/workspace/
🧠
Example:
Users/ashishpunj/.openclaw/workspace/04
Install Claude Code or OpenAI Shell
Open a second terminal and install your coding agent. Separate from OpenClaw — it's the power tool you'll use to configure your agent.
New Terminal
$ curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash🔥
Claude Code is my pick. It reads files, writes code, SSHs into servers, and deploys — all in one session.
05
Hit a Roadblock? Use AI to Debug
If your machine is acting up during setup — don't stop. Screenshot the error and drop it into Gemini, ChatGPT, or Claude.
📸
Every error is Googleable or AI-solvable. Share the screenshot, describe what you ran, and keep moving. There is always a way.
06
cd Into Your OpenClaw Workspace
Once Claude Code or OpenAI Shell launches, navigate inside your OpenClaw workspace. Your coding agent is now operating inside your agent's brain.
Claude Code / OpenAI CLI
$ cd ~/.openclaw/workspace🎯
Now you're in the right place. Everything you build from here lives in the agent.
07
Use Claude Code to Build Your Agent's Brain
This is where the magic happens. Use Claude Code to create skills, personas, cron jobs, and config — all from natural language.
⚡
Tell Claude Code what you want: "Set up a morning briefing cron at 7am", "Create a WhatsApp persona for my parents", "Deploy this site to Cloudflare." It just does it.
08
Keep This as Your Command Center
Claude Code + OpenClaw workspace = your deep fix and complex reasoning hub. When something breaks, when you want to build something new — come back here.
🧠
Think of it as engineering mode. Your agent runs autonomously day-to-day, but this is where you go when you need full control.
09
Connect WhatsApp or Telegram for Daily Use
For everyday interaction, configure OpenClaw with WhatsApp or Telegram. Now your agent lives in your phone — always on.
📱
This is the step that changes everything. Your AI isn't a tool you open — it's a teammate that's always running in the background.
10
You're Now in the Top 1%
With this setup you have the best AI config on your local machine that most people don't even know is possible.
🏆
You're not using AI. You're running AI. There's a difference — and you just crossed that line.
Top 1% Of AI Configs on the Planet
Most people use AI through a browser tab. You're running a persistent, autonomous agent on your own machine — with memory, skills, real integrations, and Claude Code as your co-pilot.
Agent, Not Chatbot
OpenClaw + Claude Code can read files, write code, send WhatsApp messages, and run tasks — without you asking twice.
Persistent Memory
Your agent remembers context across sessions. It knows your projects, your people, and your preferences.
24x Productivity
I built an AI that keeps my 84-year-old father company in Mohali, deploys websites in 30 seconds, and runs my LinkedIn automation — all from one workspace.