Guide
OpenClaw AI Agent: Build Your Own AI Agent
OpenClaw turns any large language model into a personal AI agent that lives on your favorite messaging platform — with memory, skills, and full control.
What Is an OpenClaw AI Agent?
An OpenClaw AI agent is a persistent, configurable assistant powered by the LLM of your choice. Unlike a basic chatbot, an OpenClaw agent can:
- Remember conversations — Maintains context across sessions with configurable memory
- Use tools and skills — Search the web, run code, manage files, automate browsers, and more
- Live on any platform — Telegram, Discord, WhatsApp, WeChat, or a web interface
- Use any AI model — Claude, GPT, Gemini, DeepSeek, Ollama, or 100+ others
- Work autonomously — Execute multi-step tasks, schedule actions, and operate in the background
How It Works
At its core, an OpenClaw AI agent connects three things:
- An AI model (the brain) — Processes messages and generates responses
- Skills and tools (the hands) — Let the agent interact with the outside world
- A chat platform (the mouth) — Where you and the agent communicate
OpenClaw orchestrates these components, handling message routing, tool execution, memory management, and authentication so you can focus on what your agent does, not how it works.
Deploy an AI Agent in 10 Seconds
The fastest way to get a running AI agent:
- Go to openclawlaunch.com and open the configurator.
- Choose your AI model (e.g., Claude Sonnet 4.6).
- Select a chat platform (Telegram, Discord, or Web).
- Click Deploy. Your AI agent is live.
No server needed: OpenClaw Launch hosts and manages your agent. AI credits are included — start chatting immediately after deployment.
What Can an AI Agent Do?
| Capability | Examples | Requires |
|---|---|---|
| Conversation | Chat, Q&A, brainstorming, writing | Just an AI model |
| Web Search | Find information, research topics, check facts | Search skill (Tavily, Brave, SearXNG) |
| Code Execution | Run Python/JS, data analysis, calculations | Code runner skill |
| Browser Automation | Fill forms, scrape pages, take screenshots | Browser skill (Playwright) |
| File Management | Read PDFs, process spreadsheets, generate docs | File manager skill |
| Memory | Remember preferences, past conversations, key facts | Memory configuration |
| Multi-Agent | Delegate tasks to specialized sub-agents | Agent-to-agent setup |
AI Agent Use Cases
- Personal Assistant — Daily help with scheduling, reminders, research, and writing
- Customer Support — Automated responses to common questions with human escalation
- Research Agent — Deep web research, summarization, and knowledge gathering
- Code Automation — Write, test, and deploy code from your chat platform
- Content Creator — Draft articles, social posts, emails, and marketing copy
- Team Assistant — Shared agent for your team's Discord or Slack
Choosing the Right Model for Your Agent
The model you choose determines your agent's intelligence, speed, and cost:
| Use Case | Recommended Model | Why |
|---|---|---|
| General assistant | Claude Sonnet 4.6 | Best quality-to-cost ratio |
| Budget / high-volume | DeepSeek V3 or Haiku 4.5 | Low cost per message |
| Complex research | Claude Opus 4.6 or GPT-5.2 | Strongest reasoning |
| Privacy-first | Ollama (local) | Runs on your hardware, no data leaves |
You can switch models anytime with the /model command — no redeployment needed.
Self-Hosted vs Managed
| Feature | OpenClaw Launch (Managed) | Self-Hosted |
|---|---|---|
| Setup time | 10 seconds | 15-30 minutes |
| Server management | None (we handle it) | You manage |
| AI credits | Included | Bring your own API key |
| Custom skills | Pre-configured selection | Full control |
| Cost | From $3/month | Server + API costs |
What's Next?
- Setup Guide — Step-by-step configuration for self-hosted agents
- Advanced Agent Config — Multi-agent, custom prompts, and advanced settings
- Best Skills — Top skills to add to your agent
- Dreaming Memory — Experimental memory consolidation for smarter agents
- Compare Alternatives — See how OpenClaw compares to other AI agent platforms