OpenClaw Tutorial: Build Your Own Private AI Assistant from Scratch

OpenClaw Tutorial: The Complete Guide to Building Your Private AI Assistant Ever wanted your own AI assistant — not a web-based ChatGPT wrapper, but something running on your server, always on, talking to you through Telegram? Something you actually control? That's exactly what OpenClaw does. It's an open-source AI assistant framework you can deploy on a VPS, Raspberry Pi, or even your laptop. Connect it to Telegram, WhatsApp, Discord — whatever you use. It supports 627+ AI models, the config is flexible, and getting started is easier than you'd think. Let's walk through it step by step. Step 1: Installation & Environment Setup (Node.js 22+, One-Line Install) System Requirements Before we start, make sure your environment checks these boxes: OS : Linux (Ubuntu 22.04+ recommended), macOS, or WSL2 Node.js : 22.0 or higher (hard requirement) RAM : 512MB minimum, 1GB+ recommended Network : Internet access (for AI model API calls) If you don't have Node.js 22+ yet, grab it with nvm: curl -o