OpenClaw Setup

Use This Workflow

1. Prepare Linux runtime and install OpenClaw.
2. Discover channels from official docs (required for new channel requests).
3. Install and verify channel integrations.
4. Create/merge

   ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json

   .
5. Configure and start gateway service.
6. Run health checks and collect logs.

Prerequisites

• SSH access to target Linux host (Debian/Ubuntu preferred).
• DingTalk enterprise app credentials (

  AppKey

  ,

  AppSecret

  ) for the official connector, or Feishu app credentials (

  App ID

  ,

  App Secret

  ), or Discord bot token.
• DashScope API key.

Step 1: Prepare Runtime

ssh root@<server>
curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_20.x | bash -
apt-get install -y nodejs
node --version
npm --version

Step 2: Install OpenClaw and Channel Integrations

npm install -g openclaw@latest
openclaw --version

# DingTalk official connector
openclaw plugins install @dingtalk-real-ai/dingtalk-connector --pin
# or install from official GitHub repo
openclaw plugins install https://github.com/DingTalk-Real-AI/dingtalk-openclaw-connector.git
openclaw plugins list | grep dingtalk

# Feishu channel
openclaw plugins install @openclaw/feishu
openclaw plugins list | grep feishu

# Discord channel (built-in, no extra plugin needed)
# Configure token in Step 3 and start gateway in Step 4

plugins.allow

Step 3: Auto-Discover Additional Channels from Official Docs

1. Open

   https://docs.openclaw.ai/channels/index

   .
2. Identify requested channel pages from the "Supported channels" list.
3. Open each channel page and extract:
   • Whether it is built-in or plugin-based.
   • Exact install command (do not guess package names).
   • Required credentials/tokens and config keys.
4. Apply installation/configuration on host.
5. Record channel-specific notes into

   ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json

   .

Step 4: Configure

openclaw.json

~/.openclaw/openclaw.json

• models.providers.bailian

  for DashScope endpoint and models.

• agents.defaults.model.primary

  in

  provider/model

  format, default to

  bailian/glm-5

  .

• models.providers.bailian.models

  ordered as:

  1. qwen3-plus

  2. glm-5

  3. minimax-m2.5

  4. kimi-k2.5

• agents.defaults.model.fallbacks

  ordered as:

  1. bailian/qwen3-plus

  2. bailian/minimax-m2.5

  3. bailian/kimi-k2.5

• channels.dingtalk-connector

  ,

  channels.feishu

  , or

  channels.discord

  credentials and policy.

• plugins.allow

  including installed channel plugins.

• Agent-level model config at

  ~/.openclaw/agents/main/agent/models.json

  can override

  ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json

  .
• Keep provider definitions aligned in both files when defaults appear not to take effect.
• Protocol must match endpoint:

  • api: openai-completions

    -> use

    https://dashscope.aliyuncs.com/compatible-mode/v1

  • api: openai-responses

    -> use

    https://dashscope.aliyuncs.com/api/v2/apps/protocols/compatible-mode/v1

Step 5: Install and Start Gateway

openclaw gateway install
openclaw gateway start
openclaw gateway status

systemctl --user import-environment DASHSCOPE_API_KEY
systemctl --user daemon-reload
systemctl --user restart openclaw-gateway

Step 6: Verify and Troubleshoot

openclaw doctor
openclaw gateway status
openclaw gateway logs -f

• Plugin not loaded: re-run plugin install and check

  plugins.allow

  .
• Unknown model: check

  agents.defaults.model.primary

  format (

  provider/model-id

  ).
• API key error: verify

  models.providers.bailian.apiKey

  and

  DASHSCOPE_API_KEY

  imported in systemd.
• Config changed but runtime model unchanged: check and update

  ~/.openclaw/agents/main/agent/models.json

  .
• Empty payload / unexpected fallback: verify protocol-endpoint pair (

  openai-completions

  vs

  openai-responses

  ) and clear stale session if needed.
• DingTalk no response: use

  openclaw logs --follow

  and check

  gateway/channels/dingtalk-connector

  lines for stream reconnect or credential issues.
• Official connector installed but old probes inconsistent: rely on runtime logs and real message send/receive as source of truth.
• Feishu no response: check event subscription mode is WebSocket and gateway is running.
• Discord no response: verify bot intents, token, and first-DM pairing approval.

Security Notes

• Do not hardcode real secrets in repository files.
• Keep production keys in server-local configs or secret managers.
• Redact logs before sharing in tickets or chat.

Validation

mkdir -p output/aliyun-openclaw-setup
echo "validation_placeholder" > output/aliyun-openclaw-setup/validate.txt

output/aliyun-openclaw-setup/validate.txt

Output And Evidence

• Save artifacts, command outputs, and API response summaries under

  output/aliyun-openclaw-setup/

  .
• Include key parameters (region/resource id/time range) in evidence files for reproducibility.

Workflow

1. Confirm user intent, region, identifiers, and whether the operation is read-only or mutating.
2. Run one minimal read-only query first to verify connectivity and permissions.
3. Execute the target operation with explicit parameters and bounded scope.
4. Verify results and save output/evidence files.