Tutorial Feb 14, 2026 12 min

How to Build Your Own AI Assistant with OpenClaw in 2026

Want your own AI assistant that works across WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord, and more? Here's how to build one with OpenClaw in under 30 minutes.

What We're Building

By the end of this tutorial, you'll have:

  • A personal AI assistant running on your machine
  • Connected to Telegram and WhatsApp
  • Extended with useful skills from ClawHub
  • Customized with your own personality and preferences

Step 1: Install OpenClaw

# Install globally
npm install -g openclaw

# Run the onboarding wizard
openclaw onboard --install-daemon

The wizard will ask you to configure your AI model. We recommend Anthropic Pro/Max with Claude Opus 4.6 for the best experience.

Step 2: Connect Your Channels

During onboarding, you can connect channels. Let's set up Telegram first (it's the easiest):

  • Open Telegram and message @BotFather
  • Send /newbot and follow the prompts
  • Copy the bot token and paste it when the wizard asks

For WhatsApp, the wizard will show a QR code — scan it with your phone just like WhatsApp Web.

Step 3: Customize Your Agent

Create a SOUL.md file in your workspace to define your agent's personality:

SOUL.md
You are Atlas, a knowledgeable and efficient AI assistant.
You're direct but friendly, and you love helping with code.
You use emoji occasionally and keep responses concise.
When you don't know something, you say so honestly.

Step 4: Install Skills

Skills extend your agent's capabilities. Here are some essentials:

# Coding assistance
npx clawhub@latest install coding-agent

# Browser automation
npx clawhub@latest install browse

# Memory system
npx clawhub@latest install cognitive-memory

Step 5: Test It Out

Open the dashboard to chat directly in the browser:

openclaw dashboard

Or send a message from Telegram or WhatsApp. Your agent should respond within seconds.

What's Next?

Resources

Full Setup Guide Official Docs