Getting Started with ClawdBot: Easiest Setup with Telegram

I've been seeing ClawdBot everywhere—people controlling their homes, building sites, and even saving serious money on cars. Wild stuff. At IndianAppGuy we build AI-powered tools (MagicSlides, BlurScreen, MagicForm, to name a few), so I wanted to try ClawdBot myself and see how the whole "personal AI assistant that actually runs on your machine" thing works. The setup can feel a bit overwhelming if you're not used to terminals and wizards, so I put together this guide: the easiest path I found to get ClawdBot running and talking to you over Telegram, without drowning in technicalities.

Note: The video embedded below isn't mine—it's a walkthrough I found really helpful. I've summarized the steps here and linked it so you can follow along visually.

What is ClawdBot?

ClawdBot is an agentic system you connect to channels—the apps you already text on. Discord, WhatsApp, Telegram, Slack. You hook one (or more) up to ClawdBot, and ClawdBot becomes the brain that can run things for you using your computer, a server, or wherever you host it. That's what gives you a personal AI assistant that can actually do stuff, not just chat.

Watch the full walkthrough

The video below (not from my channel—from another creator) walks through the whole process on a Mac: installation, the wizard, OpenAI and Telegram setup, and whitelisting. I found it clear and easy to follow; use it alongside the steps in this post if you like.

Easiest setup: ClawdBot + Telegram

I went with Telegram as the channel—you can talk to ClawdBot from your phone or anywhere, as long as the machine running it is on and online. Same idea works for Discord or Slack if you prefer.

Step 1: Install ClawdBot

1. Head to claude.bot and scroll to the Quick Start section.
2. Copy the one-line install command.
3. Open your terminal (on Mac: Cmd + Space, type "Terminal").
4. Paste the command and hit Enter. ClawdBot installs from there.

That command runs a script from a URL. If you're cautious (and you should be—it's code on your machine), open the URL in your browser, download the file, and skim it. I use Cursor a lot; you can use it or any editor to see what the script does and weigh the risks before running.

Installation can take a few minutes. When it's done, you'll get a wizard in the terminal.

Step 2: Run the setup wizard

ClawdBot runs locally, so it can run commands and interact with your machine. The wizard asks you to confirm you're okay with that. Use the arrow keys to choose Yes and continue.

• I'd go with Quick Start if you're not super technical—fastest path.
• You'll pick a model provider (the LLM behind ClawdBot). I used OpenAI: add an API key and use the cloud, no need to run a local model.
• When it asks, add your OpenAI API key. Create one at platform.openai.com → API keys → Create new secret. Restrict it to the models you need (e.g. read + request) and paste the key in.
• Choose a model (e.g. GPT-4.1). I'd skip the heavy "reasoning" models for this—4.1 or similar is enough.
• When it asks for a channel, choose Telegram. It'll then ask for a Telegram bot token.

Step 3: Create a Telegram bot

1. Open Telegram and search for BotFather.
2. Start the chat and type /newbot.
3. Follow the prompts: give the bot a name and a username (e.g. yourname_cloudbot).
4. BotFather gives you an access token. Copy it and paste it into the ClawdBot wizard when it asks for the Telegram bot token.

You can set up skills (integrations and tools) now or later. For a first run I'd skip them and add what you need once you're comfortable.

Step 4: Whitelist yourself in Telegram

By default, anyone who finds your bot link could try to use it. You want to whitelist your Telegram user so only you can talk to your ClawdBot:

1. Start a chat with your new bot in Telegram and tap Start.
2. Copy your Telegram user ID (you can get it from the first message or from bots like @userinfobot).
3. In ClawdBot's UI, go to Channels → your Telegram channel → Allow list (or similar).
4. Paste your Telegram user ID and save.

After that, only you (and any other IDs you add) can use the bot.

Step 5: Start chatting

Once the wizard finishes, you can use ClawdBot in the TUI (terminal UI) or web UI on your local IP and port. You can also chat from Telegram from anywhere as long as the machine running it is on.

Try asking "Who are you?" and give it a short persona (e.g. "You are Lisa, my personal AI assistant, and my name is Sanskar."). It'll store that in memory and update its memory file—when you see that happen, you know the setup is working.

What you can do next

• Monetizing setup: One creator shared on Twitter/X how they made $17k in 3 days offering ClawdBot setup as a service—worth a read if you're thinking about turning this into a side gig.

Screenshot from the thread.

• Create content with ClawdBot: Creators are using ClawdBot to streamline content workflows. This thread on X shows how others are building and publishing content with ClawdBot—handy if you're into writing, social, or automation.

Screenshot from the thread.

• People making money with ClawdBot: More folks are turning ClawdBot into income—setup services, content, or integrations. This X thread shares how people are making money with ClawdBot; worth a look if you're exploring monetization.

Screenshot from the thread.

• Skills: On the ClawdBot site you can install skills (e.g. via Homebrew for Apple-related stuff). Optional, and some have extra dependencies—I'd add them as you need.
• Channels: You can add Discord, Slack, etc. besides Telegram. Web UI and TUI are always there too.
• Safety: In ClawdBot's Nodes (or similar) settings, check approval and security. Deny or require approval for things like file deletion and system changes so the assistant can't do anything you didn't intend.
• Hosting: To run ClawdBot 24/7 without leaving your laptop on, deploy it on a server—natural next step once local + Telegram is working.

ClawdBot is powerful and runs on your machine, so it's worth understanding what you're running and what permissions you give it. Use the quick start, whitelist only who should use your Telegram bot, and explore skills and channels at your own pace. For more on deployment, skills, or other channels, the walkthrough video above and the ClawdBot docs are the best next stops. If you want more guides like this and hands-on dev content, I share a lot of this on YouTube as TheIndianAppGuy—subscribe there or hit me up at contact@sanskartiwari.io if you have questions.