DIY Agent Install Cheatsheet

For the tech-comfortable: your own OpenClaw agent on a VPS you control, in ~30 minutes. This is the exact playbook I use — minus me.

1GET A SERVER (~$10/MO)

  1. Grab a Hostinger KVM 2 VPS (2 vCPU / 8GB is the sweet spot for one agent) — hostinger.com/vps-hosting
  2. OS template: pick Ubuntu 24.04 — or if you see an OpenClaw template in their app catalog, take it and skip half of step 3
  3. Set a strong root password, note your server IP

2GET YOUR TWO KEYS

  1. LLM API key — console.anthropic.com (Claude) or platform.openai.com. Load $5–10 of credit; a personal agent burns $5–20/mo
  2. Telegram bot — message @BotFather in Telegram → /newbot → name it → copy the bot token it gives you

3INSTALL THE AGENT

SSH into the server (Mac/Linux: Terminal · Windows: PowerShell):

ssh root@YOUR.SERVER.IP

Install Node 22+, then OpenClaw:

curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_22.x | bash - apt-get install -y nodejs npm install -g openclaw@latest openclaw onboard

The onboarding wizard asks for your LLM key and Telegram bot token, then installs itself as a service that survives reboots.

Commands drift as projects update — cross-check the official docs (docs.openclaw.ai) if anything errors. That's also your sign you're in step-4 territory.

4SAY HELLO + GIVE IT A JOB

  1. Open your bot in Telegram, send "hello" — it should answer as your agent
  2. Give it ONE job first: "Every morning at 8, check [X] and message me a summary"
  3. Add skills/memory gradually — one working job beats ten broken ones

WHEN TO STOP DIY-ING

If you're 45 minutes in and it's not answering — that's not a you-problem, it's a config rabbit hole. I install these all day.

Have me do it in 15 minutes →
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