Getting Started with Clawdbot: Your Personal AI Assistant in WhatsApp and Telegram

If you've ever wanted a personal AI assistant that lives in your pocket—accessible via WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord, or iMessage—Clawdbot is the answer. It's an open-source gateway that connects messaging platforms to powerful AI agents, turning your phone into a command center for automation, coding help, and daily tasks.

In this guide, I'll walk you through setting up Clawdbot and show you some practical workflows that make it genuinely useful.

What is Clawdbot?

Clawdbot is a self-hosted bridge between your favorite messaging apps and AI coding agents. Think of it as your personal AI assistant that:

• Lives in WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord, or iMessage
• Runs on your own machine (full privacy and control)
• Can read/write files, run commands, browse the web
• Remembers context across conversations
• Supports scheduled tasks and proactive check-ins

The name? Clawdbot = Claw + TARDIS — it's bigger on the inside (130k+ tokens of context!).

Prerequisites

Before you start, you'll need:

• Node.js 22+ installed
• An Anthropic API key (or Claude Pro/Max subscription for OAuth)
• A second phone number for WhatsApp (recommended) or a Telegram bot token

Installation

Install Clawdbot globally via npm:

npm install -g clawdbot@latest

Or if you prefer pnpm:

pnpm add -g clawdbot@latest

Quick Setup with the Wizard

The easiest way to get started is the onboarding wizard:

clawdbot onboard

This interactive wizard walks you through:

1. Model/Auth — Connect your Anthropic API key or use OAuth
2. Workspace — Set up your agent's home directory (default: ~/clawd)
3. Gateway Settings — Configure the local server (port, auth token)
4. Channels — Connect WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord, or iMessage
5. Skills — Enable tools like web search, GitHub, weather, etc.

Connecting Telegram (Easiest Start)

Telegram is the quickest way to test Clawdbot:

1. Message @BotFather on Telegram
2. Send /newbot and follow the prompts
3. Copy the bot token
4. Run: clawdbot configure --section telegram
5. Paste your token when prompted

Start the gateway:

clawdbot gateway

Now message your bot — you have a personal AI assistant in Telegram!

Connecting WhatsApp

For WhatsApp, you'll need a second phone number (the assistant's number):

clawdbot whatsapp pair

This displays a QR code. Scan it with WhatsApp on your second phone (Link a Device). Once paired, messages to that number go to your AI agent.

Basic Workflows

1. Quick Questions and Research

Just message your assistant like you would a friend:

"What's the weather in Denver?"
"Summarize this article: [URL]"
"How do I configure nginx for reverse proxy?"

2. File Operations

Your assistant can read and edit files in its workspace:

"Read my NOTES.md file"
"Add a new task to my todo list"
"Create a Python script that converts CSV to JSON"

3. Scheduled Tasks (Cron)

Set up recurring tasks:

"Remind me to check emails every day at 9am"
"Every Monday, summarize my calendar for the week"

4. Web Browsing and Research

With browser tools enabled, your assistant can:

"Check the latest news about FreeBSD"
"Go to my Ghost admin panel and list my drafts"
"Search for the best mechanical keyboards under $200"

5. GitHub Integration

If you have the GitHub skill enabled:

"List open issues in my repo"
"Create a PR from my feature branch"
"What's the status of my CI runs?"

The Workspace Structure

Your agent's workspace (default ~/clawd) contains:

• AGENTS.md — Instructions your agent follows
• SOUL.md — Personality and behavior guidelines
• USER.md — Info about you (timezone, preferences)
• MEMORY.md — Long-term memories
• memory/ — Daily notes and context
• TOOLS.md — Local tool configurations

This is where your agent's personality lives. Edit these files to customize behavior!

Security Tips

Since your agent can run commands and access files, start conservative:

• Use allowlists for DMs (only your number can message the bot)
• Start with a dedicated WhatsApp number, not your personal one
• Review the agent's actions before giving it external access (email, social media)
• Use the pairing system for unknown senders: clawdbot pairing list telegram

Useful Commands

# Check status
clawdbot status

# Start the gateway
clawdbot gateway

# Reconfigure a section
clawdbot configure --section telegram

# View logs
clawdbot logs

# Pair WhatsApp
clawdbot whatsapp pair

# List scheduled jobs
clawdbot cron list

Going Further

Once you're comfortable, explore:

• Skills — Add capabilities like Twitter/X, Notion, Slack integration
• Nodes — Connect your iPhone/Android for camera, location, notifications
• Heartbeats — Let your agent proactively check things and reach out
• Canvas — Display rich content on connected devices
• Sub-agents — Spawn specialized agents for complex tasks

Resources

• Documentation: docs.clawd.bot
• GitHub: github.com/clawdbot/clawdbot
• Community: Discord
• Skills Hub: clawdhub.com

Clawdbot transforms how you interact with AI. Instead of context-switching to a web app, your assistant is right there in your messaging app — ready to help with code, research, automation, or just answering questions. Give it a try, and you might wonder how you ever lived without it. 🦞