openclaw-startup

# OpenClaw Startup First-run setup wizard for new OpenClaw agents. Interviews the user, generates tailored workspace files, scaffolds memory, installs operational crons, and recommends companion skills. ## Use when - setting up a new OpenClaw agent from scratch - onboarding a new user who just installed OpenClaw - resetting an agent workspace to a clean baseline - someone says "set up my agent" or "help me get started" ## Do not use when - the agent is already configured and running (use `openclaw-guide` instead) - the user wants to change one specific config setting - the task is skill authoring (use `skill-builder`) - the task is security hardening of an existing agent (use `agent-hardening`) ## Phases Run these in order. Each phase confirms with the user before proceeding. ### Phase 1 — Identity Interview **Resuming a partial setup:** Before starting the interview, check if any of `SOUL.md`, `USER.md`, or `IDENTITY.md` already exist. If they do, show the user what's already configured and ask: "Want to pick up where we left off, start fresh, or keep these and skip to memory setup?" Respect their choice. Ask the user 8 questions to understand who they are and what the agent should do. Use the interview guide at `references/interview-guide.md`. From the answers, generate: - `SOUL.md` — agent identity, personality, tone, boundaries - `USER.md` — human's key details - `IDENTITY.md` — agent name, emoji, presentation - `AGENTS.md` — customized from `assets/agents-template.md` with principles tailored to the user's main job (Q4) and communication style (Q5) Show the user the generated files and ask for approval before writing. ### Phase 2 — Memory Scaffolding Run the install script to create the memory directory structure: ```bash bash {baseDir}/scripts/install.sh ``` This creates: - `memory/` directory with daily log structure - `MEMORY.md` — durable fact index - `ACTIVE.md` — current priorities tracker - `memory/FUTURE_INTENTS.md` — commitments and deferred actions - `.learnings/` — error and learning capture (agent-memory-loop) ### Phase 3 — Operational Crons Review recommended crons with the user. See `references/cron-recipes.md`. **If `openclaw` CLI is not available:** Skip cron installation. Instead, show the user the recommended cron configs from `references/cron-recipes.md` and explain they can install them later once OpenClaw is set up. Proceed to Phase 4. **If `openclaw` CLI is available:** **Always recommend:** - Heartbeat (configurable frequency) - Workspace backup (daily) **Recommend if applicable:** - Weekly memory consolidation - Session health watchdog - Security monitoring Install only what the user approves. Use the OpenClaw cron tool directly. ### Phase 4 — Security Baseline Walk through the security checklist at `references/security-baseline.md`. Key items: - Channel access controls (allowlist vs open) - Injection defense rules in SOUL.md - Escalation framework (green/yellow/red) - Tool restrictions for sub-agents ### Phase 5 — Companion Skills Recommend installing these skills based on the user's needs: | Skill | When to recommend | ClawHub | |-------|-------------------|---------| | `cognition` | Always — memory architecture | [clawhub.com/skills/cognition](https://clawhub.com/skills/cognition) | | `summarize` | Always — extract text/transcripts from URLs, videos, PDFs | [clawhub.com/skills/summarize](https://clawhub.com/skills/summarize) | | `agent-hardening` | If the agent handles sensitive data or external channels | [clawhub.com/skills/agent-hardening](https://clawhub.com/skills/agent-hardening) | | `openclaw-backup` | If the user wants disaster recovery | [clawhub.com/skills/openclaw-backup](https://clawhub.com/skills/openclaw-backup) | Install via ClawHub if available: ```bash clawhub install <skill-name> ``` ### Phase 6 — Verification After setup, run a quick health check: - Verify all generated files exist and are non-empty - Verify crons are registered and have valid next-run times - Verify the agent can respond to a basic prompt - Show the user a summary of everything that was set up ## Interview principles - Ask one question at a time — don't dump all 8 at once - Accept short answers — infer reasonable defaults from context - Show what you're generating before writing it - Never write to core files without user confirmation - Keep the tone conversational, not bureaucratic ## References - `references/interview-guide.md` — the 8 identity questions with guidance - `references/cron-recipes.md` — recommended cron configurations - `references/security-baseline.md` — security checklist for new agents - `references/placeholder-map.md` — full mapping of interview answers → template placeholders + model recommendations ## Assets (templates) - `assets/soul-template.md` — SOUL.md template with placeholders - `assets/user-template.md` — USER.md template - `assets/identity-template.md` — IDENTITY.md template - `assets/agents-template.md` — AGENTS.md starter - `assets/heartbeat-template.md` — HEARTBEAT.md starter ## Scripts - `scripts/install.sh` — creates memory scaffolding and .learnings directory - `scripts/verify.sh` — post-setup health check