Introduction: What You'll Learn

The OpenClaw CLI (Command Line Interface) is one of the most powerful tools for developers and DevOps engineers who need to automate complex workflows without touching a graphical interface. Whether you're automating web scraping, running scheduled tasks, managing workflows, or testing applications at scale, the CLI delivers speed, flexibility, and control that the UI simply can't match.

This cheat sheet covers everything from your first installation through advanced automation techniques. You'll learn:

How to install OpenClaw CLI on Windows, Mac, and Linux
Every essential command you'll need for daily workflows
Real-world automation examples you can implement immediately
Debugging techniques when things go wrong
Performance optimization and best practices
Advanced chaining and scheduling strategies

By the end, you'll have a complete reference guide bookmarked and ready to reference whenever you need to work with OpenClaw from the command line.

What Is OpenClaw CLI & Why Developers Use It

CLI vs UI: Understanding the Difference

OpenClaw offers both a graphical interface and a command-line interface. The UI is intuitive and visual—perfect for learning and one-off tasks. The CLI, however, is where power users live. Here's why developers prefer it:

Speed: Type one command instead of clicking through 10 menu items
Scripting: Chain commands together in bash, Python, or any scripting language
Automation: Schedule jobs, run workflows automatically, integrate with cron
Repeatability: Execute the exact same automation identically every single time
Version Control: Store your automation commands in Git and track changes
Integration: Connect OpenClaw workflows to your CI/CD pipelines, deployment systems, or monitoring tools

Real Use Cases for OpenClaw CLI

Web Scraping at Scale: Extract data from thousands of pages programmatically, running headless and storing results in databases.

Scheduled Testing: Run automated tests on a schedule—daily regression tests, nightly load tests, weekly integration tests.

Content Automation: Monitor websites for changes, trigger workflows when specific conditions are met, automatically generate reports.

Data Pipelines: Extract data from one system, transform it, pipe it into another system—all automated through command-line workflows.

Infrastructure Monitoring: Check system health, API endpoints, or service availability through automated workflows, alerting when problems occur.

Key Insight: The CLI transforms OpenClaw from a manual tool into an automated system. This is where the real productivity gains happen.

How to Install OpenClaw CLI (Windows, Mac, Linux)

Windows Installation

Method 1: Using Winget (Recommended)

winget install OpenClaw.OpenClaw

This automatically downloads the latest stable version and adds OpenClaw to your system PATH.

Method 2: Direct Download

Visit https://openclaw.ai/download
Download the Windows .exe installer
Run the installer and follow prompts
Restart your terminal
Verify: Open Command Prompt and type openclaw --version

Method 3: Manual PATH Setup

Download the OpenClaw CLI executable
Place it in a folder (e.g., C:\OpenClaw)
Add that folder to your system PATH environment variable
Restart Command Prompt and verify with openclaw --version

macOS Installation

Using Homebrew (Easiest Method)

brew install openclaw

If you don't have Homebrew, install it first:

/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"

Manual Installation

curl -fsSL https://openclaw.ai/install.sh | bash

Verify installation:

openclaw --version

Linux Installation

Ubuntu/Debian

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install openclaw

Fedora/RHEL

sudo dnf install openclaw

Manual Installation (Any Linux Distro)

curl -fsSL https://openclaw.ai/install-linux.sh | bash

Verify Installation Success

openclaw --version
openclaw help

You should see the version number and a list of available commands. If you see command not found errors, review the PATH setup for your operating system.

Common Installation Issues & Fixes

Problem	Solution
"openclaw: command not found"	OpenClaw isn't in your PATH. Restart your terminal or manually add the directory containing openclaw to PATH
Permission denied on macOS/Linux	Run `chmod +x /path/to/openclaw` to make the binary executable
Windows Defender blocks installation	This is normal for new software. Add exception in Windows Defender or download from official Microsoft Store
Version conflicts after update	Run `openclaw self-update` to get latest version, or reinstall completely

OpenClaw CLI Basic Commands Reference

These commands form the foundation of all OpenClaw workflows. Learning them is your first step toward automation mastery.

Core Commands

Command	Description	Example
`openclaw init`	Initialize a new OpenClaw project in current directory	`openclaw init --name my-project`
`openclaw version`	Display installed version of OpenClaw	`openclaw version`
`openclaw help`	Show help for commands, or specific command help	`openclaw help run`
`openclaw config`	View or set configuration settings	`openclaw config set timeout 30`
`openclaw status`	Check status of current project and workflows	`openclaw status`

Project Setup Commands

Command	Description	Example
`openclaw new workflow`	Create a new workflow file	`openclaw new workflow scraper.yml`
`openclaw validate`	Check workflow files for syntax errors	`openclaw validate scraper.yml`
`openclaw list`	List all workflows in project	`openclaw list --details`
`openclaw info`	Show detailed information about a workflow	`openclaw info scraper.yml`

Automation & Workflow Commands

Once your workflows are defined, these commands control their execution. This is the engine room of OpenClaw automation.

Command	Action	Example
`openclaw run`	Execute a specific workflow file	`openclaw run scraping-job.yml`
`openclaw schedule`	Set a workflow to run via Cron syntax	`openclaw schedule -w job.yml -c "0 * * * *"`
`openclaw stop`	Terminate a running process ID	`openclaw stop --pid 1234`
`openclaw watch`	Monitor a specific target/url for changes	`openclaw watch --url https://example.com`

Debugging & Logs Commands

Automation doesn't always go perfectly. Use these commands to inspect what went wrong during execution.

Command	Usage
`openclaw logs`	View the master log stream for all recent executions.
`openclaw debug [file]`	Run a workflow in interactive debug mode with breakpoints enabled.
`--verbose` or `-v`	Append this flag to any run command to see detailed processing output.

Real-World Examples

1. Basic Web Scraper

Scrape a product page and save details to a JSON file:

# product-scraper.yml
name: Product Scraper
target: https://store.example.com
steps:
  - open: /products/123
  - extract:
      title: h1.product-title
      price: span.price
  - save: result.json

Run it with: openclaw run product-scraper.yml

2. Nightly Regression Test

Automate checking a login form every night at 3 AM:

openclaw schedule -w login-test.yml --cron "0 3 * * *" --notify "email@example.com"

Advanced Power Tips

Environment Variables: Use ${ENV_VAR} in your workflows to keep secrets like API keys secure.
Chaining: Output from one workflow can be piped into another: openclaw run fetch-data.yml | openclaw run process-data.yml
Headless Flags: Use --headless=false during development to watch the browser actions visually.

FAQ

Is OpenClaw free?

Yes, the OpenClaw CLI is open-source and free for personal and commercial use.

Can I run this on a server?

Absolutely. OpenClaw is designed to run in headless environments like generic Linux servers, Docker containers, and CI/CD pipelines.

Does it support JavaScript execution?

Yes, OpenClaw runs a full headless chrome instance, so it handles complex SPAs and JavaScript-heavy sites effortlessly.