Your free robot assistant — from sign-up to first automation in 15 minutes
Here is everything you need to follow this guide:
That is it. If you can send an email, you can use OpenClaw.
OpenClaw is 100% free and open-source (the code is public and anyone can use it). FREE FOREVER There is no paid tier. No credit card needed. No trial that expires. You get unlimited automations forever.
The AI models you connect to OpenClaw — like ChatGPT (a free AI helper from OpenAI) or Claude (an AI assistant from Anthropic) — have their own free tiers. You can use those free tiers with OpenClaw at no cost.
ChatGPT is free with limits — limited messages per day on GPT-4o, then falls back to a smaller model. If you need more, ChatGPT Plus costs $20/month.
Most small business owners stay on the free plan for months. Upgrade only when you consistently hit the limit.
Claude is free with limits — limited messages per day on the free tier. If you need more, Claude Pro costs $20/month.
Most small business owners stay on the free plan for months. Upgrade only when you consistently hit the limit.
| Feature | Zapier | Make | OpenClaw |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $20–$100+/month | $10–$30+/month | Free forever |
| Tasks per month | Limited by plan | Limited by plan | Unlimited |
| Open source | No | No | Yes |
| Self-hosted option | No | No | Yes |
| Learning curve | Easy | Medium | Easy |
| Community support | Paid support | Paid support | Free community |
Zapier is free with limits — 100 tasks per month on the free plan. If you need more, it costs $19.99/month.
Most small business owners stay on the free plan for months. Upgrade only when you consistently hit the limit.
Make (formerly Integromat) is free with limits — 1,000 operations per month on the free plan. If you need more, it costs $10.59/month.
Most small business owners stay on the free plan for months. Upgrade only when you consistently hit the limit.
Bottom line: OpenClaw is free. The tools it replaces (Zapier, Make) cost $10 to $100+ per month. You save that money from day one.
Every chapter follows the same simple framework: WHAT, HOW, and WHEN. First, we explain what the topic is and why it matters. Then, we show you exactly how to do it — step by step, one click at a time. Finally, we tell you when to use it and how often.
By the end of all 8 chapters, you will be able to: create a free OpenClaw account, navigate the dashboard, understand triggers and actions, build a working automation, connect your favorite apps, and troubleshoot common issues.
Sarah runs a candle business from her kitchen table. Every morning, she checks Etsy orders, copies each name into a spreadsheet, sends a thank-you email, and posts an Instagram story. That is 45 minutes before she pours a single candle.
One night, she set up three automations in OpenClaw. Now her mornings look like this: wake up, pour coffee, start making candles. The orders, the spreadsheet, the emails, and the reminders all happen by themselves. That is $0 spent and 45 minutes saved every single day.
OpenClaw is a free, open-source automation platform. FREE FOREVER Let us break that down:
Think of OpenClaw like a set of dominoes. You line them up, tap the first one, and the rest fall on their own. Except instead of dominoes, you are lining up apps — your email, your calendar, your spreadsheets, your social media.
Pro Tip: You may have heard of Zapier (a popular paid automation tool, $20–$100+/month) or Make (another paid automation tool, formerly called Integromat). OpenClaw does the same job, but free. And you own everything.
You do not need to know how to code. If you can fill out a form online, you can use OpenClaw.
OpenClaw has a mascot named Molty. He is a friendly red claw character you will see around the platform. When Molty shows up, it usually means there is a helpful tip nearby. Think of him as your automation buddy.
Any time you do a repetitive task on a computer. Copying data between apps. Sending the same type of email. Posting to social media. If you do it more than twice, OpenClaw can do it for you.
Here is something that stops a lot of people: they hear "automation" and think they need a computer science degree, three monitors, and a mass of tangled cables. Not true.
This chapter removes every excuse. You probably have everything you need within arm's reach right now.
| What You Need | Why You Need It | Do You Have It? |
|---|---|---|
| A computer (Mac, PC, or Chromebook) | To access OpenClaw in your browser | Almost certainly yes |
| An internet connection | OpenClaw runs in the cloud | If you are reading this, yes |
| An email address | To create your account | Yes |
| 15 minutes | To set up and build your first automation | You are making time right now |
| One app you already use | To connect it (Gmail, Sheets, Slack, etc.) | Pick your most-used app |
That is it. No credit card. No downloads. No installations.
Action Step: Before you create your account, answer this: What is one task you do every day or every week that is boring, repetitive, and does not really need YOU to do it? Write it down. That is the task you will automate by the end of this guide.
Pro Tip: Here are some examples to spark ideas: "Every morning I check email for new orders and add them to a spreadsheet." "Every Monday I send a team meeting reminder." "Every time someone fills out my contact form, I email them back." "Every day I post the same type of update to three platforms."
Right now. Grab a sticky note or open the Notes app on your phone. Write down your one repetitive task. You will need it in Chapter 6 when you build your first automation.
This is where you create your free OpenClaw account. It takes about 90 seconds. By the end of this chapter, you will be logged in and looking at your dashboard.
No credit card. No hidden fees. No trial that expires. Just a free account that works right away.
Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or Edge — any of them work. This is the app you use to visit websites.
Type openclaw.ai right into the address bar at the top of your browser. Press Enter.
Click Sign Up. A form will appear asking for three things.
Click the Create Account button.
Look for a message from OpenClaw with the subject "Confirm your email." Open it and click the confirmation link.
Do not see the email? Check your spam or junk folder. Check the "Promotions" tab if you use Gmail. Wait 2 minutes and refresh — sometimes email takes a moment.
Enter your email and password. Click Log In.
Quick Win: That took about 90 seconds. You now have a free automation platform that replaces tools costing $20–$100+ per month.
You only need to create your account once. After that, bookmark openclaw.ai and log in whenever you need to build or check an automation.
Imagine you just walked into a brand new kitchen. There are cabinets, drawers, a stove, a fridge, and a sink. You know they all do something. But you need someone to tell you what is where.
That is what this chapter does for your OpenClaw dashboard. Five minutes here saves you hours of confusion later.
This is the horizontal bar at the very top. It contains:
This is the vertical menu on the left side. Think of it as the table of contents for your workspace:
This is the big open space in the middle. On your dashboard, it shows:
Pro Tip: Think of your dashboard like this. Top bar = the roof (always there). Left sidebar = the hallway (takes you to different rooms). Center area = the workbench (where you build). Activity log = the security camera (shows what happened).
Every time you log in. The dashboard is your home base. Check it daily to see which automations ran, which failed, and what needs attention. Think of it as your morning automation check-in.
Here is the single most important idea in all of automation. Once you understand this, everything else clicks into place. This concept is worth the entire guide.
Every automation follows the same pattern: When THIS happens, do THAT. The "when this happens" part is called a Trigger. The "do that" part is called an Action. That is it.
A trigger is the starting gun. Nothing happens until the trigger fires. Think of it like a doorbell. Nobody comes to the door until someone presses the button.
Here are real triggers you can use in OpenClaw:
An action is what happens after the trigger fires. You can have one action or ten. They run in order, one after another, like falling dominoes.
Here are real actions you can use in OpenClaw:
| # | When THIS Happens (Trigger) | Do THIS (Action) | Who It Helps |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Every day at 8 AM | Send a motivational quote via email | Anyone |
| 2 | New order on Etsy | Add customer name to Google Sheet | Online sellers |
| 3 | New email from a specific person | Forward it as a text message | Freelancers |
| 4 | Contact form submitted | Send a thank-you email | Small businesses |
| 5 | New social media follower | Add username to a spreadsheet | Content creators |
| 6 | Every Monday at 9 AM | Send meeting reminder to Slack | Teams |
| 7 | New payment on Stripe | Send receipt and log to sheet | Anyone selling online |
| 8 | Keyword in a new email | Create a task in your to-do list | Freelancers |
| 9 | Every Friday at 5 PM | Pull sales numbers and email summary | Business owners |
| 10 | New blog post published | Share link on Twitter and LinkedIn | Content creators |
| 11 | Customer leaves a review | Send you a Slack notification | E-commerce sellers |
| 12 | Temperature drops below 32F | Send a text message warning | Anyone with a weather API |
| 13 | New email subscriber | Send a welcome email series | Newsletter creators |
| 14 | File uploaded to Google Drive | Send Slack message to the team | Teams sharing files |
| 15 | Every day at 6 AM | Ask ChatGPT for a post idea, email it | Content creators |
You are not limited to one action per trigger. You can chain actions like train cars behind a locomotive.
One trigger. Four actions. All automatic. All instant.
Every time you build an automation. The trigger-action pattern is the foundation. Start with one trigger and one action. Then add more actions as you get comfortable. You will use this pattern for every automation you ever build.
This is the chapter where you stop reading and start doing. We are going to build a real automation together. Every click is described. Every screen is explained.
By the end, you will have a working automation that runs on its own. No coding. No guessing. Just follow the steps.
A Daily Morning Briefing Email. Every morning at 8 AM, OpenClaw will send you an email with a simple message. Later, you can upgrade this to include your schedule, weather, or AI-generated content. But for now, we keep it simple.
From your dashboard, find and click the "New Automation" button. It is the big button in the center of your screen.
At the top of the page, click on the text that says "Untitled Automation." Type:
Click the "Add Trigger" button (or the "+" icon at the start of the canvas).
Click Save or Confirm.
Click the "+" button that appears after your trigger block.
Click Save or Confirm.
Look for a "Test" or "Run Once" button. Click it. OpenClaw will run the automation one time, right now.
Find the toggle switch (usually at the top right of the builder). Flip it to ON.
Quick Win: Tomorrow morning at 8 AM, you will get an email you did not have to write or send. That is automation working for you. Now imagine doing this for your orders, your social media, and your customer emails.
Any time you want to build a new automation. The process is always the same: click New Automation, add a trigger, add one or more actions, test it, turn it on. Every automation you ever build follows these 8 steps.
OpenClaw by itself is a brain without hands. It knows what to do, but it needs to be connected to your apps to actually do it. Connecting an app takes about 60 seconds. You do it once, and OpenClaw can use that app in every automation you build.
This chapter walks you through connecting your first app. After that, every new connection follows the same pattern.
Click Connections in the left sidebar of your dashboard.
Click the "New Connection" or "+ Add Connection" button.
Type the name of the app you want. For this example, let us use Gmail (free email from Google). Click on it.
Log in to your Google account. Google will ask if you want to let OpenClaw access your email. Click Allow.
Warning: When you click "Allow," you are giving OpenClaw permission to read and send emails on your behalf. This is safe — OpenClaw only does what your automations tell it to. But always review what permissions an app is asking for.
Go back to Connections and add more apps. Each one follows the same pattern: search, click, sign in, allow.
| App | What It Does | Why Connect It |
|---|---|---|
| Gmail | Free email from Google FREE FOREVER | Send and receive emails in automations |
| Google Sheets | Free online spreadsheet FREE FOREVER | Log data, track orders, store contacts |
| Slack | Team messaging app | Get notifications, send team updates |
| Notion | Note-taking and project management | Create tasks, update databases |
| Stripe | Online payment tool | Trigger automations when customers pay |
| Telegram | Messaging app FREE FOREVER | Send yourself alerts and notifications |
Pro Tip: Start with just one or two apps. Connect the app you use most (probably Gmail or Google Sheets). You can always add more later. Do not try to connect everything at once.
Now that you have apps connected, here is a powerful automation you can build in 2 minutes:
Action Step: Go to your Connections page right now. Connect one app. Just one. Gmail is the easiest place to start.
Any time you want to use a new app in your automations. Connect it once on the Connections page. After that, it appears as an option every time you add a trigger or action. One-time setup, unlimited use.
You now know how to use OpenClaw. This final chapter helps you handle common issues, understand what to try next, and gives you a specific day-by-day action plan to build the habit.
Most people read a guide like this, feel inspired, and then never do anything. The action plan below makes sure you are not one of those people.
| Issue | What Happens | What to Do |
|---|---|---|
| Automation did not run | The trigger time passed but nothing happened | Check that the toggle is ON. Check your timezone. Look at the Activity Log for errors. |
| Connection expired | An app stops working in your automation | Go to Connections. Find the app. Click Reconnect. Sign in again. |
| Email not received | The automation says it ran, but no email arrived | Check your spam folder. Check you typed the right email address in the action. |
| "Permission denied" error | OpenClaw cannot access the app | Disconnect and reconnect the app. Make sure you clicked Allow on all permissions. |
| Wrong data in spreadsheet | The automation added data to the wrong column | Open the action settings. Check that each field is mapped to the right column. |
| Automation runs too often | You get emails or messages more than expected | Check the trigger frequency. Change from "Every 5 minutes" to "Every day" if needed. |
Pro Tip: The Activity Log (in the left sidebar) is your best friend when something goes wrong. It shows exactly what happened, when, and why it failed. Always check there first.
Warning: Not testing before turning on. Always click "Test" or "Run Once" before flipping the toggle to ON. This catches errors before they affect real data or real customers.
Warning: Building too much too fast. Start with one simple automation. Get it working. Then add a second. Trying to build 10 automations on day one leads to confusion and errors.
Warning: Forgetting to check the Activity Log. An automation can fail silently. Check your Activity Log at least once a week to make sure everything is running.
Warning: Using the wrong timezone. If your automation runs at the wrong time, the timezone setting is almost always the reason. Double-check it in your trigger settings.
Action Step: Do the "Today" items right now. Not later. Not tomorrow. Right now. Fifteen minutes is all it takes to have your first automation live.
Come back to this action plan every day this week. Check off each item as you complete it. By the end of the week, OpenClaw will be part of your daily routine. The people who win with automation are the ones who actually use it. Every single day.
Save this section. Come back every time you need a reminder about dashboard areas, trigger types, or your first automations to try.
| Area | Where | What It Does |
|---|---|---|
Dashboard | Left sidebar | Overview of all automations, stats, recent activity |
Automations | Left sidebar | Full list of every automation you have built |
Connections | Left sidebar | Apps you have linked (Gmail, Sheets, Slack, etc.) |
Activity Log | Left sidebar | Record of every automation run with success/failure status |
Templates | Left sidebar | Pre-built automations you can use and customize |
Settings | Left sidebar | Account, team, and advanced configuration |
| Trigger | What It Does | Example Use |
|---|---|---|
Heartbeat | Runs on a schedule you set | Daily briefing email at 8 AM |
New Email | Fires when an email arrives | Log leads from contact form emails |
Form Submitted | Fires when a form is filled out | Send auto-reply to new inquiries |
New Row | Fires when a spreadsheet row is added | Notify team of new orders |
New Payment | Fires when a customer pays | Send receipt and update spreadsheet |
Webhook | Fires when another app sends a signal | Advanced integrations with any tool |
| # | Automation | Trigger | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Morning Briefing | Heartbeat (daily, 8 AM) | Send Email to yourself |
| 2 | Lead Logger | New Email (contact form) | Add Row to Google Sheet |
| 3 | Sale Alert | New Payment (Stripe) | Send Slack Message |
| 4 | Weekly Report | Heartbeat (Friday, 5 PM) | Email summary of the week |
| 5 | Social Post Ideas | Heartbeat (daily, 6 AM) | Call AI + Send Email |
You now have everything you need to automate your work with OpenClaw. Here are three ways to keep building:
Our recommendation: When connecting an AI model to OpenClaw, we recommend Claude by Anthropic. It follows instructions precisely, handles structured data well, and takes your privacy seriously. You're welcome to use any AI tool — ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity all work great. But if you want our honest pick, try Claude.
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