OpenClaw Bridges Private AI with WhatsApp: A Quick Start Guide

OpenClaw is a self-hosted AI assistant that runs on your devices and connects to popular apps like WhatsApp, Telegram, Slack, and more. This guide walks you through installing OpenClaw, selecting an LLM provider, adding skills (via SKILL.md files and optional ClawHub), and configuring a WhatsApp channel by linking your number with a QR code. It then covers starting the OpenClaw Gateway, which acts as the control plane for channels and sessions, and using the Gateway dashboard to connect with the saved gateway token. Once set up, you can chat with OpenClaw in WhatsApp and use it as a private automation hub across tools and services, with both local and cloud LLM options and extensive integrations.