Everything your followers have been asking about. The workspace files, memory system, skills, cost control, and how to set it all up properly.
Download PDFOpenClaw is an AI agent framework. This guide is the complete breakdown: workspace files, memory architecture, skills, cost control and setup. No fluff, no theory. Just what actually works.
The OpenClaw framework and how it works · The 6 workspace files that make up OpenClaw's brain · How to set OpenClaw up safely · Where to host him · Memory optimisation · API cost control · How to make money with it
Read it once to understand the system. Keep it open while you build. Share it with anyone who asks how to get started with OpenClaw.
OpenClaw is a free, open-source AI agent framework. It connects a large language model like Claude to your real computer and real accounts, so it can actually do things, not just talk about them.
Every time you message OpenClaw, here is what happens behind the scenes:
Sort and draft emails · Research anything and send a plain-English summary · Write content from a single prompt · Run terminal commands · Manage files · Monitor inboxes and flag urgent items · Send daily briefings automatically · Run scheduled weekly business reviews. All from a WhatsApp message.
Getting OpenClaw running is straightforward. Getting him running safely takes a bit more care. Do this in order.
npm install -g openclaw@latest then run openclaw onboard. The wizard sets up your gateway, workspace, first channel and model. Get it from openclaw.ai only.openclaw doctor immediately. Built-in security audit. Flags open gateway ports, missing auth tokens, insecure DM policies. Default config is NOT secure. This step is not optional.Critical: Set allowFrom in every channel. Lock WhatsApp and Telegram to your number only: allowFrom: ["+64..."] in openclaw.json. Without this, anyone who knows your bot can message OpenClaw and it will act on their instructions.
For a comprehensive installation walkthrough with screenshots and troubleshooting, the full step-by-step guide is available at www.getopenclaw.co.nz.
OpenClaw needs a machine to run on: ideally one that's always on, always connected, and separate from your personal computer. You have three options.
| Option | Setup | Cost | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| VPS in the cloud | Hetzner, DigitalOcean, or Hostinger | $5–15/month | Recommended |
| Dedicated machine | Mac Mini, old laptop, Raspberry Pi | Hardware only | Good option |
| Personal laptop | Isolated user profile required | Free | Not recommended |
Personal laptop warning: OpenClaw has access to your filesystem, terminal and accounts. A misconfiguration, a malicious skill, or a runaway task could interact with your personal files and data. If you proceed, use a completely isolated user profile and dedicated credentials for every service.
These are real things, for real people. You do not need to be technical to benefit from most of these.
$500–$2,000 per build. Configure, harden and document a custom agent for a client. Most businesses need this and have no idea where to start.
A SKILL.md built for a specific niche is a standalone product. Sell directly or publish on ClawHub.
Every hour OpenClaw saves is recovered margin. That is infrastructure, not a side hustle.
All six workspace files live in one folder on disk: ~/.openclaw/workspace/. Every time you send a message, every single file is loaded, assembled into one system prompt, and sent to the LLM.
| File | Role | Key Point |
|---|---|---|
| SOUL.md | Personality + values | Loaded first every session. Defines tone, boundaries and non-negotiables. |
| AGENTS.md | Standard operating procedure | Startup sequence, routing rules, memory discipline. |
| IDENTITY.md | Mission + purpose | Goals, businesses and targets OpenClaw is optimising for. |
| MEMORY.md | Long-term curated memory | Auto-injected every prompt. Keep under 3,000 tokens. |
| USER.md | Who you are | Your name, timezone, preferences and business context. |
| HEARTBEAT.md | Autonomous task scheduler | Runs on a cron schedule. Fires without any prompt from you. |
Injected first on every prompt. Defines tone, values, communication style and non-negotiable behaviour rules. Every word costs tokens on every message forever. Keep it under 500 lines.
The session startup sequence: what OpenClaw does before he responds to anything. Routing rules, scope boundaries, memory discipline rules. Rules written here survive compaction. Rules said only in conversation do not.
Who OpenClaw is optimising for, with specific targets, specific businesses, specific goals. Different from SOUL.md deliberately: SOUL is how OpenClaw thinks, IDENTITY is what he is building toward.
Auto-injected into every session prompt. Curated decisions with dates, learned preferences, project status, open loops. Hard limit: under 3,000 tokens. At 10,000 tokens you are adding ~$0.15 to every conversation silently, every day.
Your name, timezone, communication style, business context, preferences. Keeps OpenClaw contextually relevant to your actual life without needing to re-explain yourself every session.
Runs on a cron schedule independent of any message from you. This is how OpenClaw sends you morning briefings, monitors inboxes, and checks system health without you having to ask.
ClawHub Security Warning: ClawHub hosts 13,000+ community skills. In early 2026, 341 malicious skills were distributed via ClawHub (the ClawHavoc incident) including reverse shells and credential stealers. Always read the SKILL.md before installing. Treat every community skill like code from a stranger.
If it's not written to a file, it doesn't exist after compaction. Instructions given only in chat will vanish. Rules belong in markdown files, not conversation.
What compaction is: Every message adds to the conversation history. When it fills, OpenClaw automatically compacts, summarising older messages to make room. That summary is lossy. Details, nuance and any instructions given in chat are gone.
Enable the pre-compaction memory flush: Set reserveTokensFloor: 40000 in openclaw.json. Default of 20,000 is too tight.
End every important session with "remember that I decided X." OpenClaw writes it to the daily log. Once a month, promote the best entries into MEMORY.md and delete the noise.
Most people set up OpenClaw, start chatting, wake up the next day and their API bill is $80. Here is exactly why that happens.
/context list before changing anything. Shows every file injected into your prompt, its exact token count, and whether it's being truncated. SOUL.md + AGENTS.md + MEMORY.md combined must be under 3,000 tokens.Follow to see how OpenClaw and Keira build a million-dollar business with AI.
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