openclaw-course

Searchable reference for the OpenClaw Masterclass — 7 modules covering installation, configuration, local AI, VPS deployment, security, and skill development.

When to Use

Use this skill when the user asks about:

Installing or configuring OpenClaw
Setting up SOUL.md, IDENTITY.md, USER.md, AGENTS.md, HEARTBEAT.md
Local AI with Ollama
VPS deployment and remote access
Security hardening
Cost optimization strategies
Creating custom skills
Troubleshooting gateway or connection issues
Agent orchestration (Codex, Claude Code, OpenCode)

Quick Reference

| Module | File | Topics | |--------|------|--------| | 1 - Foundations | 01-FOUNDATIONS.md | Installation, first setup, messaging bridges | | 2 - Soul Architecture | 02-THE-SOUL-ARCHITECTURE.md | SOUL.md, IDENTITY.md, USER.md, AGENTS.md | | 3 - Local Power | 03-LOCAL-POWER.md | Ollama, voice, vision, agentic coding | | 4 - Context & Costs | 04-CONTEXT-AND-COSTS.md | Cost optimization, model selection | | 5 - VPS Employee | 05-VPS-EMPLOYEE.md | VPS deployment, Tailscale, cron jobs | | 6 - Security | 06-SECURITY.md | Hardening, secrets management | | 7 - Skills & Future | 07-SKILLS-AND-FUTURE.md | Creating skills, best practices |

Examples

User: "How do I configure the Soul file?" → Search Module 2, return SOUL.md section with templates and examples

User: "Troubleshoot gateway not starting" → Search Module 1, return troubleshooting section with diagnostics

User: "Set up Ollama locally" → Search Module 3, return Ollama setup steps and configuration

User: "VPS deployment guide" → Search Module 5, return VPS setup instructions

User: "Cost optimization tips" → Search Module 4, return cost-saving strategies

User: "Create a custom skill" → Search Module 7, return skill development guide

User: "Security best practices" → Search Module 6, return hardening checklist

Search Keywords

Installation & Setup

install, installation, setup, getting started
gateway, start, stop, status
telegram, whatsapp, slack, discord, imessage
docker, systemd, service

Configuration Files

SOUL.md, soul, personality, identity
IDENTITY.md, who you are, name, avatar
USER.md, human, preferences, about me
AGENTS.md, rules, boundaries, red lines
HEARTBEAT.md, proactive, cron, schedule

Local AI

ollama, local model, llama, mistral
whisper, voice, speech, audio
comfyui, image generation, vision
codex, claude code, opencode, coding agent

VPS & Remote

vps, server, deploy, remote
tailscale, vpn, secure access
cron, systemd, 24/7, always on

Costs & Optimization

cost, pricing, budget, cheap
token, context, compression, summarize
routing, fallback, model selection

Security

security, harden, protect, secrets
ssh, firewall, fail2ban, updates
privacy, data, encryption

Skills Development

skill, create skill, custom skill
SKILL.md, manifest, clawhub
references, scripts, index.js

Usage

# Use via OpenClaw skill system
# The skill automatically searches course content based on user queries

# Or use the CLI directly:
node index.js search "how to install OpenClaw"
node index.js search "SOUL.md example"
node index.js search "VPS setup"

File Structure

skills/openclaw-course/
├── SKILL.md              # This manifest
├── index.js              # Search functionality
└── references/           # Course modules
    ├── README.md         # Course overview
    ├── 01-FOUNDATIONS.md
    ├── 02-THE-SOUL-ARCHITECTURE.md
    ├── 03-LOCAL-POWER.md
    ├── 04-CONTEXT-AND-COSTS.md
    ├── 05-VPS-EMPLOYEE.md
    ├── 06-SECURITY.md
    └── 07-SKILLS-AND-FUTURE.md

Course Overview

The OpenClaw Masterclass is a comprehensive 7-module course that teaches you to build an autonomous AI workforce:

Foundations — Install OpenClaw, understand core concepts, set up messaging bridges
Soul Architecture — Configure your agent's personality and operational rules
Local Power — Run local AI models, add voice/vision, orchestrate coding agents
Context & Costs — Optimize for cost without sacrificing capability
VPS Employee — Deploy a 24/7 agent on a VPS with secure remote access
Security — Harden your infrastructure and manage secrets safely
Skills & Future — Create custom skills and prepare for what's next

Part of the OpenClaw Masterclass — Build Your Autonomous AI Workforce