OpenClaw Installation and MYAI168 Setup Guide — Windows Native (no WSL)

Goal of this guide: install OpenClaw (nicknamed "the lobster" 🦞, an open-source AI agent that runs on your own computer) natively on Windows "without WSL", connect it to MYAI168 with cc-switch, and use Claude Opus 4.8.

Note: OpenClaw is primarily Linux-based, and the official Windows route uses WSL2. This guide takes the "native PowerShell + npm" route and does not require WSL. The biggest difference in native mode: the background service (Gateway) runs as a "Windows Scheduled Task" instead of Linux systemd, and must be started manually (see "4. Initialize and Start the Gateway").

Endpoint and Model

• Anthropic native endpoint: https://www.myai168.com/en/api/anthropic (without /v1)
• Primary model: claude-opus-4-8

Config File Location

%USERPROFILE%\.openclaw\openclaw.json (usually C:\Users\your-account\.openclaw\)

Important Security Notes

• OpenClaw has broad system permissions (read files, run commands, send messages, browse the web). It is strongly recommended to install it on a test machine or an isolated environment, not on a main machine holding lots of sensitive data.
• The admin dashboard (Control UI) binds to 127.0.0.1 (localhost) by default; never expose it to the public network.
• Always install the latest version (older versions had serious security vulnerabilities).
• Treat your API key like a password; if it leaks, revoke and replace it in the MYAI168 console.

OpenClaw is installed with npm, which requires Node.js (official requirement 22.22.3+, 24.15+, or 25.9+; Node 24 is the default target and the recommended choice). First check in PowerShell:

node --version
npm --version

If you get version numbers, skip to "1. Install OpenClaw". If you get "command not recognized":

• Method A (recommended): go to https://nodejs.org, download the LTS Windows installer (.msi), double-click and click Next all the way through, then "close and reopen PowerShell" and check node --version again.
• Method B (fallback): winget install OpenJS.NodeJS.LTS, then reopen PowerShell after it finishes.

If PowerShell's execution policy blocks you, allow scripts first (affects the current user only):

Set-ExecutionPolicy -Scope CurrentUser -ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned

Install with npm:

npm install -g openclaw@latest

(You may see prompts like "npm warn allow-scripts" or a notice that a newer npm is available — harmless, ignore them.)

Verify:

openclaw --version

Seeing a version number (for example OpenClaw 2026.6.11) means the installation succeeded.

(Prerequisite: cc-switch is already installed — for installation, see the "cc-switch Windows" page in the Developer Center.)

• Open cc-switch and click the "OpenClaw" tab at the top.
• Click "+" to add a provider and fill in:
  • Provider Key: myai168-claude (lowercase, with a hyphen)
  • Provider Name: MYAI168 Claude
  • API Protocol: choose Anthropic (not the default OpenAI Completions)
  • API Endpoint: https://www.myai168.com/en/api/anthropic (without /v1)
  • API Key: your MYAI168 key
  • Models: click "+ Add Model" and enter claude-opus-4-8 as the Model ID
• Click "+ Add" to save, then Enable it on the card.

Confirm cc-switch wrote the config file:

Get-Content $env:USERPROFILE\.openclaw\openclaw.json

Under models.providers you should see myai168-claude, claude-opus-4-8, baseUrl, and api: anthropic-messages.

cc-switch only writes the "model providers"; it does not write the Gateway settings. Without gateway.mode, OpenClaw's Gateway "cannot start" (the log will show: Gateway start blocked: existing config is missing gateway.mode).

So you must add this one line manually:

openclaw config set gateway.mode local

(Seeing Updated gateway.mode. Restart the gateway to apply. means it succeeded.)

Run doctor to initialize (it will ask a few questions):

openclaw doctor

Recommended answers:

• Generate and configure a gateway token now? → Yes
• Create Session store dir? → Yes
• Tighten permissions? → Yes
• Update gateway service config to recommended defaults? → Yes
• Disable unavailable skills? → Yes (tools not installed in this environment; disabling them keeps things clean)
• Enable shell completion? → Yes

(If you see "No command owner configured" along the way, that is for Telegram / Discord remote control and can be ignored for local use.)

Windows native key point: the Gateway must be started manually

In native mode the Gateway is managed as a "Windows Scheduled Task"; after installation it is "not running automatically". The official Windows flow installs the Gateway service first (which creates the managed scheduled task), then starts it:

openclaw gateway install
openclaw gateway start
openclaw gateway status

The status output must show the following for the Gateway to be healthy:

Runtime: running
Connectivity probe: ok
Listening: 127.0.0.1:18789

If you see ECONNREFUSED / stopped / unreachable, see "6. Quick Troubleshooting".

openclaw

On first launch you will enter the built-in OpenClaw setup agent (formerly called Crestodian). Just type a sentence and it will take you to the normal chat interface (main agent); the status bar at the bottom should show myai168-claude/claude-opus-4-8.

Ask a math question in the main agent:

What is 123456 times 789? Reply with the number only.

If it answers 97406784, the status bar shows myai168-claude/claude-opus-4-8, and the token count increases, the connection works. (Do not verify with "who are you" — model self-identification is unreliable; for actual usage, check the call records in the MYAI168 console.)

You can also open the dashboard (browser): http://127.0.0.1:18789/

• Gateway unreachable / ECONNREFUSED 127.0.0.1:18789 → the Gateway is not running. First confirm gateway.mode was added in "3. Add gateway.mode", then run openclaw gateway install, openclaw gateway start and openclaw gateway status.
• Gateway goes stopped right after starting (Service is loaded but not running) and the log shows "missing gateway.mode" → gateway.mode is missing. Run openclaw config set gateway.mode local, then openclaw gateway start.
• openclaw command not found → open a new PowerShell so PATH takes effect, and confirm %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Roaming\npm is in PATH.
• Scripts blocked by the execution policy → Set-ExecutionPolicy -Scope CurrentUser -ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned
• config set is also blocked (missing gateway.mode / clobbered) → add a flag: openclaw config set gateway.mode local --allow-unconfigured, or rerun openclaw onboard --mode local.
• See why the Gateway exited → Get-Content "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\Temp\openclaw\openclaw-*.log" -Tail 40

Update: npm update -g openclaw (or openclaw update).

Security audit:

openclaw security audit

Change the API key: update the API Key on the OpenClaw card in cc-switch and Enable it again; or edit the apiKey in %USERPROFILE%\.openclaw\openclaw.json directly, then run openclaw gateway restart.

Gateway control: openclaw gateway start / status / restart

Config file location: %USERPROFILE%\.openclaw\openclaw.json; Gateway logs: %LOCALAPPDATA%\Temp\openclaw\

Official docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai, https://docs.openclaw.ai/platforms/windows