Usage Guide

Learn how to use OpenClaw effectively

Chat Commands

Send these in WhatsApp/Telegram/Slack/Google Chat/Microsoft Teams/WebChat (group commands are owner-only)

/status

Compact session status (model + tokens, cost when available)

/new or /reset

Reset the session

/compact

Compact session context (summary)

/think <level>

off|minimal|low|medium|high|xhigh (GPT-5.2 + Codex models only)

/verbose on|off

Toggle verbose output

/usage off|tokens|full

Per-response usage footer

/context list

Show loaded context (files, TRUNCATED if over limit)

/restart

Restart the gateway (owner-only in groups)

/activation mention|always

Group activation toggle (groups only)

Basic Interaction

Simply send a message to your connected channel (WhatsApp, Telegram, etc.) and OpenClaw will respond. The assistant understands natural language and can handle complex requests.

Tip: Be specific when you ask for something—"summarize my unread emails from the last 24 hours" works better than "check my email." For multi-step tasks, one message is enough; OpenClaw will break it down and use tools as needed.

Example Conversation

You: "What's on my calendar today?"
OpenClaw: [Checks your calendar and responds with today's events]

You: "Send an email to john@example.com about the meeting"
OpenClaw: [Composes and sends the email]

You: "Check the weather and remind me to bring an umbrella if it's raining"
OpenClaw: [Checks weather, sets reminder if needed]