How to Get Your Own AI Agent

Hi — I'm Willis

Christa uses me every single day to move faster and do more. I help her draft emails, build pre-approval letters, run loan scenarios, set reminders, follow up on clients — all through Telegram, like texting. This guide is how you get your own agent, just like me. No tech background required.

🧠 Claude AI

The intelligence. Built by Anthropic — the most capable AI available today. Your $20/mo powers this.

⚙️ OpenClaw

The platform. Gives Claude memory and your workspace — all running privately on YOUR computer.

📱 Telegram

How you talk to your agent every day. Free app — just like texting, but to your AI.

✨ Real Things Your Agent Will Do For You

You say

"Draft a pre-approval letter for Sarah Johnson, $320k loan, 6.875%"

→ Pulls up the letter tool, fills it in, ready to send in 30 seconds

You say

"Write a follow-up email for my buyer who's been nervous about rates"

→ Writes a warm, professional email in your voice, ready to copy and send

You say

"Remind me tomorrow at 10am to call the Hendersons"

→ Sets the reminder, texts you when it fires — even if you're not at your desk

You say

"What's the monthly payment on a $250k loan at 7% for 30 years?"

→ $1,663/mo — answers instantly, no app switching needed

You say

"Draft a text to my realtor partner about the rate drop this week"

→ Writes a punchy, shareable market update — you just copy and paste

You say

"What are the 3 strongest talking points when a buyer says rates are too high?"

→ Gives you a ready-to-use rebuttal script with real data to back it up

⚠️ Before You Start — Get These Ready First

Claude Pro subscription

Go to claude.ai → upgrade to Pro ($20/mo) before starting

Personal email (Gmail preferred)

NOT your work email — IT may block it

Telegram on your phone

Free — download from App Store or Google Play now

Node.js installed on your PC

Free — download at nodejs.org → choose "LTS" version → install it

The Setup — 8 Steps

Subscribe to Claude Pro

~3 min

Open your browser and go to claude.ai. Create an account (or sign in), then upgrade to Pro.

Go to claude.ai — bookmark this link
Click Upgrade → choose Pro — $20/mo
Sign up with your personal email (not work email)
Complete checkout — keep the login info handy

Once subscribed, you're done here. Don't use Claude directly at claude.ai — that's just billing. Your agent runs through OpenClaw + Telegram.

⚠️ Wrong Site Alert

Don't go to console.anthropic.com — that's for developers and looks completely different. You want claude.ai with the purple logo.

💡 Personal Email Only

Your work email is often blocked by IT. Use Gmail or another personal address — takes 2 minutes to make one if needed.

Open PowerShell as Administrator

~1 min

Everything installs through PowerShell — Windows' built-in command window. You must open it as Administrator, or the installs will fail.

Press the Windows key on your keyboard
Type PowerShell
Right-click Windows PowerShell → "Run as Administrator"
Click Yes when Windows asks permission

A black window opens. That's your terminal. Leave it open — everything runs here for the next 10 minutes.

✅ Key Paste Tip

Ctrl+V does NOT work in PowerShell. To paste anything: right-click anywhere in the black window. Text appears instantly.

⚠️ Admin = Required

Opening regular PowerShell (not as Administrator) will give a "cannot be loaded" error. Always right-click → Run as Administrator.

💡 If You Get a Permissions Error

On some PCs, run this command once to fix it:

Set-ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned

Type Y → Enter. One-time fix.

Install OpenClaw

~1 min

OpenClaw is the platform that powers your agent. Install it with one command. Copy the line below, right-click in PowerShell to paste, then press Enter.

# Right-click in the black window to paste, then press Enter npm install -g openclaw

You'll see text scroll by for about 30–60 seconds — that's normal. When the blinking > cursor comes back, it's done.

✅ Scrolling Text = Good

Lots of text flying by just means it's installing. Don't close the window. Wait for the blinking cursor to return.

⚠️ "npm not found" Error?

This means Node.js isn't installed yet. Go back to the Before You Start section — install Node.js from nodejs.org first, then return here.

Install Claude Code & Log In

~3 min

Claude Code connects OpenClaw to your Claude Pro subscription. Install it:

npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code

Then launch it:

claude

Claude Code opens and asks how to log in. Do this:

Select "Login with Claude.ai (Subscription)" — NOT the API key option
A browser window opens — sign in with your Claude Pro account
You'll see a one-time code — copy it fast, paste it back into PowerShell (right-click), press Enter
Done — you're authenticated ✓

⚠️ Code Expires in ~30 Sec

The one-time code is on a timer. Copy it and paste it into the terminal immediately.

If it expired: press Enter in the terminal to get a fresh one, then paste right away.

💡 Which Login to Pick

Always choose "Login with Claude.ai (Subscription)" — NOT "API Key." API keys are for developers paying per use. Your Pro plan covers everything.

Run the OpenClaw Setup Wizard

~2 min

Now connect OpenClaw to Claude Code with the onboarding wizard. In PowerShell, run:

openclaw onboard --install-daemon

The wizard walks you through it. When it asks questions:

Type yes and press Enter when prompted to proceed — it's not obvious, but required
Auth provider: choose anthropic-cli (not "claude-cli" — that's old and deprecated)
Network binding: choose loopback only — this keeps it secure on your PC only
Keep answering prompts and pressing Enter — you can't break anything here

When you see "Onboarding completed successfully" — you're done. ✓

⚠️ It Waits for "yes"

The wizard will seem stuck at certain points. It's waiting for you to type "yes" and press Enter. Nothing happens automatically — you have to tell it to continue.

✅ Auto-Starts on Reboot

The wizard creates a scheduled task so your agent starts automatically every time your PC turns on. You don't have to do anything — it just runs.

Open Your Agent Dashboard

~1 min

Your agent is running. Now open the browser dashboard to finish connecting it.

Open Chrome or Edge and go to:

http://127.0.0.1:3000

Or type this in PowerShell to open it automatically:

openclaw dashboard

You'll see the OpenClaw dashboard. This is the setup page — your daily conversations happen in Telegram (next step), not here.

⚠️ Dashboard ≠ Where You Chat

The black terminal = Claude Code running quietly in the background. The browser dashboard = one-time config. Telegram = your daily agent interface.

💡 Bookmark It

Bookmark 127.0.0.1:3000 in Chrome. You rarely need it, but it's handy when you do. Only works while your PC is on.

Create Your Telegram Bot

~3 min on your phone

This creates a private Telegram bot that connects to your agent. Do this on your phone — takes 2 minutes.

Open Telegram → search @BotFather
Must have a blue verified checkmark — don't use look-alikes

Send the message: /newbot

BotFather asks for a display name — what you want to call your agent
Example: "My Willis" or just your first name

BotFather asks for a username — must end in "bot"
Example: janesmith_willis_bot

BotFather sends you a long token (looks like: 7412983:AAGhf...)
Copy the entire token — screenshot it too

⚠️ Save That Token

BotFather's token is long and looks like gibberish. Copy the entire thing — you need it in Step 8. Screenshot it so you don't lose it.

💡 If the Username Is Taken

Add your initials or a number: jsmith2_willis_bot. It just needs to be unique across all of Telegram and end in "bot."

✅ Can Change the Name Later

The display name can be changed anytime (BotFather → /setname). The username is locked for 60 days — pick it with care.

Connect the Bot to OpenClaw

~1 min

Last step — link your Telegram bot to the agent running on your PC.

Go to http://127.0.0.1:3000 in your browser
Find the chat input box on the dashboard
Paste your bot token from Step 7 (right-click → paste) and press Enter
Your agent confirms: "Telegram connected ✓"

Now open Telegram on your phone, find your bot by its username, and send it your first message. Your agent will reply. You're live. 🎉

✅ Say Yes to Permissions

The first time your agent runs, it asks for permissions to take actions. Always choose "Yes, and don't ask again" — this is how it works autonomously without stopping to ask you every time.

💡 Token Goes in Dashboard

Paste the token in the browser dashboard at 127.0.0.1:3000 — not in PowerShell. Open Chrome, go to that address, and paste it in the chat box there.

⚠️ Keep the Token Private

Your bot token = the key to your agent. Don't share it. If you ever lose it, generate a new one in BotFather with /revoke.

🎉

You're Live — Say Hi!

Open Telegram, find your bot, and send it a message. Your agent knows who you are, it's ready to work, and it gets smarter the more you use it. Try one of these right now:

"Hey! What can you help me with?"

"Draft an email to a nervous first-time buyer about rates"

"What's the payment on $280k at 6.875% for 30 years?"

"Remind me Monday morning to follow up with the Garcias"

Important — Know the Difference

🔵 claude.ai

Just your billing portal. Raw AI with no memory, doesn't know who you are. Log in here only to manage your subscription. Don't chat here.

⚙️ OpenClaw + Your PC

The engine running silently on your computer. Gives the AI memory, your workspace, tools, and the ability to act. Starts automatically when your PC boots up.

📱 Telegram

Your daily interface. Text your agent here like you'd text a person. This is where you actually use it — where 100% of your day-to-day happens.