How to install & set up AINL with OpenClaw
This guide is in two parts: (1) get OpenClaw running on your machine, (2) wire in AINL (skill + ainl install-mcp --host openclaw + ainl-mcp). If you skip part 1, you will not have openclaw or a workspace to drop the skill into.
Not sure which stack you use? Start from Easy install and pick OpenClaw or ZeroClaw there. Using ZeroClaw instead? Follow How to install & set up AINL with ZeroClaw.
Already have ainl on PyPI v1.3.0+? After OpenClaw is running, you can use ainl install openclaw for a one-command workspace bootstrap (env, SQLite, gold-standard crons). Full walkthrough: OpenClaw + AINL — 5-minute quickstart — then ainl status, optional ainl cron add / ainl dashboard, and ainl doctor --ainl.
Part 1 — Install OpenClaw (do this first)
OpenClaw is a separate project from AINL. Use the official paths:
- Official site: openclaw.ai (installer, docs; no stable public
openclaw/openclawGitHub repo as primary home)
What you need before AINL
- Node.js 22+ and npm on your
PATH - OpenClaw CLI working in a new terminal (
openclaw --version) - A provider / API key (OpenClaw onboarding walks you through this)
Step 1 — Node.js
node --version
Install Node 22+ from nodejs.org or, on macOS with Homebrew:
brew install node@22
brew link --overwrite --force node@22
Step 2 — Install OpenClaw
macOS or Linux:
curl -fsSL https://openclaw.ai/install.sh | bash
Windows: use WSL2 (Ubuntu), then the same command inside WSL. Keep project files on the Linux filesystem for best performance.
Step 3 — Onboarding
openclaw onboard --install-daemon
Configure provider, model, and optional channels as prompted.
Step 4 — Verify
openclaw --version
openclaw gateway status
openclaw dashboard
If openclaw is not found, finish OpenClaw’s docs first—do not continue to Part 2 until the CLI works.
Where skills live (for Part 2)
Typical locations:
~/.openclaw/skills/<name>/<workspace>/skills/— default workspace is often~/.openclaw/workspace
You will copy SKILL.md, install.sh, and README.md from AINL’s skills/openclaw/ tree into one of those folders.
Part 2 — Install AINL on top of OpenClaw
AINL integrates via the in-repo skills/openclaw/ skill and ainl install-mcp --host openclaw, which merges mcpServers.ainl into ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json, installs ~/.openclaw/bin/ainl-run, upgrades ainl[mcp] from PyPI, and updates your shell PATH when possible.
OpenClaw does not use zeroclaw skills install <url>. Use ClawHub (when the skill is listed), manual copy, or a standalone repo (e.g. future ainl-openclaw-skill).
Prerequisites (AINL)
- Python 3.10+ and pip
- Working OpenClaw (Part 1)
- Network access to PyPI and GitHub (to copy the skill folder)
Path A — Copy the OpenClaw skill from the main repo
From a clone of github.com/sbhooley/ainativelang:
cp -R /path/to/ainativelang/skills/openclaw ~/.openclaw/skills/ainl
cd ~/.openclaw/skills/ainl
chmod +x install.sh
./install.sh
./install.sh runs npm install -g openclaw@latest when npm is available (refresh OpenClaw CLI), then pip install --upgrade 'ainativelang[mcp]', then ainl install-mcp --host openclaw.
Skip the global npm step (you already manage OpenClaw yourself):
OPENCLAW_SKIP_NPM=1 ./install.sh
Preview only: ./install.sh --dry-run · verbose: ./install.sh --verbose
Path B — Bootstrap without the skill checkout
pip install 'ainativelang[mcp]'
ainl install-mcp --host openclaw
- Preview changes:
ainl install-mcp --host openclaw --dry-run - Verbose logs:
ainl install-mcp --host openclaw --verbose
Path C — One-command workspace integration (v1.3.0+)
Use this after pip install 'ainativelang[mcp]' (Path B or the skill’s install script). It is additive to MCP wiring: it merges env.shellEnv into <workspace>/.openclaw/openclaw.json, bootstraps SQLite, registers the three gold-standard crons, restarts the gateway, and can seed aiNativeLang.yml from aiNativeLang.example.yml when missing.
# Preview (no writes):
ainl install openclaw --workspace ~/.openclaw/workspace --dry-run
# Apply:
ainl install openclaw --workspace ~/.openclaw/workspace
Check health and integration:
ainl status
ainl status --summary # one line for Slack / Telegram / CI
ainl doctor --ainl
Optional polish: schedule your own .ainl without crafting cron JSON — ainl cron add ./workflow.ainl --cron "0 9 * * *" (or --every 15m); open the emitted dashboard with ainl dashboard after you have built the emitted server in a dev checkout.
Canonical reference: OpenClaw + AINL — 5-minute quickstart · deeper checklist: OpenClaw + AINL — gold standard.
What gets installed
| Artifact | Purpose |
| --- | --- |
| pip install --upgrade 'ainativelang[mcp]' | Compiler, importer extras, MCP dependencies |
| ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json | Merges mcpServers.ainl → stdio ainl-mcp (idempotent by resolved command) |
| ~/.openclaw/bin/ainl-run | Wrapper: ainl compile then ainl run (extra args forwarded) |
| ~/.bashrc / ~/.zshrc | May append export PATH="$HOME/.openclaw/bin:$PATH" |
Ensure ainl-mcp is on your PATH (same environment as ainl), or rely on the resolved path written into openclaw.json.
Chat example
After a successful install, try:
Import the morning briefing using AINL.
Then use ainl import markdown …, ainl import clawflows / ainl import agency-agents, or MCP tools, then ainl compile / ainl run or:
~/.openclaw/bin/ainl-run my.ainl
With ~/.openclaw/bin on PATH, you can run ainl-run my.ainl.
Docs & source
- OpenClaw + AINL — 5-minute quickstart (
ainl install openclaw,ainl status,ainl doctor --ainl, optional cron/dashboard) - MCP host integrations (OpenClaw + ZeroClaw + one CLI pattern)
- OpenClaw integration (mirrored docs)
- Skill README:
skills/openclaw/README.md - Cron / bridge (non-MCP):
openclaw/bridge/README.md - Repo: github.com/sbhooley/ainativelang
Troubleshooting (OpenClaw host)
| Problem | Fix |
| --- | --- |
| openclaw: command not found | New terminal; confirm install script completed; check PATH. |
| Node too old | Node 22+ required. |
| npm install -g openclaw unwanted | OPENCLAW_SKIP_NPM=1 ./install.sh |
| MCP not visible in OpenClaw | Confirm ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json contains mcpServers.ainl; restart OpenClaw / gateway after edits. |
Keeping OpenClaw updated
openclaw update --channel stable
Re-run ./install.sh or ainl install-mcp --host openclaw when you want to refresh PyPI ainl and re-merge MCP config. After upgrading ainl, you can re-run ainl install openclaw --workspace ~/.openclaw/workspace to refresh env/crons/SQLite idempotently (see quickstart).
Optional: ask OpenClaw to help
After OpenClaw is running, you can still paste:
Please install AINL from https://github.com/sbhooley/ainativelang and wire the OpenClaw skill (skills/openclaw) or ainl install-mcp --host openclaw per docs/OPENCLAW_INTEGRATION.md.
For a manual CLI-only path (no agent stack), see also How to install and run AINL.