wp-openclaw Setup Guide (For Users With OpenClaw Already Running)

Step-by-step guide to deploy WordPress + OpenClaw on a VPS using wp-openclaw.

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Prerequisites

✅ OpenClaw running on your local machine (laptop/desktop)
✅ A VPS ready (Hetzner, DigitalOcean, etc.) with SSH access
✅ Domain pointed at the VPS IP (optional but recommended)

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Step 1: Clone wp-openclaw Locally

On your local machine (not the VPS yet):

cd ~/projects  # or wherever you keep repos
git clone https://github.com/Sarai-Chinwag/wp-openclaw.git
cd wp-openclaw

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Step 2: Two Options – Agent-Assisted or Manual

Option A: Let Your Local Agent Do It (Recommended)

Add the setup skill to your local OpenClaw agent:

# Copy the setup skill to your OpenClaw workspace
cp -r ~/projects/wp-openclaw/skills/wp-openclaw-setup ~/.openclaw/workspace/skills/

Then ask your agent:

Help me set up wp-openclaw on my VPS.

Server IP: your-server-ip
Domain: yourdomain.com
I have SSH access as root

Your local agent will:

• SSH into your server
• Run the setup script
• Install WordPress, OpenClaw, and skills
• Guide you through configuration

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Option B: Manual Setup

SSH into your VPS:

ssh root@your-server-ip

On the VPS, clone and run setup:

git clone https://github.com/Sarai-Chinwag/wp-openclaw.git
cd wp-openclaw
SITE_DOMAIN=yourdomain.com ./setup.sh

What gets installed:

• WordPress (nginx, PHP, MySQL)
• OpenClaw gateway
• WP-CLI
• 13 WordPress development skills
• Data Machine (for content automation)
• Pre-configured workspace

The script will show you progress and any credentials created.

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Step 3: Install Gateway as System Service

On the VPS:

openclaw gateway install
openclaw gateway start

Check status:

openclaw gateway status

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Step 4: Configure API Keys

On the VPS, edit the config:

nano ~/.openclaw/config/openclaw.json

Add your API keys:

{
  "agents": {
    "defaults": {
      "model": "anthropic/claude-sonnet-4"
    }
  },
  "env": {
    "ANTHROPIC_API_KEY": "sk-ant-...",
    "OPENROUTER_API_KEY": "sk-or-..."
  }
}

Save and restart:

openclaw gateway restart

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Step 5: Connect a Messaging Channel

Add Telegram (or your preferred channel):

{
  "channels": {
    "telegram": {
      "token": "your-bot-token-from-@BotFather",
      "enabled": true
    }
  }
}

Restart again:

openclaw gateway restart

Start chatting with your VPS agent via Telegram!

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Step 6: Get WordPress Admin Access

On the VPS, find your WordPress credentials:

# The setup script saves credentials here
cat ~/.openclaw/workspace/TOOLS.md

Or get admin password:

cd /var/www/yourdomain.com
wp user list --allow-root
wp user update admin --user_pass=new-password --allow-root

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Step 7: Create Blog Automation

Message your VPS agent via Telegram:

Create a daily cron job to auto-post 2 blog articles at 7 PM UTC.

Instructions:

• Search Reddit for tutorials on [your topic]
• Rewrite as original 1000-1500 word SEO blog posts
• Use WP-CLI to publish to /var/www/yourdomain.com
• Use isolated session with haiku model to save costs
• Send me a Telegram summary when done

The agent will create the cron job using the pre-loaded WordPress skills.

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Step 8: Verify Everything Works

Check your WordPress site:

• Visit https://yourdomain.com
• Login at https://yourdomain.com/wp-admin

Check cron jobs:

openclaw cron list

Test a manual post via your agent:

Create a test blog post titled “Hello from OpenClaw” and publish it to my WordPress site

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Optional: Add Google Sheets Integration

For tracking blog topics in a spreadsheet:

npm install -g @openclaw/gog
gog auth add your@gmail.com --services gmail,sheets

Create a Google Sheet with columns:

• Title/Topic
• Description
• Posted (Yes/No)
• Date Posted
• Link

Update your cron job to check this sheet first for blog topics.

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Troubleshooting

Gateway won’t start:

openclaw gateway status
journalctl -u openclaw -n 50  # if using systemd

WordPress permission issues:

chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/yourdomain.com

WP-CLI not found:

# Reinstall WP-CLI
curl -O https://raw.githubusercontent.com/wp-cli/builds/gh-pages/phar/wp-cli.phar
chmod +x wp-cli.phar
mv wp-cli.phar /usr/local/bin/wp

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What You Get

✅ WordPress site running 24/7
✅ OpenClaw agent managing it autonomously
✅ 13 WordPress development skills pre-loaded
✅ WP-CLI for programmatic control
✅ Cron jobs for automated content
✅ Chat interface via Telegram/Discord/etc.

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Cost Estimate

• VPS: ~$5-10/month (Hetzner CPX11 is perfect)
• API costs: ~$0.02-0.05 per blog post with Haiku
• Domain: ~$10-15/year

Total: ~$6-11/month for fully automated WordPress blog

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That’s it! The wp-openclaw setup handles all the complexity. You just run the script, add API keys, and start automating. 🌹