DenchClaw Getting Started: From Zero to Productive in 15 Minutes

This is the fastest path from "I just heard about DenchClaw" to "I have a working CRM with data in it." No detours. No optional extras. Just the steps that actually matter.

Time required: 15 minutes.
What you'll have: A working local CRM with contacts, a deal pipeline, and an AI agent you can talk to from your phone.

What You'll Need#

• Mac, Linux, or Windows with WSL2
• Node.js 18 or higher (node --version to check)
• A Telegram account (for the mobile interface — strongly recommended)

If you need Node.js:

# Install nvm (Node Version Manager)
curl -o- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvm-sh/nvm/v0.39.0/install.sh | bash
source ~/.bashrc  # or restart terminal
nvm install 22
nvm use 22

Step 1: Install DenchClaw (2 minutes)#

One command:

npx denchclaw

This:

• Downloads and installs DenchClaw
• Creates your workspace at ~/.openclaw-dench/workspace/
• Initializes a fresh DuckDB database
• Starts the gateway on port 19001
• Opens the web UI at localhost:3100

You'll see a confirmation message when it's running. The first install takes 1-2 minutes for the download; subsequent starts take about 5 seconds.

Add to Dock as a PWA: Open localhost:3100 in Chrome, click the "Add to Dock" option in the browser menu. DenchClaw is now in your Mac Dock like a native app.

Step 2: Connect Telegram (3 minutes)#

This step transforms DenchClaw from a desktop app into a mobile-accessible AI agent. Skip it if you only want the web UI, but the Telegram integration is where most of the value is.

1. Open Telegram and start a chat with @BotFather
2. Send: /newbot
3. Follow the prompts: name your bot (e.g., "My DenchClaw"), pick a username (e.g., my_denchclaw_bot)
4. BotFather gives you a token that looks like: 7123456789:AAHkjhadsf...
5. In the DenchClaw web UI, go to Settings → Channels → Telegram
6. Paste your bot token and save
7. Click "Test Connection" — you should see a success message
8. Start a Telegram chat with your bot

Now open Telegram and send your bot a message: "Hello" — DenchClaw's agent should respond.

Step 3: Set Up Your First CRM Object (3 minutes)#

Talk to the agent in the web chat or via Telegram. Type this:

"Set up a simple contacts CRM for me. I need to track people with their name, email, company, status (Lead, Contact, Customer), last interaction date, and notes. Also set up a companies object so I can link people to their company."

The agent creates:

• A people object with all requested fields
• A companies object with basic company fields
• A relation linking people to companies
• A kanban view on people organized by status

This takes about 30 seconds. You now have a functional CRM schema.

Step 4: Add Your First Contacts (3 minutes)#

Add contacts via Telegram — this is how you'll add data on the go, so practice it now:

"Add a new contact: Sarah Chen, VP Product at Stripe, email sarah.chen@stripe.com, Status: Lead"

"Add another contact: James Liu, CFO at Acme Corp, email jliu@acme.com, Status: Customer"

"Add Stripe as a company and link Sarah Chen to it"

Each message creates an entry in DuckDB instantly. Check the web UI — you'll see Sarah Chen and James Liu in your people table.

Step 5: Ask Your First Query (2 minutes)#

This is where DenchClaw feels different from every other CRM.

In Telegram or web chat:

"Show me all my leads"

"How many contacts do I have in each status?"

"Who at Stripe have I added?"

The agent queries your DuckDB and returns structured results instantly. Try something more complex:

"Show me all contacts I haven't interacted with yet, sorted by company alphabetically"

Watch it work. This is SQL being generated and run against your local database in response to plain English.

Step 6: Set Up a Morning Briefing (2 minutes)#

Set up the daily briefing that'll run every weekday:

"Every weekday at 8am, send me a Telegram message with: how many leads I have, any contacts with today as last interaction date, and any contacts I haven't updated in the last 14 days."

The agent creates a cron job. Tomorrow at 8am, your first briefing arrives on your phone.

You're Productive#

In 15 minutes, you've:

✅ Installed a local-first CRM that costs nothing
✅ Connected it to Telegram for mobile access
✅ Created a working contact and company schema
✅ Added real data via natural language
✅ Queried your CRM in plain English
✅ Set up a daily briefing that will run every morning

The foundation is in place. Here's what to do next.

What to Build Next#

Add a Deals Pipeline#

"Create a deals object with fields for deal name, company (linked to companies), contact (linked to people), stage (Lead → Qualified → Demo → Proposal → Won → Lost), value, and expected close date. Make the default view a kanban by stage."

Import Existing Contacts#

If you have contacts in a CSV:

"I have a CSV at ~/Desktop/contacts.csv with columns: Name, Email, Company, Title. Import it into my people object."

Or import from HubSpot, Notion, or any website you're logged into via the browser agent:

"I want to import my contacts from HubSpot. Can you help with that?"

Connect Your Calendar and Email#

Via the gog skill for Google Workspace:

"Set up the Google Workspace skill so I can manage my Gmail and Google Calendar through DenchClaw."

Build a Dashboard#

"Build me a dashboard showing my pipeline by stage as a bar chart and my top 5 contacts by company."

The 5 Most Useful Things to Ask the Agent#

Once you're set up, these are the most valuable uses of the agent:

1. After every meeting or call: "I just talked to [Name] at [Company]. [What happened]. Follow up in [X days]."

2. Before a meeting: "Brief me on [Company] before my call — last interactions, current status, any open items."

3. Weekly review: "Show me my sales activity this week — new contacts, status changes, follow-ups completed."

4. Finding warm leads: "Who in my contacts works at a fintech company with more than 50 employees and hasn't been contacted in 30 days?"

5. Understanding your data: "What percentage of my leads convert to customers, based on my current data?"

Troubleshooting Quick Reference#

For more detailed troubleshooting, see the DenchClaw troubleshooting guide.

Full Setup Guide#

This guide covered the fastest path to productive. For the complete walkthrough — advanced configuration, team setup, skill installation, app building — see:

• Full DenchClaw Setup Guide
• What is DenchClaw?
• DenchClaw Tips: 10 Things You Might Not Know

Frequently Asked Questions#

How do I uninstall DenchClaw if I want to try it and decide it's not for me?#

openclaw gateway stop
rm -rf ~/.openclaw-dench  # This deletes your workspace and data
# The npx cache will be cleared automatically next time npx runs

That's it. No registry entries, no system-level changes.

Is my data private? Does DenchClaw send my contacts anywhere?#

Your CRM data (contacts, companies, deals) lives in a DuckDB file on your machine. It never leaves your machine by default. The only external traffic is AI model calls (when you ask the agent a question) — the query context goes to your configured AI provider. See the security guide for full details.

Can I use DenchClaw without the Telegram integration?#

Yes. The web UI at localhost:3100 gives you full CRM functionality. Telegram is optional but strongly recommended — it's the most convenient interface for adding data on the go and receiving alerts.

What's the difference between DenchClaw and OpenClaw?#

OpenClaw is the underlying agent framework (like React). DenchClaw is the opinionated, batteries-included product built on top of it (like Next.js). When you install DenchClaw, you get OpenClaw automatically. You interact with DenchClaw; OpenClaw handles the agent infrastructure underneath.

Ready to try DenchClaw? Install in one command: npx denchclaw. Full setup guide →