Cogniq AI | How to Install and Customize Claude Bot for Your Business in 2026

TL;DR

Installing Claude Bot (OpenClaw) takes 30–60 minutes
Requires basic terminal knowledge and a server (or local machine)
Customization options: workflows, integrations, automation rules
Average setup cost: $0–50/month (self-hosted) or $20–100/month (cloud)
This guide covers everything from installation to production-ready automation

Introduction

You've heard about AI assistants. You've seen the demos. Now you want one running your business.

But here's the problem: most AI assistants are SaaS products that lock you in, limit customization, and charge per-message fees that add up fast.

That's where Claude Bot (powered by OpenClaw) comes in. It's open-source, self-hostable, and gives you complete control over your AI assistant.

In this guide, I'll show you exactly how to install, configure, and customize Claude Bot for your business — whether you're a solopreneur or a growing startup.

What is Claude Bot / OpenClaw?

OpenClaw is an open-source framework that lets you run Claude (Anthropic's AI) as a fully customizable business assistant. Think of it as having your own AI employee that:

Manages your calendar and emails
Automates follow-ups and lead nurturing
Handles customer support triage
Runs scheduled tasks and workflows

Unlike SaaS AI tools, you own everything. Your data stays on your servers. You control the costs.

Prerequisites

Before we start, you'll need:

A computer or server (local Mac/Linux/Windows or a cloud server like DigitalOcean/Render)
Node.js 18+ installed
Basic terminal knowledge (copy-paste commands)
An Anthropic API key (get one at anthropic.com)

Cost breakdown:

API usage: ~$5–50/month depending on volume
Hosting: $0–20/month (self-hosted) or $20–100/month (cloud)

Step 1: Installation

Option A: Quick Start (Local)

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw.git
cd openclaw

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Copy the example config
cp config.example.json config.json

# Start the assistant
npm start

That's it. OpenClaw will guide you through the initial setup.

Option B: Production Server (Cloud)

For a production-ready deployment:

Create a server on DigitalOcean, AWS, or Hetzner ($20/month)

Install Node.js and PM2 (process manager):

curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_18.x | sudo -E bash -
sudo apt-get install -y nodejs
sudo npm install -g pm2

Deploy with PM2:

git clone https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw.git
cd openclaw
npm install
pm2 start src/index.ts --name openclaw
pm2 save

Step 2: Configuration

Once installed, you'll configure OpenClaw via config.json:

{
  "model": "claude-3-5-sonnet-20241022",
  "channels": {
    "telegram": {
      "enabled": true,
      "bot_token": "YOUR_BOT_TOKEN"
    },
    "email": {
      "enabled": true,
      "smtp": {
        "host": "smtp.gmail.com",
        "port": 587,
        "user": "your@email.com",
        "password": "YOUR_APP_PASSWORD"
      }
    }
  },
  "automations": {
    "email_monitoring": {
      "enabled": true,
      "check_interval_minutes": 60
    }
  }
}

Key Configuration Options

Option	Description	Recommended
`model`	Claude model to use	claude-3-5-sonnet (best balance)
`channels`	Where AI can communicate	Telegram + Email
`automations`	Scheduled tasks	Email monitoring, follow-ups
`memory`	Conversation history	SQLite or file-based

Step 3: Customizing Workflows

This is where OpenClaw shines. You can create custom workflows that define how the AI behaves.

Example: Lead Follow-Up Workflow

// workflows/lead-followup.js
module.exports = {
  name: 'Lead Follow-Up',
  trigger: 'schedule: every monday 9am',
  
  async run(bot) {
    // 1. Fetch leads from your CRM
    const leads = await bot.crm.getLeads({ status: 'new' });
    
    // 2. For each lead, generate personalized follow-up
    for (const lead of leads) {
      const followUp = await bot.ai.generate({
        prompt: `Write a friendly follow-up email for ${lead.name} who showed interest in ${lead.product}. Keep it short and conversational.`
      });
      
      // 3. Send the email
      await bot.email.send({
        to: lead.email,
        subject: 'Following up on our conversation',
        body: followUp
      });
    }
    
    return `Followed up with ${leads.length} leads`;
  }
};

Example: Meeting Scheduler

// workflows/meeting-scheduler.js
module.exports = {
  name: 'Meeting Scheduler',
  trigger: 'email: incoming with subject contains "meeting"',
  
  async run(bot, email) {
    // 1. Parse the request
    const info = await bot.ai.extract({
      text: email.body,
      schema: {
        name: 'string',
        preferred_times: 'array',
        topic: 'string'
      }
    });
    
    // 2. Check calendar availability
    const slots = await bot.calendar.findSlots({
      duration: 30,
      preferred: info.preferred_times
    });
    
    // 3. Respond with options
    await bot.email.reply({
      to: email.from,
      body: `Hi ${info.name}, here are some available times: ${slots.join(', ')}. Let me know what works!`
    });
  }
};

Step 4: Integrations

OpenClaw integrates with the tools you already use:

Gmail / Google Workspace

{
  "channels": {
    "gmail": {
      "enabled": true,
      "credentials": "./credentials/gmail.json"
    }
  }
}

{
  "channels": {
    "telegram": {
      "enabled": true,
      "bot_token": "123456:ABC-DEF1234ghIkl-zyx57W2v1u123ew11"
    }
  }
}

Custom CRM, Slack, Notion, etc.

Use the plugin system to connect anything:

// plugins/my-crm.js
module.exports = {
  name: 'My CRM',
  
  async getLeads(filters) {
    // Connect to your CRM API
    return await fetch('https://your-crm.com/api/leads', {
      headers: { 'Authorization': process.env.CRM_API_KEY }
    });
  }
};

Step 5: Production Best Practices

Security

Never commit API keys to git — use environment variables
Run behind a firewall or VPN for production
Enable 2FA on all connected accounts

Monitoring

# View logs
pm2 logs openclaw

# Monitor performance
pm2 monit

Backups

Regularly backup your config and database
Use git to version control your workflows

Cost Comparison: OpenClaw vs. SaaS Alternatives

Feature	OpenClaw	Intercom	Drift	Zapier
Setup cost	$0	$0	$0	$0
Monthly cost	$5–50 (API)	$74+/mo	$95+/mo	$20+/mo
Custom workflows	✅ Unlimited	❌ Limited	❌ Limited	✅
Data ownership	✅ 100%	❌ SaaS	❌ SaaS	⚠️
Unlimited agents	✅	❌	❌	❌

Common Issues & Fixes

"API key invalid"

Double-check your Anthropic API key
Ensure you have credits in your account

"Port already in use"

Change the port in config.json or kill the process:
```
lsof -i :3000
kill -9 <PID>
```

"Not receiving messages"

Check your channel configuration (Telegram/Gmail permissions)
Verify webhooks are set up correctly

Conclusion

Installing and customizing Claude Bot via OpenClaw is surprisingly straightforward. In under an hour, you can have a fully functional AI assistant handling:

Email management and follow-ups
Calendar scheduling
Lead nurturing
Customer support triage
Custom business workflows

The best part? You own everything. No per-message fees. No SaaS lock-in. Just your AI assistant, your way.

Ready to get started? Contact Cogniq AI and we can help you set up, configure, and customize OpenClaw for your specific business needs — from installation to production-ready automation.

How to Install and Customize Claude Bot for Your Business in 2026