Alibaba Cloud Platform OpenClaw Setup

OpenClaw Setup

Deploy OpenClaw on Linux, enable DingTalk, Feishu, Discord, or other documented channels, and verify gateway health.

Use This Workflow

Run this sequence in order:

1. Prepare Linux runtime and install OpenClaw.
2. Discover channels from official docs (required for new channel requests).
3. Install and verify channel integrations.
4. Create/merge ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json.
5. Configure and start gateway service.
6. Run health checks and collect logs.

Prerequisites

• SSH access to target Linux host (Debian/Ubuntu preferred).
• DingTalk enterprise app credentials (AppKey, AppSecret) for the official connector, or Feishu app credentials (App ID, App Secret), or Discord bot token.
• DashScope API key.

Step 1: Prepare Runtime

ssh root@
curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_20.x | bash -
apt-get install -y nodejs
node --version
npm --version

Step 2: Install OpenClaw and Channel Integrations

npm install -g openclaw@latest
openclaw --version

# DingTalk official connector
openclaw plugins install @dingtalk-real-ai/dingtalk-connector --pin
# or install from official GitHub repo
openclaw plugins install https://github.com/DingTalk-Real-AI/dingtalk-openclaw-connector.git
openclaw plugins list | grep dingtalk

# Feishu channel
openclaw plugins install @openclaw/feishu
openclaw plugins list | grep feishu

# Discord channel (built-in, no extra plugin needed)
# Configure token in Step 3 and start gateway in Step 4

If upgrading from old DingTalk plugins, uninstall legacy plugin IDs first and keep only the official connector in plugins.allow.

Step 3: Auto-Discover Additional Channels from Official Docs

When user asks for any extra channel beyond current setup, do this first:

1. Open https://docs.openclaw.ai/channels/index.
2. Identify requested channel pages from the "Supported channels" list.
3. Open each channel page and extract:
   • Whether it is built-in or plugin-based.
   • Exact install command (do not guess package names).
   • Required credentials/tokens and config keys.
4. Apply installation/configuration on host.
5. Record channel-specific notes into ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json.

Use the exact workflow in references/channel-discovery.md.

Step 4: Configure openclaw.json

Create or update ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json with:

• models.providers.bailian for DashScope endpoint and models.
• agents.defaults.model.primary in provider/model format, default to bailian/glm-5.
• models.providers.bailian.models ordered as:
  1. qwen3-plus
  2. glm-5
  3. minimax-m2.5
  4. kimi-k2.5
• agents.defaults.model.fallbacks ordered as:
  1. bailian/qwen3-plus
  2. bailian/minimax-m2.5
  3. bailian/kimi-k2.5
• channels.dingtalk-connector, channels.feishu, or channels.discord credentials and policy.
• plugins.allow including installed channel plugins.

Important:

• Agent-level model config at ~/.openclaw/agents/main/agent/models.json can override ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json.
• Keep provider definitions aligned in both files when defaults appear not to take effect.
• Protocol must match endpoint:
  • api: openai-completions -> use https://dashscope.aliyuncs.com/compatible-mode/v1
  • api: openai-responses -> use https://dashscope.aliyuncs.com/api/v2/apps/protocols/compatible-mode/v1

Use the full template in references/config.md. Use DingTalk field mapping in references/dingtalk-setup.md. Use Feishu setup and field mapping in references/feishu-setup.md. Use Discord setup and field mapping in references/discord-setup.md. Use channel discovery workflow in references/channel-discovery.md.

Step 5: Install and Start Gateway

openclaw gateway install
openclaw gateway start
openclaw gateway status

If running with user-level systemd, reload after config changes:

systemctl --user import-environment DASHSCOPE_API_KEY
systemctl --user daemon-reload
systemctl --user restart openclaw-gateway

Step 6: Verify and Troubleshoot

openclaw doctor
openclaw gateway status
openclaw gateway logs -f

Common failures:

• Plugin not loaded: re-run plugin install and check plugins.allow.
• Unknown model: check agents.defaults.model.primary format (provider/model-id).
• API key error: verify models.providers.bailian.apiKey and DASHSCOPE_API_KEY imported in systemd.
• Config changed but runtime model unchanged: check and update ~/.openclaw/agents/main/agent/models.json.
• Empty payload / unexpected fallback: verify protocol-endpoint pair (openai-completions vs openai-responses) and clear stale session if needed.
• DingTalk no response: use openclaw logs --follow and check gateway/channels/dingtalk-connector lines for stream reconnect or credential issues.
• Official connector installed but old probes inconsistent: rely on runtime logs and real message send/receive as source of truth.
• Feishu no response: check event subscription mode is WebSocket and gateway is running.
• Discord no response: verify bot intents, token, and first-DM pairing approval.

Security Notes

• Do not hardcode real secrets in repository files.
• Keep production keys in server-local configs or secret managers.
• Redact logs before sharing in tickets or chat.

Validation

mkdir -p output/aliyun-openclaw-setup
echo "validation_placeholder" > output/aliyun-openclaw-setup/validate.txt

Pass criteria: command exits 0 and output/aliyun-openclaw-setup/validate.txt is generated.

Output And Evidence

• Save artifacts, command outputs, and API response summaries under output/aliyun-openclaw-setup/.
• Include key parameters (region/resource id/time range) in evidence files for reproducibility.

Workflow

1. Confirm user intent, region, identifiers, and whether the operation is read-only or mutating.
2. Run one minimal read-only query first to verify connectivity and permissions.
3. Execute the target operation with explicit parameters and bounded scope.
4. Verify results and save output/evidence files.