5 Automations to Set Up First with OpenClaw (Copy-Paste Ready)

5 Automations to Set Up First with OpenClaw (Copy-Paste Ready)

TL;DR: Start with these 5 automations: (1) Smart auto-reply, (2) Morning briefing, (3) Email triage, (4) Smart reminders, (5) Lead capture. Each includes copy-paste config.

You deployed OpenClaw. Now what? Instead of experimenting blindly, start with these 5 automations. Each one is production-tested, takes under 10 minutes to set up, and delivers immediate ROI.

Copy the config snippets. Paste them into your OpenClaw dashboard. Done.

Who This Is For

This guide is for you if:

• You just deployed OpenClaw and want quick wins
• You spend 2+ hours/day on repetitive communication tasks
• You miss messages, forget follow-ups, or feel overwhelmed by notifications
• You want practical automation without coding

Skip this if: You need enterprise-scale workflows (use n8n) or want zero setup (use a managed service).

Prerequisites

Before starting:

1. Deploy OpenClaw (15 minutes)
2. Connect at least one messaging channel: WhatsApp, Telegram, or Discord
3. Add AI credits or an API key

Automation 1: Smart Auto-Reply

What it does: Responds intelligently to messages when you're unavailable. Unlike basic autoresponders, OpenClaw reads the message context and provides helpful answers.

Time saved: 5-10 hours/week for high-message-volume users

Copy-Paste Config

Channel setup (WhatsApp example):

# In OpenClaw dashboard → Integrations → WhatsApp
enabled: true
webhook_url: "https://your-openclaw.com/webhook/whatsapp"
auto_reply: true
reply_mode: "smart"  # Options: smart, away, off

Auto-reply prompt:

You are an assistant for [Your Name]. When someone messages:

1. If they're asking a common question, answer using the knowledge base below
2. If they need [Your Name] directly, say: "[Your Name] is in deep work right now.
   They'll reply within 4 hours. For urgent matters, call [phone]."
3. Be helpful but brief

KNOWLEDGE BASE:
- Business hours: 9am-6pm EST
- Services: [list your services]
- Pricing: [pricing page URL]
- Urgent contact: [phone number]

Setup steps:

1. Go to Integrations → WhatsApp (or Telegram, Discord)
2. Paste the webhook URL
3. Set reply_mode to "smart"
4. Paste the prompt into "System Instructions"
5. Save and test by messaging yourself

Setup time: 5 minutes

Automation 2: Morning Briefing

What it does: Sends a daily summary at your chosen time with calendar events, overnight messages, and priorities.

Time saved: 15-30 minutes/day of app-checking

Copy-Paste Config

Schedule setup:

# OpenClaw dashboard → Automations → Scheduled Tasks
automation_name: "morning_briefing"
cron_schedule: "0 7 * * *"  # 7:00 AM daily
timezone: "America/New_York"
channel: "telegram"  # or whatsapp, slack
enabled: true

Briefing prompt:

Generate a morning briefing for [Your Name]:

📅 TODAY'S SCHEDULE
[Pull from Google Calendar]

📬 OVERNIGHT MESSAGES
[Count unread from WhatsApp/Email]
[Flag any urgent items]

🎯 PRIORITIES
[Pull from task manager or Notion]

🌤️ WEATHER
[Current location forecast]

Keep it under 200 words. Format with emojis for quick scanning.

Integration connections:

# Required integrations
calendar:
  provider: "google_calendar"
  calendar_id: "primary"

email:
  provider: "gmail"
  check_unread: true

tasks:
  provider: "notion"  # or todoist, asana
  database_id: "your-db-id"

Setup steps:

1. Connect Google Calendar (Settings → Integrations → Google)
2. Connect Gmail or task manager if using
3. Create scheduled automation with cron "0 7 *"
4. Paste briefing prompt
5. Set delivery channel

Setup time: 8 minutes

Automation 3: Email Triage

What it does: Monitors your inbox and alerts you only for VIP emails or urgent keywords. Reduces notification fatigue.

Time saved: 1-2 hours/day of email checking

Copy-Paste Config

Email integration:

# Settings → Integrations → Gmail/IMAP
email:
  provider: "gmail"
  imap_server: "imap.gmail.com"
  check_interval: "5m"  # Check every 5 minutes

  filters:
    vip_senders:
      - "client@important-company.com"
      - "boss@yourcompany.com"
      - "investor@vc.com"

    urgent_keywords:
      - "urgent"
      - "asap"
      - "payment"
      - "contract"
      - "deadline today"

    ignore_patterns:
      - "unsubscribe"
      - "newsletter"
      - "noreply"

Notification prompt:

URGENT EMAIL ALERT

From: [sender]
Subject: [subject]
Preview: [first 100 chars]

Action needed: [yes/no]
Time sensitive: [yes/no]

Reply options:
[Quick reply templates if applicable]

Alert destinations:

notifications:
  urgent: "whatsapp"  # Immediate
  vip: "telegram"     # Within 5 min
  digest: "daily"     # Daily summary of non-urgent

Setup steps:

1. Go to Settings → Integrations → Email
2. Connect Gmail or IMAP account
3. Add VIP senders and keywords
4. Set notification channel (WhatsApp/Telegram)
5. Test with a VIP email

Setup time: 10 minutes

Automation 4: Smart Reminders

What it does: Create reminders via natural language. "Remind me about the proposal Thursday morning" → scheduled automatically.

Time saved: 30 min/day of task management

Copy-Paste Config

Reminder configuration:

# Settings → Skills → Reminders
reminders:
  enabled: true
  natural_language: true
  default_channel: "telegram"
  default_time: "09:00"
  snooze_options: ["10m", "1h", "tomorrow"]

How to use (natural language):

Just message OpenClaw:

"Remind me about the Johnson contract tomorrow at 2pm"
→ Creates reminder for tomorrow 2:00 PM

"Follow up with Sarah next Tuesday"
→ Creates reminder for next Tuesday 9:00 AM (default)

"Remind me every Friday to submit timesheet"
→ Creates recurring weekly reminder

"Remind me in 3 hours to check the oven"
→ Creates one-time reminder 3 hours from now

Reminder format:

🔔 REMINDER

Task: [task description]
Due: [date/time]
Context: [original message if applicable]

Mark done: Reply "done"
Snooze: Reply "snooze 1h"

Calendar integration:

# Optional: Add reminders to calendar
calendar_sync:
  enabled: true
  provider: "google_calendar"
  calendar_name: "Reminders"

Setup steps:

1. Enable Reminders skill in Settings → Skills
2. Set default channel and time
3. Test by messaging: "Remind me to test this in 5 minutes"
4. Optional: Enable calendar sync

Setup time: 3 minutes

Automation 5: Lead Capture

What it does: Automatically captures leads from any channel, qualifies them, and sends you notifications.

Time saved: 5-10 hours/week + zero lost leads

Copy-Paste Config

Lead capture setup:

# Settings → Automations → Lead Capture
lead_capture:
  enabled: true
  channels:
    - whatsapp
    - telegram
    - website_form

  triggers:
    - keywords: ["quote", "pricing", "interested", "buy", "sell", "hire"]
    - new_conversation: true  # Any new DM

  qualification:
    enabled: true
    questions:
      - "What's your budget range?"
      - "When do you need this done?"
      - "How did you hear about us?"

  scoring:
    hot_threshold: 80    # Auto-flag as hot
    warm_threshold: 50   # Flag as warm

Lead notification template:

🎯 NEW LEAD CAPTURED

Source: [channel]
Time: [timestamp]

📋 CONTACT INFO
Name: [extracted name]
Phone: [if provided]
Intent: [buy/sell/inquiry]

❓ QUALIFICATION
Budget: [response or "not provided"]
Timeline: [response or "not provided"]
Referral: [response or "not provided"]

⭐ SCORE: [hot/warm/cold]

💬 CONVERSATION
[Last 3 messages for context]

Reply to contact them directly.

CRM integration:

# Optional: Auto-add to CRM
crm:
  provider: "webhook"  # or "hubspot", "salesforce", "zapier"
  webhook_url: "https://hooks.zapier.com/hooks/catch/..."

  mapping:
    name: "{{lead.name}}"
    email: "{{lead.email}}"
    phone: "{{lead.phone}}"
    source: "{{lead.channel}}"
    score: "{{lead.score}}"

Setup steps:

1. Enable Lead Capture in Automations
2. Set trigger keywords and channels
3. Add qualification questions
4. Set notification destination (your phone)
5. Optional: Connect CRM via webhook

Setup time: 10 minutes

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Automation not firing?

1. Check that the integration is enabled (green status)
2. Verify webhook URL is correct
3. Check OpenClaw logs: docker logs openclaw
4. Ensure API key has credits

Responses too slow?

1. Check VPS resources: htop or top
2. Ensure 2GB+ RAM available
3. Consider upgrading VPS if CPU consistently high
4. Check AI API response times in logs

Wrong context in responses?

1. Review system prompt clarity
2. Add more specific examples to knowledge base
3. Use "few-shot" prompting with example Q&As
4. Test and iterate on prompts

What's Next After These 5?

Once these automations run smoothly:

1. Add more channels - Connect Discord, Slack, iMessage
2. Build custom skills - Create domain-specific automations for your industry
3. Integrate more tools - Notion, GitHub, Home Assistant
4. Explore use cases - See real estate and vacation rental guides
5. Read the docs - docs.openclaw.ai for advanced patterns

The Bottom Line

These 5 automations handle 80% of what most people hire assistants for - at 2% of the cost. Set them up this week. Reclaim your time.

Start now: Deploy OpenClaw →

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Do I need to know how to code to set these up?

A: No. All 5 automations are configured through OpenClaw's settings interface. Copy-paste the config snippets provided.

Q: Can I customize these automations?

A: Yes - all automations are fully customizable. Change the timing, channels, triggers, and responses through the OpenClaw dashboard.

Q: How long does it take to see results?

A: Most users notice time savings within 24 hours of setting up their first automation.