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Installation Guide

Get EchoClaw up and running on your machine in minutes.

Table of Contents

Prerequisites

Before installing EchoClaw, make sure you have the following:

  • Node.js — Version 18.0 or higher
  • npm — Comes with Node.js
  • Git — For cloning the repository
  • Telegram Account — To interact with your bot
  • OpenAI API Key — For AI capabilities

Installation

1. Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/josh-strohm/echoclawbot.git
cd echoclawbot

2. Install Dependencies

npm install

3. Copy the Environment File

cp .env.example .env

Configuration

Open the .env file in your preferred text editor and configure the following variables:

OpenAI Configuration

OPENAI_API_KEY=your_openai_api_key_here

Get your API key from platform.openai.com

Telegram Configuration

TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN=your_telegram_bot_token_here
TELEGRAM_CHAT_ID=your_chat_id_here

See the Telegram Setup section below for instructions on getting these values.

Optional Settings

# Memory settings (defaults shown)
MEMORY_TYPE=local
MEMORY_PERSISTENCE=true

# Heartbeat time (24-hour format)
HEARTBEAT_TIME=08:00

Telegram Setup

1. Create a New Bot

  1. Open Telegram and search for @BotFather
  2. Send the command /newbot
  3. Follow the prompts to name your bot
  4. Copy the bot token provided

2. Get Your Chat ID

  1. Search for @userinfobot on Telegram
  2. Start a chat with it
  3. It will display your Chat ID (a number)

Running EchoClaw

Development Mode

npm run dev

This starts EchoClaw with hot-reloading enabled.

Production Mode

npm run build
npm start

Builds the TypeScript and runs the compiled JavaScript.

Success!

When EchoClaw starts successfully, you'll see:

✓ Memory loaded
✓ MCP tools connected
✓ Telegram bot online
EchoClaw is ready. Listening...

Troubleshooting

Bot not responding?

Make sure your Telegram bot token is correct in the .env file and you've started a chat with your bot.

OpenAI errors?

Verify your API key is valid and you have credits available on your OpenAI account.

Port already in use?

EchoClaw defaults to port 3000. You can change this by setting PORT in your .env file.

Need help?

Join our community on Telegram or open an issue on GitHub.