Moltbot Onboarding Wizard: Your Guided Path to a Powerful Personal AI Assistant

If you’re diving deeper into Moltbot after learning how to install Moltbot on Mac Mini, the next big step that makes everything click is the Moltbot onboarding wizard. This clever, interactive tool turns what could be a fiddly configuration process into a smooth, almost conversational experience. Think of it as your friendly lobster guide (yes, Moltbot’s mascot is a space-faring crustacean) walking you through setup so you can start chatting with your AI in minutes rather than hours.

The onboarding wizard is the officially recommended way to get Moltbot running properly. It handles gateway setup, authentication, channel connections, workspace creation, and even initial skills—all in one guided flow. Whether you’re running it on a dedicated Mac Mini for 24/7 availability or testing locally, mastering this wizard unlocks the real power of this open-source personal AI assistant.

What Exactly Is the Moltbot Onboarding Wizard?

At its core, the Moltbot onboarding wizard is an interactive CLI (command-line interface) experience launched with a simple command: moltbot onboard. It asks smart questions, offers sensible defaults, and configures everything step by step. Unlike dumping a bunch of config files or environment variables, the wizard feels modern and forgiving.

It covers key areas:

• Gateway mode — Local (runs on your machine) or remote (connects to a server elsewhere, like a cloud droplet or another Mac Mini).
• Authentication — Setting up your preferred LLM provider (Anthropic/Claude is heavily recommended for strong reasoning).
• Channels — Linking messaging apps like WhatsApp (via QR code), Telegram, Discord, Slack, iMessage (via BlueBubbles), and more.
• Workspace — Creating the default storage area for memories, sessions, and files (usually under ~/clawd-<agentId> or similar).
• Daemon installation — Automatically sets up the background service (launchd on macOS) so Moltbot stays running even after reboots.
• Initial skills — Suggests and installs bundled tools for email, calendar, web browsing, terminal commands, and more.

The wizard even generates a secure gateway token for local access and opens the browser-based Control UI dashboard right after completion. It’s designed to get you from zero to your first meaningful interaction fast—often in under 10-15 minutes once Node.js is ready.

Why the Onboarding Wizard Beats Manual Configuration

Ever tried setting up a complex AI tool by editing JSON files blindly? It’s painful. The Moltbot onboarding wizard eliminates that headache. Here’s why it’s a game-changer:

• Beginner-friendly prompts — Clear explanations and sane defaults mean you don’t need to be a sysadmin.
• Error prevention — It checks for common issues (missing API keys, Node version, permissions) and guides fixes.
• Re-run safety — You can launch it again anytime (moltbot onboard) to tweak settings without breaking things. Choose “Modify” instead of “Reset” to keep existing configs.
• Non-interactive mode for pros — Script setups with flags like --non-interactive --mode local --auth-choice ai-gateway-api-key for automated deployments.
• Platform awareness — On macOS (like your Mac Mini), it integrates nicely with launchd; on Linux, systemd; even Windows via WSL2.

In short, if you’re following how to install Moltbot on Mac Mini, skipping or rushing the wizard is like building a house without laying the foundation properly.

Step-by-Step: How to Launch and Use the Moltbot Onboarding Wizard

Assuming you’ve already installed the CLI globally (as covered in how to install Moltbot on Mac Mini via npm install -g moltbot@latest), here’s the flow:

1. Open Terminal on your Mac Mini and type:
   moltbot onboard --install-daemon
   The --install-daemon flag is crucial—it sets up the background service so Moltbot runs persistently.
2. Answer the prompts

• Gateway: Choose “local” for your Mac Mini setup.
• LLM provider: Pick Anthropic (paste your API key from console.anthropic.com) or alternatives like OpenAI, local Ollama, etc.
• Channels: Start with WhatsApp for simplicity—scan the QR code with your phone. Add Telegram or Discord next.
• Workspace: Accept the default or customize the path.
• Skills: Let it suggest bundles like email triage, calendar management, or web search.

1. Grant permissions
   macOS will prompt for Accessibility, Screen Recording, Full Disk Access, etc. Approve them in System Settings > Privacy & Security. This lets Moltbot control apps and read screens when needed.
2. Finish and test
   The wizard summarizes everything, generates a token, and opens http://127.0.0.1:18789/ (or prints the link). Open that in your browser to access the Control UI dashboard. Send a test message via your connected channel: “Hey Moltbot, what’s on my calendar today?” Watch it respond!

Pro tip: If something feels off, run moltbot doctor afterward. It diagnoses issues like missing auth, daemon status, or permission problems.

Advanced Tips for Getting the Most from the Onboarding Wizard

Once you’re comfortable, level up your wizard game:

• Re-run for tweaks — moltbot onboard lets you modify channels, add agents, or switch models without starting over.
• Multi-agent setups — Create isolated agents (e.g., one for work, one personal) with moltbot agents add work --workspace ~/moltbot-work.
• Headless/server mode — Use non-interactive flags for cloud deploys: --non-interactive --mode local --gateway-port 18789.
• Web-based variant — Try moltbot onboard:web for a browser UI wizard (dark-themed and slick).
• Security first — The wizard enables DM pairing by default—approve unknown senders manually to avoid surprises.

For Mac Mini users especially, pair this with energy settings to prevent sleep and Tailscale for secure remote access. Your always-on AI lobster is now truly unstoppable.

Common Questions and Quick Fixes During Onboarding

• QR code not appearing? Ensure WhatsApp is updated and try moltbot channels login whatsapp separately.
• Daemon install failed? On macOS, check launchctl list | grep moltbot. Re-run with sudo if needed.
• No response from agent? Verify your API key in the wizard and run moltbot health.
• Want to reset everything? Choose “Reset” when re-running the wizard (careful—it wipes configs!).

The wizard is forgiving—most “errors” are just gentle nudges to fix something small.

Conclusion: Make the Moltbot Onboarding Wizard Your First Victory

The Moltbot onboarding wizard transforms setup from a chore into an exciting first step toward owning a capable, privacy-first AI assistant. By guiding you through gateway, auth, channels, and more, it ensures your Moltbot instance (especially on a reliable Mac Mini) is ready to handle real tasks from day one. Once complete, you’re not just chatting—you’re directing an agent that remembers, acts, and evolves with you.

Ready to experience it? Fire up Terminal, run moltbot onboard --install-daemon, and let the wizard work its magic. Your personal AI journey starts here—don’t just read about it, live it!

External Links

• Moltbot Official Wizard Documentation – Detailed reference for every prompt and flag.
• Moltbot Getting Started Guide – Broader intro including wizard usage.
• Moltbot GitHub Repository – Source code, issues, and community discussions.

FAQs