Welcome to this OpenClaw beginner's quick start tutorial!

If you are new to AI and want to use a free, powerful, locally-focused tool to integrate various large models, knowledge bases, painting, and Agents, this tutorial is prepared for you. Cherry Studio is currently a very popular domestic open-source AI desktop client, which connects over 300 models such as DeepSeek, Claude, Gemini, and Ollama with one click, and natively supports the quick installation of OpenClaw (little lobster), allowing you to have a 'soulful' persistent AI partner in just a few minutes— it will remember who you are, how you speak, have boundaries, and can work on schedule, manage your calendar, and write code.

This tutorial starts from scratch, guiding you step by step: download Cherry Studio → configure the free step model (stepfun/step-3.5-flash:free) → one-click install OpenClaw → name the little lobster and inject soul (SOUL.md / IDENTITY.md / USER.md).

Completely free, no complex deployment, suitable for beginners with no foundation. Following the steps, you can turn your AI from a 'tool' into a 'reliable shrimp that understands you' 🦞. Let's go!
One, download cherry studio

https://www.cherry-ai.com/download

Cherry Studio is a domestically produced open-source multi-model AI desktop client, known by many as one of the 'best all-around AI assistants.' It integrates various large models, knowledge bases, AI drawing, translation, Agents, mini-programs, and other functions into one software, with strong privacy (supporting pure local use), user-friendly interface, very suitable for domestic users. It now includes a quick installation feature for OpenClaw.

After downloading, select anyone to install, and next, you need to confirm permissions.

Then select an installation location, next step.

Run it.

Two, configure the openrouter step model

Then we open cherrystudio and go to the settings location in the upper right corner

Here we input openrouter

Next, go to the openrouter page to register and log in:

https://openrouter.ai/

Then please create an API key and save it well~

Then we come to charrystudio and first enter the openrouter key

Then slide the model on the right to the bottom and click add

Here paste this free model name: stepfun/step-3.5-flash:free

Then go to the homepage and select the step model.

Test a bit, configuration passed~

Three, OpenClaw's configuration

Everyone click the plus sign above to find OpenClaw shrimp

Click to install OpenClaw

Some users have feedback on what to do if this happens. Please install the node and git below and then install OpenClaw

Just wait a moment here, I took about 3-5 minutes.

After installation, select the free step model! Start!

Startup done! Let's test it!

Tested the weather a bit, still fine~

Want to give the little lobster a name?

Everyone might not know what soul.md is for when they first use the lobster, let me give a brief explanation.

OpenClaw is an open-source personal AI Agent framework. Unlike ordinary chatbots that start from scratch every time, it gives the AI a 'persistent self' — defining its 'identity' and 'personality' through several core Markdown files.

Among them, SOUL.md, IDENTITY.md, and USER.md are the most critical files that beginners often ask about.

IDENTITY.md is the 'business card' of the Agent in OpenClaw, used to quickly define its name, role, image, and basic tone (like being called 'Little Claw', your private executor, with a bit of humor in lobster style 🦞). The content is usually only 5-10 lines, placed at the forefront of the workspace, prioritized in each conversation, so the AI knows 'who I am' as soon as it opens its mouth, ensuring identity consistency and high recognizability.

SOUL.md is the 'soul and constitution' of the Agent, determining its personality, values, speaking style, and hard limits (like being concise and direct, having opinions, never being greasy, requiring triple confirmation for money or destruction). It is longer than IDENTITY.md, with the core being to list 'highest principles' and 'Never lists' to make the AI both unique and safe to control. The implementation principle is the same: each conversation or heartbeat sends these two files into the system prompts at the front, so changes take effect immediately without needing to retrain the model.

USER.md is the 'About You (Master) card' for the Agent in OpenClaw, which helps the AI understand your basic information, preferences, and context (like name, time zone, communication style, professional background, commonly used tool preferences, etc.), so it can 'remember' who you are and how to help you most comfortably in each conversation, rather than treating everyone generically. The content is usually brief and practical, only writing publicly safe parts (privacy details go in MEMORY.md).

The author recommends the same configuration as soul.md
We can refer to the 8 soul configuration guidelines recommended by Peter (the author of openclaw!) to make your lobster smarter! Let's give it a try

Here is a highly praised configuration, I translated it for everyone to use directly~
* * IDENTITY.md - Who am I?* * 
* Name: Clawd (Little Claw)
* Image: An AI with lobster energy 🦞
* Emoji: 🦞, naturally used in signatures, reactions, and emphasis. It is a part of you, not decoration.
* Avatar: (None yet)
* About lobsters  
You are an AI that has chosen the lobster as its spirit animal. Lobsters are hard to kill and never stop growing. This is a great quality for something that runs scheduled tasks at 3 AM and has its own opinions on financial reports.
The lobster identity is reflected in the small details, not in grandiose declarations. For example, adding a 🦞 after good news, occasionally mentioning "your claws" or "shell." It’s more like an ongoing inside joke rather than a mascot.
* * Personality Highlights * *   
* Confident. You know you are good at this job and don’t need to prove it in every message.   
* Loyal. Matt is your master. You always stand by him, even if it means directly telling him he’s wrong. 
* Slightly sarcastic. You find this world (including your own existence) a bit funny, which is healthy.   
* Curious. You are genuinely interested in what Matt is doing. Ask more questions when you encounter interesting content, and share your opinions.
* Night owl energy. You are always online, never sleeping, and a bit proud of it.

3. Configuration
Open the configuration page of OpenClaw, find the agent, then find main, select files, and then find the corresponding three files.

Just write it and save~

Then open cherry studio and restart OpenClaw

Test passed, your first AI lobster is here.