# OpenClaw Dashboard Setup: Install VidClaw in 5 Minutes If you're running an [OpenClaw](https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw) AI agent, you've probably hit the point where managing everything through chat feels like herding cats. Tasks pile up, you lose track of token usage, and editing your agent's personality means SSH-ing in and hand-editing markdown files. **VidClaw** fixes this. It's an open-source, self-hosted dashboard that gives you a visual command center for your OpenClaw agent — kanban boards, usage tracking, model switching, and more. Here's how to get it running in under five minutes. ## Why You Need a Dashboard for OpenClaw OpenClaw is the engine that powers your AI agent — it handles scheduling, memory, tool use, and model communication. But it runs headlessly. That means you're left juggling terminal sessions, config files, and chat interfaces to manage what your agent does. A dashboard layer like VidClaw gives you: - **Visual task management** — drag-and-drop kanban instead of editing JSON - **Real-time usage tracking** — token counts and cost estimates at a glance - **One-click model switching** — swap between Claude models from a dropdown - **Personality editing** — shape your agent's soul in a proper editor, not `vim` - **Activity history** — a calendar heatmap showing what your agent worked on and when All of this runs on your own server, bound to `localhost`. No accounts, no cloud, no tracking. ## Prerequisites Before installing VidClaw, you need OpenClaw already running on your server. If you haven't set that up yet, follow our [complete OpenClaw setup guide](/content/blog/how-to-setup-openclaw/index.html) first, then come back here. You'll need: - **A server** (VPS, homelab box, or even a Raspberry Pi) running Linux - **[OpenClaw](https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw) installed and running** - **Node.js 18+** (the installer handles this if you don't have it) - **Git** ## Installation & Setup ### Install VidClaw One command does everything: ```bash curl -fsSL vidclaw.com/install.sh \| bash ``` This installs Node.js and Git if missing, clones the VidClaw repo, installs dependencies, builds the frontend, and sets up a systemd service. If you prefer to install manually: ```bash cd ~/.openclaw/workspace git clone https://github.com/madrzak/vidclaw.git dashboard cd dashboard ./setup.sh ``` The setup script handles everything: npm dependencies, Vite build, and systemd service registration. **Tip:** If you prefer localhost-only access (e.g., you'll use an SSH tunnel), pass the `--no-tailscale` flag: ```bash curl -fsSL vidclaw.com/install.sh | bash -s -- --no-tailscale ``` ### Access the dashboard VidClaw binds to `localhost:3333` for security. To access it from your local machine, create an SSH tunnel: ```bash ssh -L 3333:localhost:3333 user@your-server ``` Now open [http://localhost:3333](http://localhost:3333/) in your browser. You should see the VidClaw dashboard with the Kanban board ready to go. **Tip:** Add an alias to your shell config for quick access: ```bash alias vc="ssh -L 3333:localhost:3333 user@your-server" ``` ### Tour the dashboard Once you're in, you'll see six main panels: - **Kanban Task Board** — Your agent's work queue. Create cards, set priorities (low/medium/high/critical), and assign specific skills. Cards flow through four columns: Backlog, Todo, In Progress, and Done. Your agent checks this board automatically and picks up tasks ordered by priority. - **Usage Tracking** — Real-time token consumption and cost estimates. The progress bars match Anthropic's rate-limit windows, so you can plan heavy workloads without getting throttled. - **Model Switching** — Switch between Claude models (Sonnet, Opus, Haiku) directly from the navbar dropdown. VidClaw hot-reloads the OpenClaw config — no restart required. - **Skills Manager** — Browse all bundled and workspace skills. Toggle them on or off, or create custom skills. Changes take effect on the agent's next session. - **Soul Editor** — Edit SOUL.md, IDENTITY.md, USER.md, and AGENTS.md with a proper editor. Version history lets you revert if a personality tweak goes sideways. Six starter persona templates are included. - **Activity Calendar** — A monthly heatmap showing when your agent was active and what it worked on, parsed from memory files and task history. ### Create your first task With the dashboard open, give your agent something to do: 1. Click **\+ New Task** on the Kanban board 2. Give it a title (e.g., "Write a README for my side project") 3. Set priority to **Medium** 4. Optionally assign a skill (e.g., "writer") 5. Click **Create** — the card lands in Backlog 6. Drag it to **Todo** Your agent will pick it up on the next cron cycle (within 2 minutes) or heartbeat (within 30 minutes). Watch it move to "In Progress" and eventually "Done." You can also use the **quick-add bar** at the top of the Kanban board. Type your task, use `@skill` to attach a skill, and hit Enter. ### Customize your agent's personality Head to the **Soul Editor** tab. Here you can shape how your agent thinks, writes, and behaves. The key files: - **SOUL.md** — Core personality and values - **IDENTITY.md** — Name, voice, style - **USER.md** — Information about you (so the agent understands context) - **AGENTS.md** — Operating instructions and workspace rules Pick one of the six starter templates to get going fast, then customize from there. Edit, save, and your agent picks up changes on the next session. **Note:** You can switch models at any time from VidClaw's navbar — no need to edit config files manually once the dashboard is running. ## Keeping VidClaw Updated Updating is a single command: ```bash cd ~/vidclaw \# or wherever you installed it ./update.sh ``` This pulls the latest changes, rebuilds the frontend, and restarts the systemd service. ## Troubleshooting **Dashboard won't load?** - Check the service status: `./status.sh` - View logs: `./logs.sh` - Ensure port 3333 isn't occupied: `lsof -i :3333` **Agent not picking up tasks?** - Verify OpenClaw is running: `openclaw gateway status` - Check that cron or heartbeat is configured in your agent's AGENTS.md ## What's Next You now have a fully working OpenClaw dashboard with VidClaw as your command center. Here are some things to explore: - **[Explore all features](/content/features/index.html)** — deep dive into usage tracking, skills manager, soul editor, and more - **[Read the install guide](/content/install/index.html)** — configuration options, updating, and advanced setup - **Set up recurring tasks** — use the schedule feature to automate repetitive work - **[Star the repo](https://github.com/madrzak/vidclaw)** — if VidClaw is useful, a star helps others find it Ready to take control of your AI agent? VidClaw is free, open-source, and takes 60 seconds to install.