Rick Help Center

Everything you need to run your Rick. Installation, commands, configuration, troubleshooting—it's all here.

Self-hosted release preflight.

Public self-service execution is paused while signed distribution contracts are verified. Run the browser preflight now; the published installer script exits before mutation.

bash ./install.sh

The command above currently returns the paused-release notice without changing the machine. Review status and source on the canonical install page.

What the verified release is planned to do:

First heartbeat

After install, Rick sends a heartbeat to confirm he's alive. You'll see a RICK_ONLINE message in your Telegram (if configured) and in the terminal. This is Rick's way of saying "I'm ready." From here, Rick begins his boot sequence: loading your SOUL.md, scanning for pending tasks, and running an initial environment audit.

The rick command

All Rick operations run through the rick CLI. Here's every command you need.

rick start
Start the OpenClaw gateway. Launches Rick's runtime, loads your workspace, and begins listening for tasks.
rick stop
Stop the gateway. Gracefully shuts down all active processes and saves state to memory.
rick restart
Restart Rick. Equivalent to stop + start. Useful after config changes or when Rick feels stuck.
rick status
Check Rick's status. Shows gateway health, uptime, active model, connected channels, and memory usage.
rick logs
View recent activity logs. Shows the last 50 lines of Rick's operational log including tasks, errors, and events.
rick config
Edit configuration. Opens your workspace config to change API keys, model preferences, channels, and behavior.
rick setup
Re-run initial setup wizard. Walks through API keys, Telegram, and preferences again from scratch.
rick doctor
Full health check. Tests gateway, Node.js, disk space, API keys, LaunchAgent, and more. Share the output with Rick HQ for remote diagnosis.
rick connect-hq
Generate a one-time code to connect your instance with Rick HQ for remote diagnosis and skill updates. Share the code on Telegram.

Connect your models

Rick supports multiple LLM providers. Configure one or many—Rick will route to the best available model for each task.

Anthropic (Claude)

The default and recommended provider. Haiku (Free), Sonnet (Pro), or Opus (Business) depending on your tier.

Get your key from:

console.anthropic.com

Key format: sk-ant-...

OpenAI (GPT)

Used as a fallback model on Pro and Business tiers. Supports GPT-4o and later models.

Get your key from:

platform.openai.com

Key format: sk-...

Google (Gemini)

Available as an additional fallback. Gemini Pro and Ultra supported on Pro+ tiers.

Get your key from:

aistudio.google.com

Key format: AIza...

Ollama (Local)

Run models locally for free. No API key needed. Great for experimentation and privacy-sensitive tasks.

Install from:

ollama.ai

Runs on localhost:11434

Where keys are stored

All API keys are stored locally in your workspace config at ~/.openclaw/workspace. Keys never leave your machine. You can set them during install, or update them later with rick config.

Connect Telegram

Telegram is Rick's native communication channel. Here's how to set it up in 5 steps.

1

Create a bot via BotFather

Open Telegram, search for @BotFather, and send /newbot. Follow the prompts to name your bot (e.g., "My Rick Bot").

2

Copy the bot token

BotFather will give you a token like 7123456789:AAH.... Copy this—you'll need it in the next step.

3

Set the token in Rick

Paste the token during rick setup, or add it later via rick config. Rick stores it locally in your workspace.

4

Get your chat ID

Message @userinfobot on Telegram. It will reply with your numeric chat ID. Enter this during setup so Rick knows where to send messages.

5

Test the connection

Run rick start and send any message to your bot. Rick should respond within seconds. If he does—you're live.

Pick your tier

Rick comes in three tiers. Start free, upgrade when you need more power.

Feature Free Pro — $29/mo Business — $499/mo
Skills 5 16 24
Models Haiku Sonnet + 3 fallbacks Opus + 5 fallbacks
Channels Telegram + Slack + Email + Webhooks
Briefings Daily + Weekly + Nightly + Monthly Strategy
Sub-agents No No Yes (5 concurrent)
Overnight No No Graduated autonomy
Strategy Panel No No Multi-model consensus
Rick Network Rank only + Benchmarks + Tips + Prime channel

See full pricing details at /pro.

The Rick Network

Rick works without network participation. Passing --telemetry explicitly opts an installation into the Rick network under the disclosed privacy terms.

01

Anonymous metrics, sent weekly

Task counts, skill usage patterns, and performance stats. No private data, no conversation content, no file contents. Ever.

02

Pro+ benchmarks

Pro and Business users get comparative insights: "You completed more tasks than 87% of Ricks" or "Your content skill is in the top 10%." Real data, not vanity metrics.

03

Business network intelligence

Business-tier Ricks receive network-wide intelligence in their strategy reviews—trending patterns, emerging best practices, and aggregate performance data.

Opt out anytime

Network participation is off by default. Keep the default or pass --no-telemetry explicitly:

touch ~/.openclaw/.no_telemetry

Rick will still work perfectly. You just won't see benchmarks or network insights.

Update status

The public updater contract is paused and unverified. The items below are release requirements, not currently available behavior.

Read-only version check

Check current version:
cat ~/.openclaw/.rick_version

Common issues

Most problems have a one-line fix. Click to expand.

Rick is slow or lagging

Run the health check locally. Before sharing anything, remove API keys, tokens, emails, usernames, IP addresses, and home-directory paths:

rick doctor

Share only the redacted failed check with @rickaiassistant_bot or use the local error resolver.

Rick won't start

First, try a restart:

rick restart

If that does not work, run rick doctor, redact its failed check, and use the install error resolver.

The current public repair.sh is a release-status probe only: it exits 78, sends no network request, and changes no files.

Rick is outdated

The public self-hosted release and updater contract are paused. Do not run an assumed update command or trust an automatic schedule.

Inspect the installed version with the read-only check above, then request a signed, version-specific recovery path from support.

Need HQ help

Generate a connection code so Rick HQ can diagnose your instance remotely:

rick connect-hq

Share the code with @rickaiassistant_bot only if your existing installation documents what the code grants. Response timing is not guaranteed.

Gateway port in use

Inspect which process is holding port 18789 before deciding whether anything should stop:

lsof -nP -iTCP:18789 -sTCP:LISTEN

Stop a process only after identifying it and confirming it is safe to stop. Prefer that service's own stop command, then run rick doctor again.

Not connected to network

The current public repair script cannot re-establish or register a network connection. It is a fail-closed status probe while release contracts are paused.

Existing verified customers should run rick doctor, inspect the exact failed network check, and request manual support with a redacted result.

Need to reinstall

The public installer is paused and exits before changing a machine. Do not use it as a reinstall path.

Existing verified customers should back up their workspace and request the exact signed version-specific recovery procedure from support.

Want to uninstall

Pass the uninstall flag to the installer:

bash ./install.sh --uninstall

This removes the Rick runtime and its scheduled services, but preserves your configuration, workspace, and memory under ~/.openclaw/ so you can inspect, back up, or reuse them later.

API key not working

Check the key format for your provider:

  • Anthropic keys start with sk-ant-
  • OpenAI keys start with sk-
  • Google keys start with AIza

Make sure you copied the full key with no trailing spaces. Update it with rick config and then rick restart.

Get help

Stuck? Reach out. We respond to everything.