--- title: Setup OpenClaw 2.0 with Gemini in Under 60 Seconds link: https://www.philschmid.de/openclaw-v2-gemini source: philschmid-de published: 2026-08-31T00:00:00Z updated: 2026-08-31T00:00:00Z first_seen: 2026-09-27T19:29:15.293681927Z summary: 'Five commands, zero fluff: install OpenClaw 2.0, connect Gemini 3.8 Flash, and start chatting with live Google Search grounding from your terminal and web dashboard in under a minute.' content: extracted html: 2026-08-31-setup-openclaw-2-0-with-gemini-in-under-60-seconds.html preview: file: 2026-08-31-setup-openclaw-2-0-with-gemini-in-under-60-seconds.preview-ce6b27122df7.webp width: 256 height: 134 alt: Setup OpenClaw 2.0 with Gemini in Under 60 Seconds color: '#18191f' images: - source: https://www.philschmid.de/static/blog/openclaw-v2-gemini/thumbnail.jpg original: file: 2026-08-31-setup-openclaw-2-0-with-gemini-in-under-60-seconds.image-46d15bbc29c4.jpg width: 1500 height: 785 color: '#0a0c10' - source: https://www.philschmid.de/static/blog/openclaw-v2-gemini/cli-setup.png original: file: 2026-08-31-setup-openclaw-2-0-with-gemini-in-under-60-seconds.image-71cb349d3e6e.png width: 2060 height: 1108 color: '#11141b' - source: https://www.philschmid.de/static/blog/openclaw-v2-gemini/openclaw-control-ui.png original: file: 2026-08-31-setup-openclaw-2-0-with-gemini-in-under-60-seconds.image-cc1bb9889bcb.png width: 1420 height: 1030 variants: - file: 2026-08-31-setup-openclaw-2-0-with-gemini-in-under-60-seconds.image-6de0eaacca75.webp width: 320 height: 232 - file: 2026-08-31-setup-openclaw-2-0-with-gemini-in-under-60-seconds.image-42ad6071805a.webp width: 640 height: 464 - file: 2026-08-31-setup-openclaw-2-0-with-gemini-in-under-60-seconds.image-d68a87000fd8.webp width: 960 height: 696 - file: 2026-08-31-setup-openclaw-2-0-with-gemini-in-under-60-seconds.image-d70b8b7f9b2d.webp width: 1280 height: 928 - file: 2026-08-31-setup-openclaw-2-0-with-gemini-in-under-60-seconds.image-0d37667a6cd8.webp width: 1420 height: 1030 color: '#0e1015' - source: https://www.philschmid.de/static/blog/openclaw-v2-gemini/openclaw-websearch.png original: file: 2026-08-31-setup-openclaw-2-0-with-gemini-in-under-60-seconds.image-8cc8bef52940.png width: 1420 height: 1030 variants: - file: 2026-08-31-setup-openclaw-2-0-with-gemini-in-under-60-seconds.image-3844f1cdcc9c.webp width: 320 height: 232 - file: 2026-08-31-setup-openclaw-2-0-with-gemini-in-under-60-seconds.image-4970892a3cf4.webp width: 640 height: 464 - file: 2026-08-31-setup-openclaw-2-0-with-gemini-in-under-60-seconds.image-4991c6011f0c.webp width: 960 height: 696 - file: 2026-08-31-setup-openclaw-2-0-with-gemini-in-under-60-seconds.image-35d43bb21211.webp width: 1280 height: 928 - file: 2026-08-31-setup-openclaw-2-0-with-gemini-in-under-60-seconds.image-1c4f025ea5e1.webp width: 1420 height: 1030 color: '#0e1015' --- Five commands, zero fluff: install OpenClaw 2.0 (`v2026.8.1`), link [Gemini 3.8 Flash](https://blog.google/innovation-and-ai/models-and-research/gemini-models/introducing-gemini-3-7-flash/), our fastest (up to [+300 token/sec](https://artificialanalysis.ai/#speed)) agentic model for coding and agents, and start chatting with live Google search grounding in under a minute. ## What is OpenClaw 2.0? [OpenClaw](https://openclaw.ai) is a personal AI assistant that actually does things. It runs on your devices, in your chats, with your rules. - **Chat from anywhere:** Chat from the browser Control UI, Telegram, Discord, WhatsApp, or Slack. - **Integrated tooling:** Browser automation, terminal execution, filesystem access, and web search grounding. - **Remember:** Keeps memory across sessions so it knows your preferences, projects, and people. [OpenClaw 2.0](https://openclaw.ai/blog/openclaw-2-accidentally) (`v2026.8.1`) is the largest update yet: simpler install, a rebuilt browser app that opens straight into a conversation, and setup you can finish by talking to your Claw. Full notes: [v2026.8.1](https://docs.openclaw.ai/releases/2026.8.1). ## Prerequisites - **Node.js:** `Node 26` (recommended) or `Node 22.22.3+` / `24.15+` (`node --version`). - **Gemini API Key:** Grab a free key from [Google AI Studio](https://aistudio.google.com/apikey). ## 1\. Install OpenClaw 2.0 Install OpenClaw globally via npm: Bash ```bash npm install -g openclaw@2026.8.1 ``` Verify your installation: Bash ```bash openclaw --version # Output: OpenClaw 2026.8.1 (ea80657) ``` ## 2\. Configure Gemini Authentication Export your Gemini API key in your current shell: Bash ```bash export GEMINI_API_KEY="your-gemini-api-key-here" ``` To persist it into OpenClaw's local profile store: Bash ```bash openclaw onboard --non-interactive --accept-risk --skip-health \ --mode local \ --auth-choice gemini-api-key \ --gemini-api-key "$GEMINI_API_KEY" ``` *(Note: You can safely ignore any onboarding tip about configuring a Brave API key—Gemini's built-in Google Search grounding is used automatically.)* ## 3\. Set Gemini 3.8 Flash as Default Set **Gemini 3.8 Flash** as the default agent model: Bash ```bash openclaw models set google/gemini-3.8-flash ``` *(Note: If OpenClaw displays a warning that the model is not in the local catalog, it is safe to ignore. The model is dynamically resolved and validated against Google AI Studio in the next step.)* Verify model discovery and authentication status: Bash ```bash openclaw models list --provider google ``` ## 4\. Test Inference via CLI Run a standalone agent turn in your terminal: Bash ```bash openclaw agent --local --agent main --message "Hello! What model are you running?" ``` Output: ```text I am currently running on google/gemini-3.8-flash. What would you like to call me? ``` ![OpenClaw CLI Setup](https://www.philschmid.de/static/blog/openclaw-v2-gemini/cli-setup.png) ## 5\. Start the Gateway & Launch Control UI Set the gateway to local mode and start it: Bash ```bash openclaw config set gateway.mode local openclaw gateway run ``` *(To run as a persistent background daemon instead: `openclaw gateway install && openclaw gateway start`. To stop it: `openclaw gateway stop --force`)* Open the Control UI in your browser: Bash ```bash openclaw dashboard ``` The browser will open to `http://127.0.0.1:18789/` authenticated with your local session token: ![OpenClaw Control UI with Gemini 3.8 Flash](https://www.philschmid.de/static/blog/openclaw-v2-gemini/openclaw-control-ui.png) ## Next Steps ### Google Search Grounding (Enabled by Default) Google Search grounding is **enabled by default** when `GEMINI_API_KEY` is present. No extra configuration or search keys are required. - Test it directly via CLI: Bash ```bash openclaw capability web search --query "Latest gemini models" ``` - In chat sessions, Gemini autonomously runs web searches with citations whenever fresh context is needed. ![Google Search Grounding in OpenClaw Control UI](https://www.philschmid.de/static/blog/openclaw-v2-gemini/openclaw-websearch.png) - See: [Google Search Grounding in OpenClaw](https://docs.openclaw.ai/tools/gemini-search) ### Leveraging Other Gemini Capabilities - **[Image Generation](https://docs.openclaw.ai/tools/image-generation):** Set Google's image model using `openclaw models set-image google/gemini-3.1-flash-image`. - **[Video Generation](https://docs.openclaw.ai/tools/video-generation):** Generate 4–8s videos with `google/veo-3.1-fast-generate-preview`. - **[Music Generation](https://docs.openclaw.ai/tools/music-generation):** Prompt-driven music via `google/lyria-3-clip-preview`. - **[Text-to-Speech](https://docs.openclaw.ai/providers/google#text-to-speech):** Gemini batch TTS with natural language style prompting (`gemini-3.1-flash-tts-preview`). - **[Realtime Voice](https://docs.openclaw.ai/providers/google#realtime-voice):** Low-latency bidirectional voice streams via Gemini Live API (`gemini-3.1-flash-live-preview`). Full [Google Documentation](https://docs.openclaw.ai/providers/google). ### Connecting Chat Channels Connect your Gemini assistant to your favorite messaging apps using simple CLI commands: - **Browse all channels:** `openclaw channels list --all` - **Interactive setup:** `openclaw channels add` - **Telegram:** `openclaw channels add --channel telegram --token ""` - **WhatsApp (QR code):** `openclaw channels login --channel whatsapp` - **Discord:** `openclaw channels add --channel discord --token ""` - **Verify channel status:** `openclaw channels status --probe` Full [Chat Channels Documentation](https://docs.openclaw.ai/channels).