The Easiest OpenClaw Setup: Zero-Terminal Deployment with Antigravity

By Irfad Imtiaz, Director of Technology at My Legal Academy

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When I first started deploying OpenClaw for law firms, I hit the same wall every time: terminal commands.

"Just run npm install." "SSH into your server." "Configure your .env file."

These instructions are fine for developers. They're useless for the law firm owner who wants an AI assistant running without becoming a part-time IT consultant.

This article introduces a different approach — one that eliminates the terminal entirely. Using Google Antigravity and Railway's deployment system, you can set up a fully functional OpenClaw instance through conversation and clicks. No command line. No code. No headaches.

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Why Terminal Commands Are the Barrier

Here's what a typical OpenClaw setup guide looks like:

git clone https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw.git
cd openclaw
npm install
cp .env.example .env
# edit .env with your settings
npm run build
npm start

If you know what those commands mean, great. If you don't, you're stuck Googling every step, debugging errors you don't understand, and wondering why something that "only takes 15 minutes" has consumed your entire afternoon.

I've watched this happen with firm owners. Smart people. Successful attorneys. But when they see a terminal window, their eyes glaze over.

There's a better way.

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What Is Google Antigravity (And Why It Matters)

Google launched Antigravity in November 2025 as an AI-powered development platform. Think of it as VS Code crossed with a very capable AI assistant that can actually do things — not just answer questions.

What makes Antigravity different:

• It's an IDE (development environment) with AI agents built in
• You can describe what you want in plain English
• The AI understands code, configurations, and deployment systems
• It can execute tasks, not just explain them

Here's the key insight: you can use Antigravity's AI to guide you through OpenClaw setup conversationally. Instead of typing git clone https://..., you describe what you're trying to do, and Antigravity handles the details.

The platform is currently in free public preview. You get access to powerful AI models for development assistance — Claude Sonnet 4.5, Gemini 3, and others. This is Google's play to capture developer mindshare, and while it lasts, it's remarkably useful for non-technical deployments like OpenClaw.

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The Zero-Terminal Method

Here's how we deploy OpenClaw without touching a terminal:

The Tools

1. Google Antigravity — Your AI-powered setup assistant
2. Railway — Hosting platform with one-click deployment
3. Railway PAT — Personal Access Token for programmatic deployment

The Flow

Instead of running commands yourself, you:

1. Open Antigravity
2. Tell it what you want to deploy
3. Give it access to Railway via PAT
4. Let it handle the configuration

The AI becomes your technical translator — you speak plain English, it speaks terminal commands.

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Step-by-Step: Deploying OpenClaw Through Antigravity

Step 1: Set Up Your Accounts (10 minutes)

You need three accounts. All free.

GitHub (if you don't have one):

1. Go to github.com
2. Sign up with email and password
3. Verify your email

Railway:

1. Go to railway.app
2. Click "Login with GitHub"
3. Authorize Railway

Google Antigravity:

1. Go to antigravity.dev
2. Sign in with your Google account
3. Complete any onboarding steps

Step 2: Create a Railway Personal Access Token

This is the key that lets Antigravity deploy to Railway on your behalf.

1. In Railway, click your profile (bottom left)
2. Go to "Account Settings"
3. Navigate to "Tokens" or "API Tokens"
4. Click "Create Token"
5. Name it something like "Antigravity Deploy"
6. Copy the token — you'll need it in a moment

Keep this token private. It has access to your Railway account.

Step 3: Open Antigravity and Describe Your Goal

Now for the conversational part.

Open Antigravity and start a new workspace or project. In the chat panel, describe what you want:

"I want to deploy OpenClaw to Railway. I have a Railway account with a Personal Access Token. I want to deploy the official OpenClaw template, configure it for a law firm intake assistant, set up an AI provider for the model backend, and get it running 24/7. I don't want to use the terminal at all. Guide me through this step by step."

Antigravity will respond with a plan. It might ask clarifying questions:

• Which AI provider do you want to use? (OpenRouter, Anthropic, etc.)
• Do you have API keys ready?
• What practice areas does your firm handle?

Answer conversationally. The AI builds context as you go.

Step 4: Let Antigravity Handle the Technical Parts

When you provide your Railway PAT, Antigravity can:

• Create a new Railway project
• Deploy the OpenClaw template
• Configure environment variables
• Set up the domain

You'll see what it's doing. You can ask questions. But you're not typing commands — you're reviewing and approving.

This is the experience. Technical complexity handled by AI, while you make decisions in plain English.

Step 5: Configure Your AI Provider

Important clarification: The AI that runs inside OpenClaw (handling client conversations) is separate from Antigravity. You still need an AI provider for OpenClaw's runtime.

Recommended options:

For most law firms, I recommend OpenRouter because it gives you access to multiple models through one account. You can start with Claude Sonnet (good balance of cost and quality) and adjust based on usage.

Setting up OpenRouter:

1. Go to openrouter.ai
2. Create an account
3. Add credits ($10-20 to start)
4. Generate an API key
5. Give that key to Antigravity when it asks

Expected costs: A typical law firm deployment runs $20-80/month in AI costs, depending on conversation volume. See Article 9: Token Optimization for ways to reduce this with Kimi K2.5.

Step 6: Access Your Running OpenClaw

Once Antigravity confirms deployment is complete:

1. It will provide your Railway URL (something like your-project.up.railway.app)
2. Visit that URL in your browser
3. Complete the first-time setup wizard:
   • Create an admin password
   • Confirm AI provider connection
   • Test with a sample message

If the test message gets a sensible response, your OpenClaw is alive.

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What Happens Behind the Scenes

For the technically curious — here's what Antigravity actually does:

1. Creates Railway project via Railway's API using your PAT
2. Deploys template — Railway has an official OpenClaw template that includes all necessary configuration
3. Sets environment variables — Your API keys, model preferences, etc.
4. Triggers build — Railway builds the OpenClaw container
5. Provisions domain — Railway generates a URL for your instance
6. Monitors startup — Confirms the service is running

All of this would normally require terminal commands. Antigravity translates your intentions into those commands.

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When You Might Still Need the Terminal

Let me be honest: the zero-terminal approach works for 90% of deployments. But there are edge cases:

Custom modifications — If you want to modify OpenClaw's source code, you'll eventually need development tools.

Advanced debugging — If something breaks in a weird way, looking at logs might require Railway's CLI.

Self-hosted deployments — If you're running on your own server instead of Railway, terminal access is unavoidable.

For standard deployments following this guide, you won't need the terminal. If you hit an edge case, you can always ask Antigravity to explain what terminal commands you'd need — then decide whether to run them yourself or get help.

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Common Questions

"Is this actually easier than the regular way?"

Yes. I've now deployed OpenClaw both ways — terminal and Antigravity-assisted. The Antigravity method takes about the same time for me (I know the terminal commands), but it's dramatically easier for non-technical users. The difference is whether you're following memorized commands or having a conversation.

"What if Antigravity gives wrong instructions?"

It can happen. AI isn't perfect. But because you're working conversationally, you can ask clarifying questions, request explanations, or tell it something didn't work. It adjusts.

The key is: don't blindly follow. If something seems wrong, ask "Why are we doing this step?" or "What happens if I skip this?"

"How long will Antigravity stay free?"

Unknown. Google hasn't announced pricing for when the preview ends. My guess: they'll keep a free tier for light usage (Google always does) while charging for heavy/commercial use.

Even if Antigravity becomes paid, the approach still works — you'd just pay for the development assistance. It's still easier than learning terminal commands.

"What about the AI costs for running OpenClaw?"

Antigravity helps with setup. The AI that powers OpenClaw's conversations is separate and costs money (unless you use a free tier with limits).

Budget $20-80/month for AI costs depending on volume. Article 9 covers how to optimize this with cheaper models like Kimi K2.5.

"Can Antigravity help with other parts of OpenClaw setup?"

Absolutely. You can ask it to:

• Help write your SOUL.md configuration
• Explain how to connect WhatsApp
• Debug issues when they occur
• Suggest SOUL.md changes based on conversation logs

Think of it as a technical co-pilot that sticks around after deployment.

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The Honest Trade-offs

What you gain:

• No terminal required
• Conversational setup process
• Built-in help when something breaks
• Lower barrier for non-technical users

What you trade:

• Dependency on Antigravity (which may not stay free)
• Slightly less control than command-line deployment
• Learning a new tool (Antigravity) instead of learning terminal basics

For law firm owners who just want OpenClaw running without becoming developers, the trade-off is clearly worth it.

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Next Steps

Once your OpenClaw is deployed:

1. Configure SOUL.md — Article 6 covers law-firm-specific templates
2. Connect channels — Article 5 walks through WhatsApp, email, Slack setup
3. Optimize costs — Article 9 covers using Kimi K2.5 to reduce AI expenses

Or if you want someone to handle all of this: irfad@mylegalacademy.com. I deploy OpenClaw for law firms as part of complete growth infrastructure at My Legal Academy.

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Series Navigation

This is Article 3 of The Zero-Terminal OpenClaw Framework.

1. What Is OpenClaw? — The complete introduction
2. OpenClaw vs ChatGPT vs Copilot — Which AI for your firm
3. The Easiest OpenClaw Setup — You are here
4. Deploy in 15 Minutes — Railway template walkthrough (manual method)
5. Connect Your Channels — WhatsApp, email, Slack
6. SOUL.md Mastery — Legal compliance templates
7. 20 Automations Every Firm Needs — Practical use cases
8. The MCP Playbook — CRM and tool integrations
9. Token Optimization — Running efficiently with Kimi K2.5
10. Security Done Right — Attorney-client privilege