Skip to main content

​
Quickstart

Get Lite Claw running on Railway with Telegram access.
This guide covers the minimum setup. For production hardening, see Deployment.

​
Prerequisites

You’ll need accounts on these services (all have free tiers):

​
Step 1: Get Your API Keys

1

Create a Telegram Bot

  1. Message @BotFather on Telegram
  2. Send /newbot and follow the prompts
  3. Copy the bot token (looks like 123456:ABC-DEF...)
2

Get OpenRouter API Key

  1. Sign up at openrouter.ai
  2. Add $5-10 credits
  3. Create an API key
3

Create Neon Database

  1. Create a new project at neon.tech
  2. Copy the connection string
4

Create Upstash Redis

  1. Create a new database at upstash.com
  2. Copy the REST URL and token

​
Step 2: Deploy to Railway

1

Clone the repository

git clone https://github.com/jachian22/lite-claw.git
cd lite-claw
2

Install dependencies and run checks

pnpm install
pnpm check
3

Create Railway project

  1. Go to railway.app and create a new project
  2. Connect your GitHub repo (auto-deploy on push) or use Railway CLI
4

Set environment variables

In Railway, add these required variables:
TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN=your_bot_token
OPENROUTER_API_KEY=your_openrouter_key
DATABASE_URL=your_neon_connection_string
UPSTASH_REDIS_REST_URL=your_upstash_url
UPSTASH_REDIS_REST_TOKEN=your_upstash_token
OWNER_CLAIM_CODE=your_secret_claim_code
OWNER_CLAIM_PEPPER=your_long_random_pepper
Use a strong OWNER_CLAIM_CODE and a long random OWNER_CLAIM_PEPPER (at least 16 chars). These protect ownership bootstrap.
OPENWEATHER_API_KEY is optional, but required if you want weather responses.
5

Deploy

If connected to GitHub, push your branch. If using CLI:
railway up

​
Step 3: Claim Your Bot

Once deployed, open Telegram and message your bot: 
/start
If the bot is not claimed yet, it will show setup guidance and your Telegram ID.
Now claim ownership:

text

/claim your_secret_claim_code
You should see a success message. Your bot is now locked to your Telegram account.

Step 4: Test It
Try these commands:

text

/help
text

/integrations
If you set OPENWEATHER_API_KEY:

text

What's the weather in San Francisco?
Next Steps
<CardGroup cols={2}> <Card title="Connect Google" icon="google" href="/deployment#google-oauth-setup"> Add Calendar and Gmail integration. </Card> <Card title="Enable Heartbeats" icon="clock" href="/deployment#first-time-bring-up-validation"> Set up morning briefings and weekly reviews. </Card> <Card title="Security Deep Dive" icon="shield" href="/security"> Understand the full security model. </Card> <Card title="Production Setup" icon="server" href="/deployment"> Full deployment guide with all options. </Card> </CardGroup>