> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.liteclaw.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Quickstart

> Deploy Lite Claw to Railway in 10 minutes.

# Quickstart

Get Lite Claw running on Railway with Telegram access.

<Note>
  This guide covers the minimum setup. For production hardening, see [Deployment](/deployment).
</Note>

## Prerequisites

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

* [Railway](https://railway.app) — Hosting
* [Neon](https://neon.tech) — Postgres database
* [Upstash](https://upstash.com) — Redis
* [OpenRouter](https://openrouter.ai) — LLM API (\$5-10 credits)
* [Telegram](https://telegram.org) — Bot interface

## Step 1: Get Your API Keys

<Steps>
  <Step title="Create a Telegram Bot">
    1. Message [@BotFather](https://t.me/BotFather) on Telegram
    2. Send `/newbot` and follow the prompts
    3. Copy the bot token (looks like `123456:ABC-DEF...`)
  </Step>

  <Step title="Get OpenRouter API Key">
    1. Sign up at [openrouter.ai](https://openrouter.ai)
    2. Add \$5-10 credits
    3. Create an API key
  </Step>

  <Step title="Create Neon Database">
    1. Create a new project at [neon.tech](https://neon.tech)
    2. Copy the connection string
  </Step>

  <Step title="Create Upstash Redis">
    1. Create a new database at [upstash.com](https://upstash.com)
    2. Copy the REST URL and token
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Step 2: Deploy to Railway

<Steps>
  <Step title="Clone the repository">
    ```bash theme={null}
    git clone https://github.com/jachian22/lite-claw.git
    cd lite-claw
    ```
  </Step>

  <Step title="Install dependencies and run checks">
    ```bash theme={null}
    pnpm install
    pnpm check
    ```
  </Step>

  <Step title="Create Railway project">
    1. Go to [railway.app](https://railway.app) and create a new project
    2. Connect your GitHub repo (auto-deploy on push) or use Railway CLI
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set environment variables">
    In Railway, add these required variables:

    ```bash theme={null}
    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
    ```

    <Warning>
      Use a strong `OWNER_CLAIM_CODE` and a long random `OWNER_CLAIM_PEPPER` (at least 16 chars). These protect ownership bootstrap.
    </Warning>

    <Note>
      `OPENWEATHER_API_KEY` is optional, but required if you want weather responses.
    </Note>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Deploy">
    If connected to GitHub, push your branch.
    If using CLI:

    ```bash theme={null}
    railway up
    ```
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Step 3: Claim Your Bot

Once deployed, open Telegram and message your bot:

```text theme={null}
/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> 
```