If you are new to OpenClaw, think of it as the execution layer of an AI agent system. Models reason, but OpenClaw-style runtimes execute plans with tools, policies, retries, and state.
The 4 pieces you should know first
Goal: what the agent is trying to achieve.
Tools: what actions it can take (APIs, browser, scripts, data).
Policy: what is allowed, blocked, or rate-limited.
State: what the agent remembers between calls.
How a typical OpenClaw workflow runs
Receive task and constraints.
Plan one or a few next actions.
Call tools and observe results.
Adapt or recover if anything fails.
Store outcome and continue with updated context.
What beginners usually get wrong
No clear policy boundaries for tool usage.
No session continuity, so context resets every call.
Retry loops without backoff, causing self-inflicted outages.
