Question 1

What hardware do I need to run this?

Accepted Answer

Any machine that can run Node.js will work — a laptop, a Mac mini, a Raspberry Pi 4, or a VPS. The guide includes a section on low-cost always-on hardware options. Minimum specs: 2GB RAM, any modern CPU. Most readers run it on a spare machine or a $5/month VPS.

Question 2

Does this require programming experience?

Accepted Answer

You'll need to be comfortable in a terminal and familiar with basic JavaScript or TypeScript concepts. You don't need to be a developer — the guide walks through every step with working code examples. If you've ever used npm or written a config file, you'll be fine.

Question 3

Which exchanges are supported?

Accepted Answer

The guide covers Binance, Coinbase Advanced Trade, and Kraken out of the box, using read-only API keys stored locally on your machine. Chapter 10 covers how to add any exchange that offers a REST API — including DEX data via public endpoints.

Question 4

Will this place trades automatically?

Accepted Answer

No — and that's intentional. The system is an intelligence and alerting layer, not an execution bot. It watches, analyzes, and tells you. You decide what to do with that information. Keeping humans in the execution loop is a deliberate design decision.

Question 5

What is OpenClaw, and do I need to pay for it?

Accepted Answer

OpenClaw is an open-source AI agent runtime that runs locally on your hardware. It's free and open source. This guide assumes you're starting from scratch and walks you through installation and configuration in Chapter 1. No subscriptions, no cloud dependencies.

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