Personal AI Assistant Setup Guide (2026)

Why Build Your Own AI Assistant?

Off-the-shelf AI tools are generic. They don't know your business, your workflows, or your preferences. A personal AI assistant — built on OpenClaw — learns your context and operates autonomously.

Step 1: Choose Your Hardware

You need a server that runs 24/7. Options:

• • Mac Mini (recommended) — fast, quiet, great for local-first privacy
• • VPS (Hetzner, DigitalOcean) — $20-40/month, good for remote access
• • Cloud (AWS, GCP) — scalable but more expensive

Step 2: Install OpenClaw

OpenClaw is the framework that turns Claude Code into a persistent AI assistant. It handles message routing, tool integrations, memory, and agent orchestration.

The AI Operators community has detailed setup guides, or you can hire me to do it for you.

Step 3: Connect Your Tools

OpenClaw supports dozens of integrations out of the box:

• • Gmail & Google Calendar
• • GitHub (code reviews, deployments)
• • Slack & Discord
• • Telegram & WhatsApp
• • Vercel, Linear, Notion, and more

Step 4: Configure Your Agent

This is where the magic happens. You define your agent's personality, knowledge base, and workflows. At Sathi Group, we've developed templates for common use cases:

• • Executive assistant (email + calendar)
• • Developer assistant (code + deployments)
• • Sales assistant (outreach + CRM)
• • Full business operator (all of the above)

Step 5: Start Using It

Message your assistant on Telegram or Discord. Ask it to check your email. Tell it to schedule a meeting. Have it review a PR. The more you use it, the better it gets at understanding your preferences.

Don't Want to DIY?

I built this system for myself, and now I help other founders set it up through OpenClaw Consulting. Book a call and I'll handle everything — from hardware to deployment.

You can also join the AI Operators community to learn alongside other founders building AI assistants. Built with support from Jars Global.