AI Ready CMO

Install Clawdbot in 10 Minutes (Even If You're Not Technical)

Give Claude file access, data analysis, and automation powers. Free guide for marketing leaders.

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What Clawdbot Does for Marketers

Right now, when you want Claude to analyze a spreadsheet, you have to download it, open it, copy the data, paste it into Claude, wait for an answer, then manually do something with the result.

Clawdbot lets Claude read and work with files directly. You just say what you want, and it happens:

  • • Analyze your campaign data without opening Excel
  • • Sort hundreds of files into folders automatically
  • • Find that proposal from 6 months ago in seconds
  • • Build weekly reports without manual copying

Example:

"Claude, look at my Q4 campaign spreadsheet and tell me which ad channel brought the cheapest leads"

Before You Start

You will need:

  • A computer (Mac, Windows, or Linux)
  • 10 minutes
  • A credit card ($9.99/month for hosting)
  • An email address
  • The ability to copy and paste

Go in order. Don't skip steps.

Each step builds on the one before it. If something looks different from what's described, stop and re-read.

Installation Guide

1

Get a Server

3 minutes

Clawdbot needs a computer that's always on. Instead of leaving your laptop running 24/7, you'll rent a small server in the cloud for $9.99/month. Think of it like renting a locker that's always accessible.

  1. 1.

    Click this button to open the hosting site:

    Open Hosting.com →
  2. 2.

    Sign up with your email. Pick any password (write it down).

  3. 3.

    Choose the "VPS XS" plan ($9.99/month). Pay with your card.

  4. 4.

    Check your email. You'll get a message with 3 things. Save these somewhere safe:

    • IP Address: a number like 192.168.1.100
    • Username: usually "root"
    • Password: a random string of characters

✓ STEP 1 DONE

You have a server. Keep that email with the IP, username, and password handy.

2

Connect to Your Server

2 minutes

Now you need to connect to your server so you can set it up. Pick your computer type below:

Windows

  1. 1. Download PuTTY and install it.
  2. 2. Open PuTTY. Type your IP address in the "Host Name" box.
  3. 3. Click "Open". Click "Accept" if you see a security popup.
  4. 4. Type root and press Enter.
  5. 5. Paste your password and press Enter. (Nothing will show as you type. That's normal.)

Mac / Linux

  1. 1. Open Terminal. (On Mac: press Cmd + Space, type "Terminal", press Enter)
  2. 2.
    Type this (replace YOUR_IP with your IP address):
    ssh root@YOUR_IP
  3. 3. If it asks "continue connecting?", type yes and press Enter.
  4. 4. Paste your password and press Enter. (Nothing will show as you type. That's normal.)

You're connected when you see something like root@server:~#

✓ STEP 2 DONE

You're connected to your server. Keep this window open.

3

Install Clawdbot

5 minutes

Copy each command below, paste it into your terminal, and press Enter. Wait for each one to finish before doing the next.

  1. 1.

    Update your server:

    sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

    This takes 1-2 minutes. Wait until you see the prompt again.

  2. 2.

    Install Node.js:

    curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_20.x | sudo -E bash - && sudo apt install -y nodejs
  3. 3.

    Download Clawdbot:

    git clone https://github.com/clawdbot/clawdbot.git && cd clawdbot
  4. 4.

    Install it:

    npm install
  5. 5.

    Add your Claude API key (get one from console.anthropic.com):

    echo "ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=YOUR_API_KEY" > .env

    Replace YOUR_API_KEY with the actual key you copied.

  6. 6.

    Start Clawdbot:

    npm start

    You should see "Clawdbot is running" or similar.

✓ STEP 3 DONE

Clawdbot is installed and running.

4

Connect Claude Desktop

2 minutes

Now tell Claude Desktop where to find Clawdbot.

  1. 1.

    Open Claude Desktop on your computer.

  2. 2.

    Go to Settings (gear icon, or Cmd/Ctrl + ,)

  3. 3.

    Find "MCP Servers" in the settings.

  4. 4.

    Add this configuration (replace YOUR_IP with your server's IP):

    {
  "mcpServers": {
    "clawdbot": {
      "command": "ssh",
      "args": ["-t", "root@YOUR_IP", "cd clawdbot && npm start"]
    }
  }
}
  5. 5.

    Save and restart Claude Desktop.

  6. 6.

    Test it. Type this in Claude:

    Show me all files in the current directory

✓ ALL DONE

Clawdbot is connected. Claude can now work with your files.

You did it. Clawdbot is ready.

Want weekly automation workflows for marketers?

Try These Right Now

Copy any of these into Claude to test your setup.

Start Here

"Show me all files in my Downloads folder"
"Create a folder called Marketing Projects 2026"
"List all CSV files on my desktop"

Getting Useful

"Open email-performance.csv and show me average open rate by day of week"
"Find all PDFs with 'proposal' in the name"
"Rename all files in this folder to include today's date"

Power User

"Compare these 3 campaign CSVs and tell me which lead source improved most month-over-month"
"Find all docs mentioning [Competitor], pull out key points, save to a summary file"

What's Next

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Common Questions

Add "sudo" before your commands, or make sure you're logged in as root. Double-check the password from your hosting email.

Run node --version first. If nothing shows, re-run the Node.js install step. Still stuck? Try npm cache clean --force then npm install again.

Yes, but it only works when your laptop is on. A VPS runs 24/7, so Clawdbot is always ready.

Clawdbot only accesses files you explicitly ask Claude to work with. Your data stays on your server. Claude's requests go through Anthropic's enterprise-grade API.

Pay-as-you-go. Most marketing tasks cost fractions of a cent. Heavy users spend $5-20/month.

Not directly. Clawdbot works with files on the server or your local computer. Download files from cloud storage first, or set up sync tools like rclone.

No. Clawdbot handles file operations and analysis. It works alongside your existing tools, not instead of them.

Log into Hosting.com, go to billing, and cancel. Your server stays active until the end of your billing period.