How to Trade Stocks, Options & Crypto using OpenClaw

Yes, OpenClaw can place real trades — stocks, ETFs, options, crypto, and multi-leg strategies — through natural language, via WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord, or a terminal. And unlike browser-based AI tools, it runs 24/7 on your own machine, so it can monitor positions, trigger alerts, and execute orders even when you are not present.

The one thing most guides skip: OpenClaw needs a brokerage with a public trading API to place real orders. Public offers a commission-free retail brokerage with an official OpenClaw Agent Skill.

What OpenClaw is — and Why it is Different

OpenClaw is an open-source, self-hosted AI assistant. You install it on your own machine or in the cloud, connect it to your messaging apps, and it stays active around the clock. Unlike Claude Desktop or Perplexity Computer, OpenClaw does not require you to be sitting at a screen to work.

For traders, this unlocks a different class of use case:

• Always-on monitoring: OpenClaw watches your positions and market conditions continuously — not just when you have a session open
• Messaging app integration: interact with your brokerage through WhatsApp, Telegram, or Discord — apps you already have on your phone
• Scheduled and conditional workflows: set rules once, let them run automatically without manual input
• Local data: your API keys and brokerage credentials stay on your machine — nothing routes through a third-party server

When connected to Public via the official Agent Skill, OpenClaw gains direct access to your brokerage account — live quotes, options chains, portfolio data, and order execution. You describe a trade in plain language; OpenClaw fetches the data, runs a preflight check, and executes when you confirm.

How to Get Set Up

Setup takes about 10 minutes. Here is what you need and how it works:

What You Need

• OpenClaw installed on macOS, Linux, or Windows — free at openclaw.ai
• A free Public brokerage account — open one at public.com/signup
• A Public API key — generate one in Account Settings > Security > API
• An Anthropic API key — for using Claude as the AI model, from platform.anthropic.com. This is separate from a Claude.ai subscription and is billed by usage

Connect in 4 Steps

1. Install OpenClaw via a single terminal command and complete the QuickStart setup — select Anthropic as your AI provider, paste your API key, and choose claude-opus-4-6 as the model
2. Add the Public Agent Skill by pasting a single prompt into OpenClaw pointing to the GitHub repo — it handles the installation automatically
3. Connect your Public account by asking OpenClaw about your portfolio — it will prompt you for your API key and account number on first use
4. Verify by asking for your account balance — OpenClaw will return your live portfolio data

For the full step-by-step setup with terminal commands and screenshots, see the OpenClaw Agent Skill developer guide.

How to Trade Stocks Using OpenClaw

Once connected, trading is a natural language conversation — through your terminal or directly in WhatsApp, Telegram, or Discord.

Get a Live Quote

OpenClaw returns the most recent bid and ask prices from your Public account.

Place a Stock Order

OpenClaw confirms the order details — symbol, quantity, order type, and estimated cost — before submitting. Review carefully before confirming.

Check and Manage Orders

Other Stock Order Types

• Limit order: “Buy 10 shares of AAPL with a limit of $215”
• Fractional by dollar: “Buy $500 worth of NVDA”
• Crypto: “Buy 0.25 ETH at market price”
• History: “Show my recent transactions”

How to Trade Options Using OpenClaw

Options trading through OpenClaw follows a structured workflow: get a live price, pull the chain, get a recommendation, run a preflight, place the order.

Get a Live Price

Pull the Options Chain

OpenClaw returns calls and puts with strike prices, premiums, volume, and open interest — pulled live from Public.

Ask for a Strategy Recommendation

OpenClaw evaluates the chain and suggests a contract based on strike proximity, premium cost, and expiration. This is a starting point, not financial advice — you decide whether to proceed.

Run a Preflight Check

The preflight returns the estimated fill price, total cost including fees, buying power impact, and any order eligibility issues. Review this output carefully before confirming.

Place the Order

OpenClaw submits the order to your Public account and returns a confirmation with the order ID and status.

Multi-Leg Options Strategies

OpenClaw supports multi-leg order placement via the Public API. All legs are executed as a single order — you describe the strategy in plain language, and OpenClaw handles the preflight and execution.

Bull Call Spread

What it is: Buy a lower-strike call, sell a higher-strike call at the same expiration. Caps max loss to the net debit paid. Suited for a moderately bullish view. 

Debit spreads provide a defined risk-reward profile and provide controlled exposure to underlying price movements. While your maximum loss is capped at the net premium paid, there is still the risk that your short option position may be assigned.

Iron Condor

What it is: Sell an OTM put spread and an OTM call spread on the same underlying at the same expiration. Collects a net credit, profits if the underlying stays within a range.

Credit spreads provide a defined risk-reward profile and provide controlled exposure to underlying price movements. While your maximum loss is capped at the difference in strike prices minus the net premium received, there is still the risk that your short option position may be assigned.

Covered Call

What it is: Sell a call against shares you already hold. Generates premium income on a flat-to-slightly-bullish position.

Covered calls don’t offer substantial protection if the price declines, beyond offsetting a portion of the losses with the option premium. By selling a covered call, you also give up potential profit if the stock price rises beyond the strike price.

The same approach works for straddles, strangles, and other strategies supported by the Public API.

*For definitions, see additional info on Debit Spread, Credit Spread, and Covered Calls

Build an Automated Trading Bot with OpenClaw

This is where OpenClaw separates itself from every other AI trading tool. Because it runs continuously, you can set up scheduled tasks and conditional triggers that execute without you being present — delivered directly to your messaging app.

Scheduled Workflows

• “Every weekday at 9:30am, check my portfolio and send me a summary of overnight moves”
• “At 3:45pm daily, check if any of my options positions are expiring this week and alert me”
• “Every Monday morning, scan the SPY options chain and summarize covered call opportunities against my holdings”

Conditional Triggers

• “If AAPL drops more than 5% in a day, notify me and show the nearest put options for downside protection”
• “Monitor my open options positions and alert me when any position reaches 50% of max profit”
• “If my portfolio drops below a set threshold, alert me and show my current buying power”

These run as OpenClaw tasks in the background. When a condition is met, OpenClaw pulls live data from your Public account and delivers the result through WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord, or whatever channel you configured.

What the Public API Lets You Trade

The Public API gives OpenClaw access to the full account — not just stocks and standard options:

• Crypto: “Buy $500 of ETH at market” — executes via the same connection
• Extended hours: equity orders up to 16 hours per day
• Fractional shares: “Buy $100 of NVDA” — no manual share calculation
• Index options: SPX, NDX, and other cash-settled index contracts
• IRA accounts: Traditional and Roth IRA trading via API
• Margin accounts: fully supported for leveraged strategies

Why Public for OpenClaw Trading

For OpenClaw to place trades on your behalf, it needs a brokerage with a real trading API. Public offers a commission-free retail trading API with an official OpenClaw Agent Skill — and a fee structure that makes automated trading more efficient at any volume.