Workshop 2 — Singapore
Build Your Personal AI Assistant Bot
Install OpenClaw on your laptop, connect a private Telegram bot, and teach it one personal recurring job — with clear rules for what it can do, what it must ask, and where it should stop.
3-hrs, hands-on, more technical than Workshop 1. Max 3 people per group in Singapore.
June dateWednesday 10 June 2026 · 6:00–9:00pm SGT
Why this exists
Why this exists
Some AI tasks are fine inside Claude, ChatGPT, or Gemini. You paste in messy input, get a useful output, and move on. That's Workshop 1.
But some personal tasks keep coming back:
- "Remind me if I haven't followed up on that."
- "Help me remember what to ask at my appointment next week."
- "Keep a thread on this topic I'm exploring."
- "Remind me before tickets sell out."
For those, it helps to have a bot you can message — one with its own context, rules, memory, and (eventually) light personal tool access.
I built bots for my own recurring personal admin. Workshop 2 is the practical version: not a magic fully autonomous assistant, but a small private bot that does one personal job well and safely.
Outcomes
What you'll build
By the end of Workshop 2, you'll have:
- One working private AI bot you can chat with in Telegram
- One personal bot-shaped job configured — ongoing, chat-based, reminder-ready
- Context and rules so the bot behaves like your assistant, not a generic chatbot
- Safety boundaries for approvals, quiet hours, external actions, sensitive data
- A debugging checklist for common setup problems
- A next-step plan for adding reminders or personal tool connections later
What to expect (honestly)
This is a setup workshop. The win is one private bot, reliably alive, doing one personal job well — a real working thing, deliberately narrow.
- You'll leave with: a private Telegram bot that replies to you, runs through OpenClaw on your laptop, and is configured for one recurring personal job with clear rules.
- You won't leave with: a fully autonomous assistant, an always-on cloud bot, or a hub of connected tools. Calendar, reminders, and file access are taught as your next layer — you might wire one up in class, but they're not the day's goal.
- Setup is the real work. The first ~90 minutes is install and pairing. It's smoothest on macOS; on Windows or ChromeOS, expect some troubleshooting. That's normal, and I'll help.
One bot, alive and trustworthy, beats five half-wired integrations. We get the foundation right.
Example projects
Example bot jobs
Good Workshop 2 projects are all personal:
Each of these starts as a bot you message. Pick a job that's useful even as chat-only — reminders and tool access come later.
Follow-through bot
You mention something you need to do; it clarifies the deadline and checks back later.
Appointment prep bot
You tell it about an upcoming appointment; it builds a checklist of questions and reminds you the day before.
Event / ticket reminder bot
You send it interesting events; it remembers deadlines, drafts calendar entries, and reminds you before tickets sell out.
Personal reading / research bot
You're learning about a topic over weeks; it keeps a running thread, suggests one next step at a time, and doesn't dump everything at once.
Household decision bot
You log open family questions and decisions; it remembers what's pending and surfaces it back at the right moment.
Packing / travel prep bot
You share a trip; it turns it into a packing list and surfaces reminders before you leave.
Fruit group-buy helper
You run a weekly neighbourhood group buy; it parses messy seller text into clean item/price rows, drafts summary messages, and flags unclear items — you approve everything before sending.
Curriculum
What we'll cover
Install OpenClaw on your laptop
OS-specific paths for macOS (Homebrew), Windows (winget), and ChromeOS/Linux. Node.js v22+, then OpenClaw via npm.
Create your private Telegram bot
BotFather, bot token, and private access rules. Why your token is a password.
Onboard OpenClaw and pair Telegram
Run the setup wizard, configure your model provider, add the Telegram channel, and approve the pairing code so the bot replies only to you.
The workspace files
AGENTS.md, USER.md, TOOLS.md, MEMORY.md, HEARTBEAT.md — how plain-text files become your bot's behaviour, memory, and rules.
Teach the bot one personal job
Pick a narrow recurring task. Write context, rules, boundaries. Test happy path AND failure cases.
Safety and permission levels
The green / yellow / red model: read & draft freely, write to drafts with care, never send / delete / spend without approval.
Debugging
Token errors, pairing failures, model key issues, "why isn't my bot replying?" — the openclaw doctor / status / channels probe commands.
Optional next layers
Scheduled reminders, calendar, notes/files, message drafting — the path forward after your bot is solid.
The business boundary
Why business assistants need a different setup (workflow mapping, role permissions, audit trail, support) and where to go if you want one.
Fit check
Who this is for
This workshop is for you if
- You've used AI workflows and want a more persistent personal assistant
- You have a personal recurring task that would benefit from chat, reminders, or follow-up
- You're comfortable following technical instructions step by step
- You can copy tokens/API keys, edit settings, and read basic error messages
- You want the bot to help, but still ask before doing anything risky
Skip this workshop if
- You're brand new to AI tools — start with Workshop 1 first.
- You want a fully autonomous assistant that runs your life unattended.
- You don't want to install software, run terminal commands, or troubleshoot — the setup is hands-on by design.
- You want a bot for your business — customer-facing automation or staff workflows. See the small business AI assistant service instead.
After the workshop
After Workshop 2
Most people use Workshop 2's bot for one personal recurring job — follow-throughs, appointment prep, weekly reading threads.
If you run a small business and want help applying the pattern to a real business workflow — order tracking, customer follow-ups, weekly admin — that's a different kind of project. Business bots need workflow mapping, real tool integrations, role-based permissions, approval flows, an audit trail, and ongoing support. Workshop 2 doesn't cover any of that.
For business builds, see the small business AI assistant implementation service →. That's a done-with-you build for one specific workflow in your business, starting from S$1,200.
Logistics
Logistics
June 2026 — S$149
First-cohort price.
What to bring:
- A laptop and charger (Mac, Windows, ChromeOS, or Linux) with terminal access
- A Telegram account
- Access to ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini
- One recurring personal admin task you'd like your bot to help with
You'll use a temporary workshop API key during class. To keep your bot running afterwards, you'll sign up for your own (Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, or OpenRouter).
June 2026 is full
All seats for the June cohort are taken. Drop your details on the interest list and we'll let you know when we open the next session — including July and weekend dates.
Questions? Email hello@paperandpixel.studio
Your instructor
About your instructor
Oanh runs Paper & Pixel, a small Singapore studio helping non-technical people use AI for real-life creativity and admin. Self-taught builder — StencilCV (resume tailoring), Ink Radicals (Chinese character learning), a parents' playbook, and the bots that quietly run her weekly logistics.
Professionally: Google, McKinsey, Intuit. Actual qualification: having broken every workflow being taught at least twice.
FAQ
FAQ
How long is the workshop?
3 hours of focused, hands-on work. The first ~90 minutes is setup (install OpenClaw, create your Telegram bot, pair it). The remaining time is teaching the bot one job, writing rules, and testing failure cases. Bring a fully charged laptop — setup can take longer on some machines.
Will I leave with a working bot?
Yes — a private Telegram bot that replies to you, with one configured personal job. Bring a fully charged laptop; setup takes the first ~90 minutes. See "What to expect" above for scope detail.
Do I need to know how to code?
No professional coding background required, but this is a technical setup workshop. You should be willing to follow terminal commands, copy API keys/tokens, and troubleshoot with help.
Which AI model and bot runtime will we use?
We use OpenClaw, an open-source local bot runtime, with one supported AI model provider (Anthropic recommended; OpenAI, Google, or OpenRouter also work). A temporary workshop API key is provided so everyone gets through setup during class. This workshop key is disabled after the workshop — to keep using your bot, you'll need to sign up for your own API key with one of the supported providers.
What do I need to bring?
A laptop (Mac, Windows, ChromeOS, or Linux) with terminal access, a Telegram account, internet, and the ability to install software. You'll use a temporary workshop API key during class; afterwards you'll need your own (Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, or OpenRouter — most have free or low-cost tiers).
Refund policy?
Refundable up to 7 days before the workshop. Transferable any time — if you can't make it, send a friend in your place.
What happens when the workshop API key expires?
Your bot will stop responding because it can't reach the AI model. Replace the workshop key with your own provider key using OpenClaw's configuration/onboarding flow. The setup notes will include the current command for your installed version. Most providers have free tiers or low-cost starter plans — Anthropic's Claude or OpenAI's GPT models work fine for a personal bot.
What does "private bot" actually mean?
"Private" means the Telegram bot and OpenClaw workspace are yours, and the bot is not intended for public/group use. However, your messages may still be sent to the AI model provider you use — Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, or OpenRouter — depending on your API key and provider settings.
How should I handle my API keys and bot tokens?
Treat both your Telegram bot token and AI API key like passwords. Don't post them in chats, screenshots, shared docs, or GitHub. We'll cover safe storage during the workshop.
Does my bot run all the time?
Your bot runs through OpenClaw on your laptop. It only works reliably when OpenClaw is running and your laptop/network are available. Turning it into an always-on cloud assistant is a later step, not part of this workshop.
Can I use this for my business?
Workshop 2 is for personal bots only. The setup, examples, and boundaries are designed for individual use — not customer-facing automation, staff workflows, or business operations. For business builds, see the small business AI assistant implementation service.
What if I want help applying this to my business after the workshop?
After the workshop, book a scoping call for the small business AI assistant implementation service — that's a done-with-you build for one specific business workflow, starting from S$1,200.