How to Use OpenClaw and Ollama for Privacy-First Local AI Agents

Privacy is critical when dealing with sensitive data. I've found that the best way to ensure data sovereignty is to keep it off the cloud entirely. In this guide, I will show you how to build privacy-first local AI agents using OpenClaw and Ollama.

Why Privacy Matters in AI

When you send code or company documents to an API, you lose control. A local setup with Ollama ensures nothing leaves your machine, while OpenClaw orchestrates the workflow locally.

Setting up Ollama for Local Models

First, install Ollama and pull a local model:

ollama run llama3.1

This ensures we have a powerful reasoning engine running locally.

Installing OpenClaw

Install OpenClaw globally via npm:

npm install -g @openclaw/cli

Connecting OpenClaw to Ollama

Configure your OpenClaw settings to point to your local Ollama instance rather than an external API.

{
  "provider": "ollama",
  "model": "llama3.1"
}

Building a Private Agent Workflow

Now you can create workflows that process confidential documents without privacy concerns.

Matteo Giardino is an AI engineer and CTO focusing on local AI and developer tools.