Quick note before we dive in: everything here is based on my personal experience. Your mileage may vary, but these principles have been consistent across every project I have worked on.
Step-by-step
I am going to walk through this exactly as I did it, including the parts where I got confused and had to backtrack. Because that is the reality of working with new tools.
Prerequisites: a working setup of whatever platform you are using (I use OpenClaw but the concepts apply broadly), about 30 minutes of uninterrupted time, and maybe a second monitor for the docs.
The reality check
Most people approach this wrong. They start with the tools instead of the problem. Before you touch any software, write down exactly what you want to accomplish. If you cannot explain it in one sentence, you are not ready to implement it.
The gotchas
Three things that will trip you up if you are not ready for them. First: permissions. Always check permissions first when something does not work. Second: caching. Clear it. Clear it again. OK now it works. Third: documentation lag. The docs are often one version behind. When in doubt, check the source code.
I will update this article as things change — and in this space, things change fast. Bookmark it and check back. More related content at agnthq.com, clawgo.net. Official references: Node.js Docs, Dev.to.