Installation

Get OpenClaw up and running on your system. Choose your preferred installation method below.

Quick Install (Recommended)

The fastest way to install OpenClaw:

macOS/Linux

curl -fsSL https://openclaw.ai/install.sh | bash

Windows (PowerShell)

iwr -useb https://openclaw.ai/install.ps1 | iex

That's it! The installer will automatically detect your operating system, install dependencies, and set everything up for you.

System Requirements

Before installing, ensure your system meets these requirements:

Requirement	Minimum	Recommended
Node.js	22.0.0	22.x LTS
RAM	512MB	2GB+
Storage	500MB	2GB+
OS	Linux, macOS, Windows	Linux/macOS

Node.js Version

OpenClaw requires Node.js 22 or higher. Using an older version will result in errors.

Check Your Node.js Version

node --version
# Expected output: v22.x.x

If you need to upgrade, we recommend using nvm or fnm:

# Using nvm
nvm install 22
nvm use 22

# Using fnm
fnm install 22
fnm use 22

Installation Methods

Option 1: npm (Recommended)

The easiest way to install OpenClaw globally:

npm install -g openclaw

Option 2: pnpm

If you prefer pnpm:

pnpm install -g openclaw

Option 3: Docker

For containerized deployment:

# Pull the image
docker pull openclaw/openclaw:latest

# Run the container
docker run -d \
  --name openclaw \
  -p 3000:3000 \
  -v openclaw-data:/app/data \
  openclaw/openclaw:latest

Option 4: From Source

For development or customization:

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw.git
cd openclaw

# Install dependencies
pnpm install

# Build the project
pnpm build

# Link globally
pnpm link --global

Verify Installation

After installation, verify that OpenClaw is working:

openclaw --version
# Expected: x.x.x

openclaw --help
# Shows available commands

Directory Structure

After installation, OpenClaw uses these directories:

~/.openclaw/
├── config.json       # Main configuration
├── sessions/         # Session data
├── logs/            # Log files
└── skills/          # Installed skills

Environment Variables

OpenClaw can be configured via environment variables:

Variable	Description	Default
OPENCLAW_CONFIG_DIR	Configuration directory	~/.openclaw
OPENCLAW_LOG_LEVEL	Logging level	info
OPENCLAW_PORT	Web UI port	3000

Troubleshooting Installation

Permission Denied

If you get permission errors with npm:

# Option 1: Use sudo (macOS/Linux)
sudo npm install -g openclaw

# Option 2: Fix npm permissions
mkdir ~/.npm-global
npm config set prefix '~/.npm-global'
# Add to your shell config: export PATH=~/.npm-global/bin:$PATH

Node Version Issues

# Check your version
node --version

# Must be 22.x or higher
# If not, upgrade using nvm or fnm

Docker Issues

# Check Docker is running
docker info

# View logs
docker logs openclaw

# Restart container
docker restart openclaw

Next Steps

Now that OpenClaw is installed, proceed to the Quick Start guide to configure and launch your AI assistant!

Need Help?

Join our Discord community for support and discussions.