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OpenClaw Reference (Mirrored)

Install

Mirrored from OpenClaw (MIT)
Canonical source: https://docs.openclaw.ai/install
This mirror is provided for convenience. OpenClawdBots is not affiliated with or endorsed by OpenClaw.

Install

Already followed Getting Started? You're all set — this page is for alternative install methods, platform-specific instructions, and maintenance.

System requirements

  • Node 22+ (the installer script will install it if missing)
  • macOS, Linux, or Windows
  • pnpm only if you build from source
NOTE

On Windows, we strongly recommend running OpenClaw under WSL2.

Install methods

TIP

The installer script is the recommended way to install OpenClaw. It handles Node detection, installation, and onboarding in one step.

Installer script

Downloads the CLI, installs it globally via npm, and launches the onboarding wizard.

macOS / Linux / WSL2
curl -fsSL https://openclaw.ai/install.sh | bash
Windows (PowerShell)
iwr -useb https://openclaw.ai/install.ps1 | iex

That's it — the script handles Node detection, installation, and onboarding.

To skip onboarding and just install the binary:

macOS / Linux / WSL2
curl -fsSL https://openclaw.ai/install.sh | bash -s -- --no-onboard
Windows (PowerShell)
& ([scriptblock]::Create((iwr -useb https://openclaw.ai/install.ps1))) -NoOnboard

For all flags, env vars, and CI/automation options, see Installer internals.

npm / pnpm

If you already have Node 22+ and prefer to manage the install yourself:

npm
npm install -g openclaw@latest
openclaw onboard --install-daemon
sharp build errors?

If you have libvips installed globally (common on macOS via Homebrew) and sharp fails, force prebuilt binaries:

SHARP_IGNORE_GLOBAL_LIBVIPS=1 npm install -g openclaw@latest

If you see sharp: Please add node-gyp to your dependencies, either install build tooling (macOS: Xcode CLT + npm install -g node-gyp) or use the env var above.

pnpm
pnpm add -g openclaw@latest
pnpm approve-builds -g        # approve openclaw, node-llama-cpp, sharp, etc.
openclaw onboard --install-daemon
NOTE

pnpm requires explicit approval for packages with build scripts. After the first install shows the "Ignored build scripts" warning, run pnpm approve-builds -g and select the listed packages.

From source

For contributors or anyone who wants to run from a local checkout.

  1. Clone and build

    Clone the OpenClaw repo and build:

    git clone https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw.git
cd openclaw
pnpm install
pnpm ui:build
pnpm build
  2. Link the CLI

    Make the openclaw command available globally:

    pnpm link --global

    Alternatively, skip the link and run commands via pnpm openclaw ... from inside the repo.

  3. Run onboarding
    openclaw onboard --install-daemon

For deeper development workflows, see Setup.

Other install methods

Docker

Containerized or headless deployments.

Podman

Rootless container: run setup-podman.sh once, then the launch script.

Nix

Declarative install via Nix.

Ansible

Automated fleet provisioning.

Bun

CLI-only usage via the Bun runtime.

After install

Verify everything is working:

openclaw doctor         # check for config issues
openclaw status         # gateway status
openclaw dashboard      # open the browser UI

If you need custom runtime paths, use:

  • OPENCLAW_HOME for home-directory based internal paths
  • OPENCLAW_STATE_DIR for mutable state location
  • OPENCLAW_CONFIG_PATH for config file location

See Environment vars for precedence and full details.

Troubleshooting: openclaw not found

PATH diagnosis and fix

Quick diagnosis:

node -v
npm -v
npm prefix -g
echo "$PATH"

If $(npm prefix -g)/bin (macOS/Linux) or $(npm prefix -g) (Windows) is not in your $PATH, your shell can't find global npm binaries (including openclaw).

Fix — add it to your shell startup file (~/.zshrc or ~/.bashrc):

export PATH="$(npm prefix -g)/bin:$PATH"

On Windows, add the output of npm prefix -g to your PATH.

Then open a new terminal (or rehash in zsh / hash -r in bash).

Update / uninstall

Updating

Keep OpenClaw up to date.

Migrating

Move to a new machine.

Uninstall

Remove OpenClaw completely.