Navigation
OpenClawdBots Docs
OpenClaw Reference (Mirrored)

Windows (WSL2)

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

Windows (WSL2)

OpenClaw on Windows is recommended via WSL2 (Ubuntu recommended). The CLI + Gateway run inside Linux, which keeps the runtime consistent and makes tooling far more compatible (Node/Bun/pnpm, Linux binaries, skills). Native Windows might be trickier. WSL2 gives you the full Linux experience — one command to install: wsl --install.

Native Windows companion apps are planned.

Install (WSL2)

Gateway

Gateway service install (CLI)

Inside WSL2:

openclaw onboard --install-daemon

Or:

openclaw gateway install

Or:

openclaw configure

Select Gateway service when prompted.

Repair/migrate:

openclaw doctor

Advanced: expose WSL services over LAN (portproxy)

WSL has its own virtual network. If another machine needs to reach a service running inside WSL (SSH, a local TTS server, or the Gateway), you must forward a Windows port to the current WSL IP. The WSL IP changes after restarts, so you may need to refresh the forwarding rule.

Example (PowerShell as Administrator):

$Distro = "Ubuntu-24.04"
$ListenPort = 2222
$TargetPort = 22

$WslIp = (wsl -d $Distro -- hostname -I).Trim().Split(" ")[0]
if (-not $WslIp) { throw "WSL IP not found." }

netsh interface portproxy add v4tov4 listenaddress=0.0.0.0 listenport=$ListenPort `
  connectaddress=$WslIp connectport=$TargetPort

Allow the port through Windows Firewall (one-time):

New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "WSL SSH $ListenPort" -Direction Inbound `
  -Protocol TCP -LocalPort $ListenPort -Action Allow

Refresh the portproxy after WSL restarts:

netsh interface portproxy delete v4tov4 listenport=$ListenPort listenaddress=0.0.0.0 | Out-Null
netsh interface portproxy add v4tov4 listenport=$ListenPort listenaddress=0.0.0.0 `
  connectaddress=$WslIp connectport=$TargetPort | Out-Null

Notes:

  • SSH from another machine targets the Windows host IP (example: ssh user@windows-host -p 2222).
  • Remote nodes must point at a reachable Gateway URL (not 127.0.0.1); use openclaw status --all to confirm.
  • Use listenaddress=0.0.0.0 for LAN access; 127.0.0.1 keeps it local only.
  • If you want this automatic, register a Scheduled Task to run the refresh step at login.

Step-by-step WSL2 install

1) Install WSL2 + Ubuntu

Open PowerShell (Admin):

wsl --install
# Or pick a distro explicitly:
wsl --list --online
wsl --install -d Ubuntu-24.04

Reboot if Windows asks.

2) Enable systemd (required for gateway install)

In your WSL terminal:

sudo tee /etc/wsl.conf >/dev/null <<'EOF'
[boot]
systemd=true
EOF

Then from PowerShell:

wsl --shutdown

Re-open Ubuntu, then verify:

systemctl --user status

3) Install OpenClaw (inside WSL)

Follow the Linux Getting Started flow inside WSL:

git clone https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw.git
cd openclaw
pnpm install
pnpm ui:build # auto-installs UI deps on first run
pnpm build
openclaw onboard

Full guide: Getting Started

Windows companion app

We do not have a Windows companion app yet. Contributions are welcome if you want contributions to make it happen.