Install

System requirements

• Node 24 (recommended) or Node 22.14+ — the installer script handles this automatically
• macOS, Linux, or Windows — both native Windows and WSL2 are supported; WSL2 is more stable. See Windows.
• text

  Copy

  pnpm
  is only needed if you build from source

Recommended: installer script

The fastest way to install. It detects your OS, installs Node if needed, installs OpenClaw, and launches onboarding.

To install without running onboarding:

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

Alternative install methods

Local prefix installer (

text

Copy

install-cli.sh

)

Use this when you want OpenClaw and Node kept under a local prefix such as

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

It supports npm installs by default, plus git-checkout installs under the same prefix flow. Full reference: Installer internals.

Already installed? Switch between package and git installs with

npm, pnpm, or bun

If you already manage Node yourself:

text
Copy
<Note>
  pnpm requires explicit approval for packages with build scripts. Run `pnpm approve-builds -g` after the first install.
</Note>

text
Copy
<Note>
  Bun is supported for the global CLI install path. For the Gateway runtime, Node remains the recommended daemon runtime.
</Note>

From source

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

bash
Copy
git clone https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw.git
cd openclaw
pnpm install && pnpm build && pnpm ui:build
pnpm link --global
openclaw onboard --install-daemon

Or skip the link and use

Install from GitHub main

bash
Copy
npm install -g github:openclaw/openclaw#main

Containers and package managers

Verify the install

bash
Copy
openclaw --version      # confirm the CLI is available
openclaw doctor         # check for config issues
openclaw gateway status # verify the Gateway is running

If you want managed startup after install:

• macOS: LaunchAgent via
  text

  Copy

  openclaw onboard --install-daemon
  or
  text

  Copy

  openclaw gateway install
• Linux/WSL2: systemd user service via the same commands
• Native Windows: Scheduled Task first, with a per-user Startup-folder login item fallback if task creation is denied

Hosting and deployment

Deploy OpenClaw on a cloud server or VPS:

Update, migrate, or uninstall

Troubleshooting:

text

Copy

openclaw

not found

If the install succeeded but

bash
Copy
node -v           # Node installed?
npm prefix -g     # Where are global packages?
echo "$PATH"      # Is the global bin dir in PATH?

If

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

Then open a new terminal. See Node setup for more details.