Raspberry Pi

Run a persistent, always-on OpenClaw Gateway on a Raspberry Pi. Since the Pi is just the gateway (models run in the cloud via API), even a modest Pi handles the workload well.

Prerequisites

• Raspberry Pi 4 or 5 with 2 GB+ RAM (4 GB recommended)
• MicroSD card (16 GB+) or USB SSD (better performance)
• Official Pi power supply
• Network connection (Ethernet or WiFi)
• 64-bit Raspberry Pi OS (required -- do not use 32-bit)
• About 30 minutes

Setup

text
Copy
1. Download [Raspberry Pi Imager](https://www.raspberrypi.com/software/).
2. Choose OS: **Raspberry Pi OS Lite (64-bit)**.
3. In the settings dialog, pre-configure:
   * Hostname: `gateway-host`
   * Enable SSH
   * Set username and password
   * Configure WiFi (if not using Ethernet)
4. Flash to your SD card or USB drive, insert it, and boot the Pi.

text
Copy
# Set timezone (important for cron and reminders)
sudo timedatectl set-timezone America/Chicago
```

text
Copy
# Reduce swappiness for low-RAM devices
echo 'vm.swappiness=10' | sudo tee -a /etc/sysctl.conf
sudo sysctl -p
```

text
Copy
Follow the wizard. API keys are recommended over OAuth for headless devices. Telegram is the easiest channel to start with.

text
Copy
```bash}
ssh user@gateway-host 'openclaw dashboard --no-open'
```

Then create an SSH tunnel in another terminal:

```bash}
ssh -N -L 18789:127.0.0.1:18789 user@gateway-host
```

Open the printed URL in your local browser. For always-on remote access, see [Tailscale integration](/gateway/tailscale).

Performance tips

Use a USB SSD -- SD cards are slow and wear out. A USB SSD dramatically improves performance. See the Pi USB boot guide.

Enable module compile cache -- Speeds up repeated CLI invocations on lower-power Pi hosts:

bash
Copy
grep -q 'NODE_COMPILE_CACHE=/var/tmp/openclaw-compile-cache' ~/.bashrc || cat >> ~/.bashrc <<'EOF' # pragma: allowlist secret
export NODE_COMPILE_CACHE=/var/tmp/openclaw-compile-cache
mkdir -p /var/tmp/openclaw-compile-cache
export OPENCLAW_NO_RESPAWN=1
EOF
source ~/.bashrc

Reduce memory usage -- For headless setups, free GPU memory and disable unused services:

bash
Copy
echo 'gpu_mem=16' | sudo tee -a /boot/config.txt
sudo systemctl disable bluetooth

Troubleshooting

Out of memory -- Verify swap is active with

Slow performance -- Use a USB SSD instead of an SD card. Check for CPU throttling with

Service will not start -- Check logs with

ARM binary issues -- If a skill fails with "exec format error", check whether the binary has an ARM64 build. Verify architecture with

WiFi drops -- Disable WiFi power management:

Next steps

• Channels -- connect Telegram, WhatsApp, Discord, and more
• Gateway configuration -- all config options
• Updating -- keep OpenClaw up to date

Related

• Install overview
• Linux server
• Platforms