Install OpenClaw in Minutes
Get up and running with OpenClaw on any platform. Choose your preferred installation method.
Choose Your Installation Method
Select the method that best fits your needs and environment
Local Installation
Install directly on your machine for complete control and privacy
Docker Setup
Containerized installation for consistent environments
Cloud Deployment
Deploy to Vercel, Railway, or other cloud platforms
📋 System Requirements
Before installing, make sure your system meets these requirements:
💻 Operating System
- • macOS 11 (Big Sur) or later
- • Ubuntu 20.04 or later
- • Debian 11 or later
- • Windows 10/11 with WSL2
🔧 Requirements
- • Node.js 18+ or npm 9+
- • 2GB RAM minimum
- • 500MB free disk space
- • Active internet connection
⚡ Optional
- • Docker (for container setup)
- • Git (for development)
- • Python 3.10+ (some skills)
- • WSL2 (on Windows)
💡 Not sure? Run openclaw doctor after installation to check system compatibility.
💻 Local Installation
Install OpenClaw directly on your machine. This is the recommended method for most users.
🍎 macOS Installation
Option 1: Homebrew (Recommended)
# Install OpenClaw via Homebrew
brew install openclaw
# Verify installation
openclaw --version
# Initialize configuration
openclaw init
Option 2: npm
# Install via npm
npm install -g openclaw
# Verify installation
openclaw --version
# Initialize configuration
openclaw init
Option 3: Binary Download
# Download latest binary for macOS
curl -L https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/releases/latest/download/openclaw-darwin-arm64 -o openclaw
# For Intel Macs:
# curl -L https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/releases/latest/download/openclaw-darwin-amd64 -o openclaw
# Make executable
chmod +x openclaw
# Move to PATH
sudo mv openclaw /usr/local/bin/
🐧 Linux Installation
Option 1: apt (Ubuntu/Debian)
# Add OpenClaw repository
curl -fsSL https://apt.openclaw.ai/gpg.key | sudo gpg --dearmor -o /usr/share/keyrings/openclaw.gpg
echo "deb [arch=$(dpkg --print-architecture) signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/openclaw.gpg] https://apt.openclaw.ai stable main" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/openclaw.list
# Update and install
sudo apt update
sudo apt install openclaw
# Verify installation
openclaw --version
Option 2: yum (Fedora/CentOS/RHEL)
# Add OpenClaw repository
sudo yum install -y https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/releases/latest/download/openclaw-fedora.repo
# Install OpenClaw
sudo yum install openclaw
# Verify installation
openclaw --version
Option 3: npm
# Install via npm
npm install -g openclaw
# Verify installation
openclaw --version
# Initialize configuration
openclaw init
🪟 Windows Installation
⚠️ Windows Users: We strongly recommend using WSL2 (Windows Subsystem for Linux) for the best experience. Native Windows support is limited.
Option 1: WSL2 (Recommended)
# Install WSL2 (if not already installed)
wsl --install
# Open WSL terminal and install OpenClaw
curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_18.x | sudo -E bash -
sudo apt-get install -y nodejs
npm install -g openclaw
# Verify installation
openclaw --version
Option 2: PowerShell (Native Windows)
# Install via PowerShell (Run as Administrator)
npm install -g openclaw
# Verify installation
openclaw --version
# Note: Some skills may not work on Windows
🐳 Docker Installation
Run OpenClaw in a Docker container for isolated, reproducible environments.
Quick Start
# Pull the official OpenClaw image
docker pull openclaw/openclaw:latest
# Run OpenClaw in a container
docker run -d \
--name openclaw \
-p 18789:18789 \
-v ~/.openclaw:/root/.openclaw \
openclaw/openclaw:latest
# Check logs
docker logs -f openclaw
# Verify it's running
curl http://localhost:18789/health
Using Docker Compose
Create a docker-compose.yml file:
version: '3.8'
services:
openclaw:
image: openclaw/openclaw:latest
container_name: openclaw
ports:
- "18789:18789"
volumes:
- ./openclaw-data:/root/.openclaw
- ./config.yaml:/root/.openclaw/config.yaml
environment:
- OPENCLAW_API_KEY=your-api-key-here
restart: unless-stopped
healthcheck:
test: ["CMD", "curl", "-f", "http://localhost:18789/health"]
interval: 30s
timeout: 10s
retries: 3
Docker Management Commands
# Start OpenClaw
docker-compose up -d
# Stop OpenClaw
docker-compose down
# View logs
docker-compose logs -f
# Execute commands in container
docker-compose exec openclaw openclaw list
# Update to latest version
docker-compose pull
docker-compose up -d
# Access shell inside container
docker-compose exec openclaw /bin/bash
☁️ Cloud Deployment
Deploy OpenClaw to your favorite cloud platform with one click.
Vercel
Serverless deployment
# Install Vercel CLI
npm i -g vercel
# Deploy OpenClaw
npx openclaw-deploy-vercel
Railway
Simple deployment
# Install Railway CLI
npm i -g @railway/cli
# Link and deploy
railway login
railway init
railway up
AWS ECS
Container deployment
# Push to ECR
docker tag openclaw:latest \
YOUR_ECR_REPO/openclaw:latest
docker push YOUR_ECR_REPO/openclaw:latest
# Deploy to ECS via AWS Console or CLI
DigitalOcean App
PaaS deployment
# Connect your GitHub repo
# Deploy from the DigitalOcean dashboard
# Or use doctl:
doctl apps create --spec .do/app.yaml
✅ Security Note: When deploying to the cloud, always enable authentication and use environment variables for sensitive data. See our security hardening guide.
✅ Verify Installation
After installation, verify that OpenClaw is working correctly:
# Check OpenClaw version
openclaw --version
# Run system diagnostics
openclaw doctor
# Test API endpoint (in another terminal)
curl http://localhost:18789/health
# Expected output: {"status":"ok"}
# List available commands
openclaw --help
💡 Next Steps: Now that OpenClaw is installed, check out our configuration guide to customize your setup.
🗑️ Uninstallation
If you need to remove OpenClaw from your system:
macOS (Homebrew)
# Uninstall OpenClaw
brew uninstall openclaw
# Remove configuration and data
rm -rf ~/.openclaw
npm
# Uninstall globally
npm uninstall -g openclaw
# Remove configuration and data
rm -rf ~/.openclaw
Docker
# Stop and remove container
docker stop openclaw
docker rm openclaw
# Remove image
docker rmi openclaw/openclaw:latest
# Remove volumes
docker volume rm openclaw-data
🎉 Installation Complete!
What would you like to do next?
🔧 Having Installation Issues?
Check out our troubleshooting guide for solutions to common installation problems.
View Troubleshooting Guide