OpenClaw Install Guide | Learning Center
A practical OpenClaw install guide covering the recommended installer, alternate package-manager paths, verification steps, and early troubleshooting for Windows, WSL2, macOS, and Linux users.
Search intent
This page is for someone who searched how to install OpenClaw, wants the fastest safe path first, and also wants backup options if they manage Node themselves or prefer a source checkout.
This is an original walkthrough built from OpenClaw's public install documentation and public search results. It summarizes the paths most people need first instead of mirroring the vendor docs line for line.
Step 0: choose the right path
Do not start with the wrong tutorial just because it sounded impressive in a video title.
OpenClaw
Best first stop when you want the fastest official install path to a working local OpenClaw agent.
Benefits
- + Official installer is the recommended path for most users and can install Node automatically.
- + Supports macOS, Linux, Windows, and WSL2, with onboarding launched as part of the fast path.
- + You can verify quickly with openclaw --version, openclaw doctor, and openclaw gateway status.
Drawbacks
- - The docs explicitly say WSL2 is more stable than native Windows, so Windows users may still hit a platform tradeoff.
- - If you want everything isolated under a local prefix instead of the default npm-style flow, the official docs push you toward a different installer path.
NemoClaw
Best when you want the official guided wizard to create a fresh sandboxed OpenClaw environment with provider and policy choices built in.
Benefits
- + Official quickstart walks you through provider selection, sandbox naming, optional web search, messaging channels, and network policy presets.
- + Provider credentials stay on the host while the agent inside the sandbox talks to inference.local.
- + The install summary gives you both browser and terminal paths for the first agent prompt.
Drawbacks
- - The official docs mark NemoClaw as alpha software and not for production use.
- - It has materially heavier prerequisites, including Docker, more disk and memory, and a sandbox build that can take 5 to 15 minutes.
Hermes
Best when you specifically want the official Hermes sandbox flow and its OpenAI-compatible API endpoint instead of the standard OpenClaw browser dashboard path.
Benefits
- + The official Hermes quickstart gives you a nemohermes alias, guided onboarding, and an OpenAI-compatible API on port 8642.
- + You can keep Hermes and OpenClaw side by side by choosing a separate sandbox name.
- + It is the clearest documented path here when your consumer app needs to call an API endpoint rather than use a local browser dashboard.
Drawbacks
- - The official docs call Hermes experimental, say defaults may change without notice, and do not recommend it for production use.
- - The first Hermes build can take several minutes because the sandbox base image may need to be built.
- - Hermes does not give you the OpenClaw browser dashboard flow, so it is a worse first experience if you expected a UI-first setup.
Step 1: start here like you're new
Plain-language context so you know what this tutorial is doing before you touch the terminal.
OpenClaw is like giving an AI worker a desk, a phone, and a rulebook on your computer. This tutorial helps you get that worker installed so it can start handling tasks instead of just being an idea in a browser tab.
By the end, you should have the OpenClaw command available on your machine, onboarding complete, and a working local agent environment you can build into a simple agentic system such as triage, research, or operations follow-up.
This is a good fit if...
- - You want the fastest path from zero to a working local AI agent environment.
- - You are comfortable copying a few terminal commands but do not want to debug a custom stack from scratch.
- - You want to experiment with lightweight agent workflows before wiring them into a business process.
- - You need a heavily sandboxed OpenClaw setup with guided provider and policy choices first. Start with NemoClaw instead.
- - You only want a hosted chat app and do not actually need a local agent runtime.
Step 2: Before you install OpenClaw
Start with the practical checks that reduce setup churn and false starts.
- Use WSL2 on Windows when you want the most stable Unix-like install path. Native Windows is supported, but WSL2 is called out as the steadier option in the public docs.
- Expect Node 24 or Node 22.19+ if you manage Node yourself. The hosted installer can handle Node automatically.
- Choose your install path before you start: hosted installer for speed, package manager if you already manage Node, or source install if you want a contributor workflow.
Step 3: install using one path
Pick one install option below. These are alternatives, not steps you should all run in sequence.
Option 1: Recommended path: hosted installer
Use the hosted installer when you want the CLI installed quickly and want onboarding to launch right away. This is the shortest route for most users.
curl -fsSL https://openclaw.ai/install.sh | bashOption 2: Installer without onboarding
Use this when you want the binary installed first and prefer to run onboarding yourself after you confirm your shell environment and provider settings.
curl -fsSL https://openclaw.ai/install.sh | bash -s -- --no-onboardOption 3: Manual package-manager install
If you already manage Node globally, a package-manager install keeps the flow familiar. After install, run onboarding and install the daemon if you want managed startup.
npm install -g openclaw@latest
openclaw onboard --install-daemonOption 4: From source
Use the source workflow when you want local control of the repo, build steps, and contributor tooling.
git clone https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw.git
cd openclaw
pnpm install && pnpm build && pnpm ui:build
pnpm link --global
openclaw onboard --install-daemonStep 4: verify the install
Use these checks to confirm the install worked before you move into onboarding or API setup.
- Run `openclaw --version` to confirm the CLI is available in your shell.
- Run `openclaw doctor` to catch local config or dependency issues early.
- Run `openclaw gateway status` to confirm the gateway is up before you assume onboarding is complete.
- If `openclaw` is not found, check `node -v`, `npm prefix -g`, and whether your global bin directory is in PATH.
Step 5: your first agentic workflow
Do one useful workflow immediately so the install turns into value instead of shelfware.
Make a simple shift-handoff helper
Ask your agent to turn rough end-of-shift notes into a clean summary with priorities, blockers, and next actions for the next operator or supervisor.
Why this matters
This is the fastest business-facing proof because it turns messy text into a repeatable handoff workflow that saves time immediately and is easy for a non-technical person to judge.
- 1. Finish install and onboarding so the OpenClaw command works reliably.
- 2. Open the local interface or agent shell that onboarding created.
- 3. Paste a real or sample handoff note from a machine, cell, or shift.
- 4. Ask the agent to rewrite it into a structured handoff with urgent items first.
- 5. Compare the output against what a supervisor would actually need on the next shift.
Starter prompt
Turn this rough end-of-shift note into a clean manufacturing handoff with sections for machine status, blockers, quality risks, missing materials, and the first three actions for the next shift. Keep it short and practical.
You know it worked when...
- The response is clearer than the original note and easy to scan in under 30 seconds.
- It surfaces blockers and next actions instead of only rephrasing the note.
- A parent or non-technical manager could read it and understand what to do next.
Step 6: next steps
These are the follow-on actions that usually matter immediately after a successful install.
Launch onboarding when you are ready
If you used the default hosted installer, onboarding should launch automatically. If you skipped onboarding or installed manually, start it yourself and let it configure the gateway and startup path.
openclaw onboard --install-daemonFix a shell PATH issue before retrying
When the install succeeds but the shell cannot find the command, add the npm global bin directory to PATH, reload the shell, and verify again.
export PATH="$(npm prefix -g)/bin:$PATH"Public reference points
This page was written from public primary documentation surfaced through search, then rewritten into an original install guide.
Popular public video walkthroughs
These are outbound links to public YouTube videos surfaced through search. They are included as references only and are not copied into this guide.
Popular AI creator channels
These are public creator channels worth watching for broader AI ideas and workflow context. They are outbound references only.
Bring this back into JobLine.ai
These links connect the educational path back into platform surfaces where people can keep learning, evaluate fit, or apply the workflow inside JobLine.ai.