📦 Installation Guide

Install OpenClaw: Windows, Docker & Ubuntu Setup Guide

OpenClaw can be installed on Windows, Docker, and Ubuntu in under 5 minutes. The fastest method is npm: run npm install -g openclaw in your terminal. For containerized environments, use the official Docker image. OpenClaw requires Node.js 18+ and works on all major platforms.

System Requirements for OpenClaw

RequirementMinimumRecommended
Node.jsv18.0+v20 LTS
RAM4 GB8 GB+
Disk Space2 GB5 GB+
OSWin 10 / macOS 12 / Ubuntu 20.04Latest version
GPU (for Ollama)OptionalNVIDIA 8 GB VRAM

How to Install OpenClaw on Windows

Installing OpenClaw on Windows requires Node.js and npm. Open PowerShell or Command Prompt, run the npm install command, initialize your agent, and configure your preferred AI model. The entire process takes less than 3 minutes.

  1. Step 1: Install Node.js

    Download and install Node.js 20 LTS from nodejs.org. This includes npm.

    # Verify installation
node --version
npm --version

  2. Step 2: Install OpenClaw via npm

    Open PowerShell as Administrator and run:

    npm install -g openclaw

  3. Step 3: Initialize Your Agent

    Create a new project directory and initialize OpenClaw:

    mkdir my-agent && cd my-agent
openclaw init

  4. Step 4: Configure Your Model

    Set your preferred LLM and API key:

    openclaw config set model deepseek-v3
openclaw config set apikey YOUR_API_KEY

  5. Step 5: Run OpenClaw

    Start your first autonomous task:

    openclaw run "Summarize my recent emails"

How to Install OpenClaw with Docker

Docker is the recommended method for production deployments of OpenClaw. Pull the official image, configure your environment variables, and run the container. Docker Compose files are available for multi-service setups.

  1. Step 1: Pull the Docker Image

    docker pull openclaw/openclaw:latest

  2. Step 2: Run the Container

    docker run -d \
  --name openclaw-agent \
  -e MODEL=deepseek-v3 \
  -e API_KEY=your_key_here \
  -p 3000:3000 \
  openclaw/openclaw:latest

  3. Step 3: Using Docker Compose

    # docker-compose.yml
version: '3.8'
services:
  openclaw:
    image: openclaw/openclaw:latest
    environment:
      - MODEL=deepseek-v3
      - API_KEY=your_key_here
    ports:
      - '3000:3000'
    volumes:
      - ./data:/app/data

How to Install OpenClaw on Ubuntu / Linux

On Ubuntu and other Debian-based Linux distributions, install Node.js via NodeSource, then use npm to install OpenClaw globally. WSL 2 users on Windows can follow these same steps.

  1. Step 1: Install Node.js via NodeSource

    curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_20.x | sudo -E bash -
sudo apt-get install -y nodejs

  2. Step 2: Install OpenClaw

    sudo npm install -g openclaw

  3. Step 3: Initialize and Run

    openclaw init my-agent
cd my-agent
openclaw config set model deepseek-v3
openclaw run "List all running processes"

OpenClaw Installation FAQ

Common questions about installing and setting up OpenClaw.