How to install OpenClaw: the three commands, and what comes after
Installing OpenClaw takes minutes with npm. What you need first, what each command does, and the setup decisions that actually matter.
Three commands: install the package with npm, run the onboarding wizard, open the dashboard. You’ll need Node.js (22.22.3+, 24.15+, or 25.9+) and an API key from a model provider. Budget fifteen minutes for the commands and a little longer for the two decisions that matter — which model provider, and which machine this should really live on.
Before you start: two prerequisites
- Node.js. OpenClaw currently requires Node 22.22.3+, 24.15+, or 25.9+ (Node 24 is the project’s default).
node --versiontells you where you stand. macOS, Linux, and Windows are all supported — Windows users should know the project itself calls native Windows the trickier path and points to WSL2 as the smoother one. - A model API key. OpenClaw brings the agent; the thinking is a model you connect yourself. What that means and where to get one — create the key and set a spending cap before you start, and onboarding becomes a copy-paste.
The three commands
npm install -g openclaw@latest
openclaw onboard --install-daemon
openclaw dashboardWhat each actually does:
npm install -g openclaw@latestinstalls the OpenClaw CLI globally — the-gmakesopenclawavailable as a command anywhere, rather than inside one project folder.openclaw onboard --install-daemonruns the setup wizard: model provider and key, initial preferences, and — because of the--install-daemonflag — it registers the Gateway as a background service so your agent starts with the machine and keeps running when you close the terminal.openclaw dashboardopens the Control UI in your browser — the web interface where you meet your agent, connect channels, and manage settings.
From there, the natural next steps are connecting a chat channel (Telegram is the easiest first one) and saying hello.
What the installer just decided for you
Worth knowing on day one, so nothing later is a surprise:
- Everything lives in
~/.openclaw. Config, sessions, and your agent’s workspace and memory — one folder to protect and back up. - The Gateway binds to loopback. Only your own machine can reach it — a deliberately safe default. Keep it that way; remote access has right answers that aren’t “open the port.”
- Unknown chat senders get pairing challenges, not conversations — the default
pairingpolicy. You approve who can talk to your agent.
The decision bigger than the install
The commands above put OpenClaw on whatever machine you’re sitting at — right for a first evening. But an agent is only as available as its computer, and a laptop that sleeps takes the agent with it. Once you know you’re keeping it, the real decision is where it should permanently live — a server you run (the official docs ship Docker and VPS guides), or a managed home like an Everpod pod where the install, the security, and the always-on part arrive done. Verify anything here against the official install docs if you’re reading this long after mid-2026 — OpenClaw moves fast.