Which Node.js version does OpenClaw need?
Node 22.22.3+, 24.15+, or 25.9+, with 26 the recommended default as of mid-2026. How to check yours, the npm --allow-scripts wrinkle, and updating Node without breaking other projects.
As of mid-2026, OpenClaw’s install docs require Node 22.22.3+, 24.15+, or 25.9+, and recommend Node 26 as the default. Check what you have with node -v. Note the shape of that requirement: it’s not “22 or newer” but a minimum within each release line, so a machine on, say, 24.10 fails the bar even though “24” sounds fine. If you have no Node at all, the official installer script provisions it for you; if you have an old one, update Node first and OpenClaw second.
Why the requirement looks like three numbers
Node ships several supported release lines at once (even-numbered LTS lines like 22 and 24, plus the current line), and each gets its own patch releases. OpenClaw tracks fixes it needs across all of them, hence a minimum per line rather than one floor. The practical reading: pick a line and stay reasonably current on it. If you’re installing fresh, take the recommended Node 26; if your machine already runs 22.x or 24.x for other work, just make sure it meets the minimum; node -v answers in one line.
“Will updating Node break my other projects?”
This is the real hesitation behind the question, and the answer is: usually not, but don’t find out the hard way on a machine that matters. Most JavaScript projects declare supported Node ranges in package.json (engines), and mainstream frameworks support the active LTS lines. The clean solution is a version manager (nvm on macOS/Linux, nvm-windows or fnm elsewhere), which installs Node versions side by side and switches per shell or per project. Your legacy project keeps its Node; OpenClaw gets its modern one; nothing fights. One wrinkle to know: npm install -g installs into the currently active Node version’s directory, so with a version manager, OpenClaw lives under whichever version was active when you installed it. Switch lines later and you’ll reinstall or re-link it.
The npm flag that surprises people
Recent npm (12+) no longer runs package install scripts by default, and OpenClaw needs its scripts to set up properly. The documented install is:
npm install -g openclaw@latest --allow-scripts openclawIf you installed with plain npm install -g openclaw@latest on new npm and something feels half-set-up, this flag is the first thing to check. Older npm versions run scripts by default and don’t need it. What each command does from there (openclaw onboard --install-daemon and friends) is covered in the full install guide.
Machines where you skip this entirely
Two paths sidestep Node versioning altogether. The official installer script detects a missing Node and provisions one itself; the docs note it handles that automatically. And the Docker route packages a known-good Node inside the image, which is part of why container installs appeal for servers: the version question becomes the image publisher’s problem, not yours. On Windows the picture has one extra layer (native vs WSL2 changes where Node lives), and if you’re updating an existing install rather than starting fresh, the update guide’s ritual applies: check versions, read the release, then move.