Node.js

OpenClaw requires Node 22.16 or newer. Node 24 is the default and recommended runtime for installs, CI, and release workflows. Node 22 remains supported via the active LTS line. The installer script will detect and install Node automatically — this page is for when you want to set up Node yourself and make sure everything is wired up correctly (versions, PATH, global installs).

Check your version

node -v

If this prints v24.x.x or higher, you’re on the recommended default. If it prints v22.16.x or higher, you’re on the supported Node 22 LTS path, but we still recommend upgrading to Node 24 when convenient. If Node isn’t installed or the version is too old, pick an install method below.

Install Node

macOS

**Homebrew** (recommended):

```bash
brew install node
```

Or download the macOS installer from [nodejs.org](https://nodejs.org/).

Linux

**Ubuntu / Debian:**

```bash
curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_24.x | sudo -E bash -
sudo apt-get install -y nodejs
```

**Fedora / RHEL:**

```bash
sudo dnf install nodejs
```

Or use a version manager (see below).

Windows

**winget** (recommended):

```powershell
winget install OpenJS.NodeJS.LTS
```

**Chocolatey:**

```powershell
choco install nodejs-lts
```

Or download the Windows installer from [nodejs.org](https://nodejs.org/).

Using a version manager (nvm, fnm, mise, asdf)

Version managers let you switch between Node versions easily. Popular options:

fnm — fast, cross-platform
nvm — widely used on macOS/Linux
mise — polyglot (Node, Python, Ruby, etc.)

Example with fnm:

fnm install 24
fnm use 24

Warning: Make sure your version manager is initialized in your shell startup file (~/.zshrc or ~/.bashrc). If it isn’t, openclaw may not be found in new terminal sessions because the PATH won’t include Node’s bin directory.

Troubleshooting

`openclaw: command not found`

This almost always means npm’s global bin directory isn’t on your PATH.

Step 1: Find your global npm prefix

```bash
npm prefix -g
```

Step 2: Check if it’s on your PATH

```bash
echo "$PATH"
```

Look for `<npm-prefix>/bin` (macOS/Linux) or `<npm-prefix>` (Windows) in the output.

Step 3: Add it to your shell startup file

  #### macOS / Linux
    Add to `~/.zshrc` or `~/.bashrc`:

    ```bash
    export PATH="$(npm prefix -g)/bin:$PATH"
    ```

    Then open a new terminal (or run `rehash` in zsh / `hash -r` in bash).

  #### Windows
    Add the output of `npm prefix -g` to your system PATH via Settings → System → Environment Variables.

Permission errors on `npm install -g` (Linux)

If you see EACCES errors, switch npm’s global prefix to a user-writable directory:

mkdir -p "$HOME/.npm-global"
npm config set prefix "$HOME/.npm-global"
export PATH="$HOME/.npm-global/bin:$PATH"

Add the export PATH=... line to your ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc to make it permanent.