OpenClaw Prerequisites

This page covers what you need before running the OpenClaw installer. It applies to dedicated Ubuntu, dedicated macOS, and Ubuntu VMs.

You do not need Docker or OpenShell for the basic OpenClaw path.

1. Install curl

Ubuntu

sudo apt update
sudo apt install curl

macOS

curl is pre-installed on macOS.

Verify

curl --version

Expected: a version number and supported protocols. For example:

curl 8.5.0 (x86_64-pc-linux-gnu) ...

2. Install Node.js and npm

The easiest cross-platform approach is nvm:

curl -o- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvm-sh/nvm/v0.40.4/install.sh | bash

Reload the shell so nvm is available:

\. "$HOME/.nvm/nvm.sh"

Install Node.js (npm is included):

nvm install 24

Verify

node -v
npm -v

Expected:

v24.14.0
11.9.0

3. Install Git

You must install Git before Homebrew.

Ubuntu

sudo apt update
sudo apt install git

macOS

Option 1 -- Xcode Command Line Tools (recommended, includes Git):

xcode-select --install

Option 2 -- via Homebrew (if you prefer Homebrew-managed Git):

brew install git

Verify

git --version

Expected: a version number. For example:

git version 2.43.0

4. Optional: Homebrew

Many skill dependencies are shipped via Homebrew, but it is not required for the initial install.

/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"

After install, follow the on-screen instructions to add Homebrew to your PATH.

Verify

brew --version

Expected: a version number. For example:

Homebrew 4.4.17

5. Optional: Ollama

Install Ollama only if you want local models instead of a hosted provider.

curl -fsSL https://ollama.ai/install.sh | sh

Pull a lightweight model for local heartbeats:

ollama pull llama3.2:3b

Verify

ollama --version

Expected: a version number. For example:

ollama version 0.6.2

Final check

Before continuing, run all of the following commands. Every one should succeed:

curl --version
node -v
npm -v
git --version

Expected results:

Command	Expected
curl --version	Version number and protocols
node -v	v24.14.0 or later
npm -v	11.9.0 or later
git --version	Version number

If any command fails, go back to the corresponding step above.

Troubleshooting

openclaw: command not found after installation

If you manage Node.js with nvm or fnm, the installer may not update the current shell's PATH immediately. Reload your shell:

source ~/.bashrc
openclaw --version

If openclaw is still not found, check if the npm global bin directory is in your PATH:

npm config get prefix

Add the bin subdirectory to your PATH. For example:

export PATH="$(npm config get prefix)/bin:$PATH"

nvm: command not found

If nvm is not found after installing it, reload your shell:

source ~/.bashrc
nvm --version

git: command not found

On Ubuntu, install with sudo apt install git. On macOS, install with xcode-select --install. Then verify with git --version.

Homebrew not found after installation

Homebrew prints instructions at the end of its install script telling you how to add it to your PATH. If you missed them, run:

eval "$(/home/linuxbrew/.linuxbrew/bin/brew shellenv)"

On macOS Apple Silicon:

eval "$(/opt/homebrew/bin/brew shellenv)"

Next step

Continue to Install OpenClaw.