Today we install

This is a hands-on lesson. Follow the steps on your computer as you read. By the end, you’ll have OpenClaw installed and ready to configure.

Step 1: Install Node.js

macOS: brew install node or download from nodejs.org.

Linux (Ubuntu/Debian): curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_20.x | sudo -E bash - then sudo apt-get install -y nodejs

Windows: First you need WSL. Open PowerShell as administrator and run wsl --install. Restart. Then follow the Linux instructions inside WSL.

Verify: node --version and npm --version

Step 2: Install OpenClaw

npm install -g openclaw

Verify: openclaw --version

Step 3: First test

Run openclaw. If it’s the first time, it’ll ask you to configure a provider and model. For now you can cancel (Ctrl+C) — we’ll configure it in detail in lesson 23.

File structure

~/.openclaw/
├── openclaw.json        # Main configuration
├── workspace/
│   └── system-prompt.md # Agent instructions
├── skills/              # Installed skills
└── memory/              # Memory database

Common errors

“npm: command not found”: Node.js isn’t installed. “Permission denied”: Try with sudo. “openclaw: command not found”: Check your npm PATH.

Key concepts today

  • Node.js: The runtime environment where OpenClaw runs
  • npm: Node.js package manager
  • ~/.openclaw/: Configuration directory
  • openclaw.json: Central configuration file
  • WSL: Windows Subsystem for Linux — needed for OpenClaw on Windows

Next lesson: Configuring your first model and provider.