Wondering how to install OpenClaw on Linux? The short answer, straight from the official documentation: run the installer script — curl -fsSL https://openclaw.ai/install.sh | bash — let it provision Node if you do not have it, then follow onboarding. That single command gets most Linux users to a working agent, and since the 2026.8.2 release of 1 September 2026 there is also a native Linux desktop companion shipped as an x86-64 .deb package and an AppImage. This guide walks through the requirements, every documented install method, the systemd daemon setup, and how to verify the install actually works before you start building.
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Before You Start: What OpenClaw Needs on Linux
OpenClaw's install documentation lists Node.js as the one real prerequisite: version 22.22.3 or newer, 24.15 or newer, or 25.9 or newer, with Node 26 recommended. Helpfully, on Linux the installer provisions Node 24 LTS automatically when none is present, so a clean machine is fine. You only need pnpm if you plan to build from source. Beyond that, any mainstream distribution works, and the documentation explicitly covers WSL2 as well — so Windows users running a Linux environment follow the same path described here, daemon setup included.
How to Install OpenClaw on Linux (Step by Step)
The recommended route in the official docs is the installer script:
- Run the installer: curl -fsSL https://openclaw.ai/install.sh | bash — this downloads OpenClaw, sorts out Node if needed, and launches onboarding. If you want to script the install and configure later, the documented flag is: curl -fsSL https://openclaw.ai/install.sh | bash -s -- --no-onboard
- Complete onboarding: the setup flow connects your model access. Per the 2026.9.1 release notes of 3 September 2026, fresh installs now detect existing Claude Code or API key logins automatically, so if you already use a coding agent on the machine, OpenClaw can pick up that access rather than making you configure from scratch.
- Install the daemon: openclaw onboard --install-daemon sets up managed startup via a systemd user service on Linux and WSL2, so the gateway comes back after reboots without you thinking about it.
Prefer to keep things contained? The docs offer a local-prefix alternative — curl -fsSL https://openclaw.ai/install-cli.sh | bash — which keeps OpenClaw and its Node runtime inside ~/.openclaw instead of touching the system. And package-manager users can install globally with npm install -g openclaw@latest --allow-scripts=openclaw followed by openclaw onboard --install-daemon.
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Verifying the Install
The documentation gives three commands to confirm everything landed, and they are worth running in order. First, openclaw --version confirms the binary is on your path and tells you which release you got — as of this writing the current one is 2026.9.2, published 5 September 2026. Second, openclaw doctor runs the built-in diagnostic pass over your install and configuration. Third, openclaw gateway status confirms the background gateway is actually running, which is the piece the systemd user service manages. If doctor and gateway status both come back clean, the agent side of your install is done and anything that misbehaves later is configuration, not installation.
The New Linux Desktop Companion
For a long time the polished desktop experience was a macOS and Windows story, but the official 2026.8.2 release notes, published 1 September 2026, added a Linux desktop companion distributed as an x86-64 .deb and an AppImage. The .deb suits Debian and Ubuntu family systems and integrates with your package manager; the AppImage runs on effectively any distribution with no installation at all. The desktop app complements rather than replaces the CLI install above — the gateway and daemon still do the real work — but it brings the dockable Home agent sidebar and the Control UI experience to Linux natively. If you are deciding between interfaces, the OpenClaw desktop app guide covers what the graphical side gives you.
Keeping Your Install Healthy
Two recent changes make Linux installs notably lower-maintenance. Per the 2026.9.1 release notes, openclaw update now preserves your configuration through upgrades and rolls back failed update candidates automatically — a direct answer to the classic fear of an update eating your setup. And per 2026.9.2 of 5 September, agent, model, tool and channel configuration changes now apply without restarting, so day-to-day tweaks no longer mean bouncing the gateway. Combined with the systemd user service handling restarts, a Linux OpenClaw box is now genuinely fit for the always-on, automation-server role people want it for — the same role covered in the OpenClaw computer use guide.
Building From Source (Optional)
If you want to hack on OpenClaw itself, the documentation describes the source route: clone the openclaw repository from GitHub, enable corepack, then run pnpm install, pnpm build and pnpm ui:build, link the package globally, and finish with the same onboard command with the daemon flag. It is more moving parts than the script installs and only worth it if you are modifying the code — for tinkerers, the build your own OpenClaw walkthrough covers why you might. Everyone else should stay on the installer script and let openclaw update handle the lifecycle.
Common Linux Install Problems and Their Fixes
Most failed OpenClaw installs on Linux come down to a handful of causes, all of them boring. Node version is first: the documented floors are 22.22.3, 24.15 and 25.9, and a distribution-packaged Node older than that will fail — the fix is letting the official installer provision Node 24 LTS itself rather than fighting your package manager. Path problems are second, particularly with the local-prefix method: everything lives under ~/.openclaw, so a shell that cannot find the openclaw command after install usually just needs its profile reloaded or the prefix added to PATH. Third is the daemon: if the agent works interactively but dies with your terminal, you skipped openclaw onboard --install-daemon — run it and let the systemd user service own the lifecycle. And if the gateway misbehaves after any of this, openclaw doctor exists precisely to tell you which of these it is, which beats guessing. On WSL2, remember it follows the Linux path in the docs, including systemd — a surprising number of "broken" WSL2 installs are simply distributions with systemd disabled.
After the Install: Make It Do Something
An installed agent is a starting line, not a result. The obvious first moves: connect a capable model (the release notes' new auto-detection of existing Claude Code logins makes that nearly instant — see the Claude Code self-hosted environments guide for how the two stacks relate), then decide what jobs the agent owns. The Goldie Bench write-up covers how the current crop of agent brains compare in hands-on tests if you are unsure which model to wire in, and the multi-agent orchestration guide covers the patterns once one agent stops being enough. If you run other harnesses side by side, the Hermes installation guide and OmniRoute install guide follow the same shape as this one. The full set of profitable agent configurations — the workflows, prompts and daily systems — lives inside Agent OS.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which install method should I choose?
The installer script for most people; the local-prefix script if you want everything self-contained under your home directory and easy to remove; npm if your tooling already manages global Node packages; source only if you plan to modify OpenClaw itself. All four routes end at the same onboarding and daemon steps, so the choice is about how the files arrive, not what you can do afterwards.
What is the fastest way to install OpenClaw on Linux?
The official installer script: curl -fsSL https://openclaw.ai/install.sh | bash. It provisions Node 24 LTS if missing, then walks you through onboarding. Add the --no-onboard flag variant if you want to configure later.
Does OpenClaw run as a service on Linux?
Yes — openclaw onboard --install-daemon installs managed startup through a systemd user service on Linux and WSL2, so the gateway survives reboots.
Is there a Linux desktop app for OpenClaw?
Yes, since the 2026.8.2 release of 1 September 2026: an x86-64 .deb package and an AppImage, per the official release notes.
The Bottom Line
Installing OpenClaw on Linux is one command for most people, with a documented local-prefix option, npm route and source build for everyone else, systemd handling the daemon, and — as of September 2026 — a native desktop companion and self-healing updates. Run the script, run doctor, install the daemon, and get on with the part that matters: putting the agent to work.
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