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Node.js

OpenClaw requires Node 22 or newer. 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 v22.x.x or higher, you’re good. 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_22.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 22
fnm use 22

⚠️ 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

    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:

```bash
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.