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Runtimes

Node.js

OpenClaw requires Node 24.16+ or Node 26.1+ with a WAL-reset-safe linked SQLite library. Node 26 is the recommended runtime — it starts the Gateway noticeably faster and uses less memory than Node 24. The installer provisions Node 26 on macOS and the supported Node 24 LTS line on Linux when Node is missing; CI and release workflows also pin Node 24. On RPM-based Linux, the installer preserves a supported distro-owned Node package that links unsafe SQLite and uses a user-space Node runtime for OpenClaw instead. Node 22, 23, and 25 are unsupported. The installer script detects and installs Node automatically — use this page when you want to set up Node yourself (versions, PATH, global installs).

Check your version

bash
node -v

v26.1.0 or newer is the recommended default. v24.16.0 or newer 24.x is also supported and is the LTS line used by CI. Node 22, 23, 25, Node 24 before 24.16.0, and Node 26 before 26.1.0 are unsupported. If Node is missing or outside this range, pick an install method below.

Upgrade Node before updating OpenClaw to avoid SQLite TEXT truncation. See Node.js compatibility for the SQLite safety floors and macOS/ARMv7 support limits.

Update from the CLI

If you run openclaw with an incompatible Node.js, startup first checks for an already available compatible runtime: the private OpenClaw runtime, the Node recorded in the managed Gateway service, Node on PATH, then nvm, fnm, Volta, and Homebrew defaults. Each candidate must pass the same SQLite capability checks as normal startup. The first passing runtime retries the original command without prompting, including non-interactive Doctor commands launched by older updaters. Arguments, working directory, environment, standard streams, and exit status are preserved. Commands with an exact process-identity requirement cannot use this recovery.

Runtime discovery uses the environment inherited when the CLI starts, before OpenClaw loads any .env file. Configure version-manager roots in your shell environment; workspace .env values cannot select a Node executable for recovery.

Home-relative service and version-manager paths expand ~ against inherited HOME or USERPROFILE. Service paths use that home even when OPENCLAW_HOME selects a different private-runtime home. Bare relative paths and service or manager metadata inside the current working directory are rejected.

Recovery ignores relative PATH entries and runtimes that resolve inside the current working directory, unless an absolute PATH entry explicitly names their directory. OpenClaw's own private recovery directory is also allowed, so cached runtime reuse and the installation offer work when you launch from your home directory. This exception does not extend to other in-home executables or manager roots. On Windows, the service reader honors recorded code pages and Unicode byte-order marks. If the current Node build cannot decode a service script safely, OpenClaw prints the code page and continues searching other sources. Unsupported OEM pages such as CP850 are skipped rather than guessed. CP949 is also skipped: Node's ICU euc-kr decoder silently misdecodes UHC extension characters. Neither case probes the service executable; recovery continues with PATH and the other available runtime sources.

If none is available and you are in an interactive terminal, the CLI offers:

text
Update NodeJS: Y/N [N]:

Enter Y to download a compatible Node.js for OpenClaw and retry the same command. The download is checksum-verified and stored under ~/.openclaw/tools/cli-node (or the home selected by OPENCLAW_HOME). The Node.js installation does not replace system Node.js, change shell settings, reinstall OpenClaw, or repair/restart Gateway services. The retried command keeps its normal behavior.

Later CLI invocations reuse that runtime when the active Node.js is incompatible. A supported active Node.js still takes precedence. Enter N, press Enter, or cancel to leave your installation unchanged and see manual upgrade instructions.

Automatic installation supports macOS, Windows, and glibc-based Linux on x64/ARM64. Alpine/musl and other architectures need manual installation. Non-interactive, CI, JSON, and --yes invocations never prompt or install Node.js. Commands that require an exact process identity, such as hooks relay and webhooks gmail run, also require a compatible Node.js on their existing execution path.

Install Node

macOS

Homebrew (recommended):

bash
brew install node

Or download the macOS installer from 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

Some distro Node packages link the system SQLite library. The recommended OpenClaw installer checks the effective Node and SQLite combination and automatically uses a user-space Node runtime when the distro build is unsafe; it does not remove the distro package.

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.

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:

bash
fnm install 26fnm use 26

Troubleshooting

openclaw: command not found

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

  • Find your global npm prefix

    bash
    npm prefix -g

  • Check if it's on your PATH

    bash
    echo "$PATH"

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

  • 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.

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