moltbot/docs/install/node.md

summary, title, read_when

summary	title	read_when
Install and configure Node.js for OpenClaw - version requirements, install options, and PATH troubleshooting	Node.js	You need to install Node.js before installing OpenClaw You installed OpenClaw but `openclaw` is command not found npm install -g fails with permissions or PATH issues

OpenClaw requires Node 24 or newer. Node 24 is the default runtime for installs, CI, release workflows, and the SQLite-backed state layer. 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 v24.x.x or higher, you're on the supported runtime. If Node isn't installed or the version is too old, pick an install method below.

Install Node

**Homebrew** (recommended):

```bash
brew install node
```

Or download the macOS installer from [nodejs.org](https://nodejs.org/).

**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
```

Or use a version manager (see below).

**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/).

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 24
fnm use 24

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.

```bash npm prefix -g ``` ```bash echo "$PATH" ```

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

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).
  </Tab>
  <Tab title="Windows">
    Add the output of `npm prefix -g` to your system PATH via Settings → System → Environment Variables.
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

Permission errors on npm install -g (Linux)

If you see EACCES errors, switch npm's global prefix to a user-writable directory:

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.

Related

• Install Overview - all installation methods
• Updating - keeping OpenClaw up to date
• Getting Started - first steps after install