OpenClaw macOS setup: your first working loop

Who this path is for

This path fits you if you:

• Want to run a visible local loop first
• Need to watch logs while setting up
• Are not yet planning long-term cloud deployment

Prerequisites

Before installing:

• A working terminal
• Node.js ≥ 22 (24 recommended)
• Git
• Docker or OrbStack (optional, for container setups)

Toolchain check

node -v
npm -v
git --version
docker --version   # only if using containers

Expected output example:

v22.12.0          ← Node.js (≥22, 24 recommended)
10.2.4            ← npm
git version 2.43.0
Docker version 25.0.3   ← only for Docker path

If node -v returns nothing, install Node:

brew install node

Install

curl -fsSL https://openclaw.ai/install.sh | bash
openclaw onboard --install-daemon

Validation steps

openclaw --version
openclaw gateway status
openclaw config list
openclaw run --prompt "Hello"
openclaw doctor

All checks should pass. The dashboard is at http://127.0.0.1:18789/.

Common issues

• Node too old: Upgrade to Node 22+ with brew install node or nvm
• Install hangs on npm: Try a different network or a temporary npm mirror:

  npm config set registry https://registry.npmmirror.com/
  

• Doctor fails: Run openclaw doctor --repair, then re-check model and API key

Avoid at first

• Chasing the most complex local model setup
• Adding many channels at once
• Installing many third-party skills before testing the basics
• Changing config without a clear rollback plan

Where to go next

• Continue the path: Start
• Connect a channel: Channels
• First config: First config
• Official docs → docs.openclaw.ai
• Issues → GitHub Issues