Who this path is for
- You work mainly on Windows
- You want to validate OpenClaw locally first
- You are not yet running multi-user or long-term cloud
Fix environment first
Common Windows issues come from:
- Script execution policy
- Node version and path
- Docker or runtime availability
Start in PowerShell and confirm these run without error:
node -v
npm -v
git --version
docker --version # only if using Docker
Expected 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
PowerShell execution policy
If scripts are blocked:
Set-ExecutionPolicy -Scope CurrentUser -ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned
Node.js
If node -v or npm -v fails, install Node.js (≥22) and retry.
WSL option
If you prefer a Linux environment, use WSL and follow the Linux install steps instead.
Install
iwr -useb https://openclaw.ai/install.ps1 | iex
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/.
When things go wrong
openclaw doctor
openclaw doctor --repair
Use /new in OpenClaw chat to start a fresh conversation if the context is corrupted.
Where to go next
- Continue the path: Start
- First config: First config
- Connect a channel: Channels
- Official docs → docs.openclaw.ai
- Issues → GitHub Issues