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OpenClaw Installation Guide | Setup OpenClaw on Mac & Linux

Official 2026 installation guide for OpenClaw (formerly Clawdbot). One-line installer for Mac mini M4, Raspberry Pi 5, and Linux. Setup in under 5 minutes.

💡 Brand Guard: Typo Protection

Looking for Clawbot, Crawdbot, or Cloudbot? You're in the right place. OpenClaw (formerly Clawdbot) is the official 2026 open-source AI assistant for local automation. All common misspellings lead here!

Get started with OpenClaw using our comprehensive setup guide. Learn prerequisites, installation steps, initial configuration, and first-time setup.

Quick Start: One-Line Installer for Linux & macOS

The fastest way to get OpenClaw running on your Mac mini M4 or Raspberry Pi 5:

curl -sSL https://get.moltbot.org/install.sh | bash

⚡ This single command will:

  1. Detect your system (macOS, Ubuntu, Debian, Raspberry Pi OS)
  2. Install all dependencies automatically
  3. Configure optimal settings for your hardware
  4. Set up the service to start on boot
  5. Launch the interactive pairing wizard

Hardware Minimum Specs

Before you begin, ensure you have:

For Mac mini Users

  • Hardware: Mac mini with Apple M4/M4 Pro (recommended), M2/M2 Pro, or M1/M1 Pro
  • OS: macOS Sequoia 15.0 or later
  • Memory: 8GB RAM minimum (16GB+ recommended for concurrent AI agents)
  • Storage: 256GB storage (512GB+ recommended for local LLM caching)
  • Network: Stable internet connection (Ethernet preferred for 24/7 servers)

For Raspberry Pi Users

  • Hardware: Raspberry Pi 5 (8GB) recommended, or Pi 4 (8GB/4GB)
  • OS: Raspberry Pi OS (64-bit) Bookworm or later
  • Memory: 8GB RAM ideal for production MCP Server deployments
  • Storage: 32GB+ MicroSD (NVMe SSD recommended for 24/7 operation)
  • Power: Official 5V 5A USB-C power supply (critical for Pi 5 stability)

For Linux Users

  • OS: Ubuntu 22.04 LTS, Debian 12+, or compatible distributions
  • Memory: 8GB RAM minimum (16GB+ for concurrent browser automation)
  • Storage: 256GB storage (SSD recommended)
  • Network: Stable internet connection with Ethernet preferred
  • Access: sudo privileges for installation

Detailed Installation Steps

Our intelligent installer detects your platform and installs everything automatically:

curl -sSL https://get.moltbot.org/install.sh | bash

What happens during installation:

  • ✅ System detection (macOS ARM64, Ubuntu, Debian, Raspberry Pi OS)
  • ✅ Dependency installation (Node.js 20+, Python 3, build tools)
  • ✅ Configuration file creation in ~/.moltbot/config.yml
  • ✅ Service setup (launchd for macOS, systemd for Linux)
  • ✅ Automatic migration from OpenClaw (if previously installed)

Step 2: Initialize Configuration

After installation completes, initialize OpenClaw with the interactive wizard:

moltbot init

The wizard will guide you through:

  • API key configuration (OpenAI, Anthropic, etc.)
  • Network settings (port configuration, CORS, SSL)
  • Skill selection and auto-start preferences
  • MCP Server and agentic workflow setup
  • Monitoring and logging options

Step 3: Start the Service

Start OpenClaw and enable it to run on system boot:

# Start OpenClaw immediately
moltbot start

# Enable auto-start on boot
moltbot service enable

# Verify service is running
moltbot status

Step 4: Gateway Pairing

Complete the pairing process to connect your local AI server to the cloud:

# Get your unique pairing code
moltbot pair

# Visit the pairing page
open https://get.moltbot.org/pair

Pairing Steps:

  1. Run moltbot pair to display your pairing code
  2. Visit get.moltbot.org/pair on your computer
  3. Enter the pairing code to link your account
  4. Verify connection: moltbot test

Platform-Specific Installation

macOS (Apple Silicon)

For Mac mini M4, M4 Pro, M3, M2, and M1:

# Install using Homebrew
brew install moltbot/tap/moltbot

# Initialize
moltbot init

# Start service
moltbot start

Raspberry Pi 5 & 4

For Raspberry Pi 5 (8GB) and Pi 4 (8GB/4GB) running Raspberry Pi OS:

# One-line installer (detects Pi automatically)
curl -sSL https://get.moltbot.org/install-pi.sh | bash

# Reboot to load service
sudo reboot

# After reboot, verify
moltbot status

⚠️ Important: Use the official 5V 5A USB-C power supply for Raspberry Pi 5 to prevent crashes during AI workloads.

Linux (Ubuntu/Debian)

For Ubuntu 22.04+, Debian 12+, and compatible distributions:

# Download and run installer
curl -sSL https://get.moltbot.org/install.sh | bash

# Start service
sudo systemctl start moltbot

# Enable on boot
sudo systemctl enable moltbot

# Check status
moltbot status

First-Time Configuration

After installation, customize your OpenClaw instance:

Basic Configuration

# Open configuration wizard
moltbot configure

# Set your admin credentials
moltbot config set admin.username your-username
moltbot config set admin.password your-password

# Configure network port (default: 3000)
moltbot config set server.port 3000

Enable Core Skills

# List available skills
moltbot skills list

# Install essential skills
moltbot skills install voice-assistant
moltbot skills install browser-control
moltbot skills install system-monitor

# Verify skill status
moltbot skills status

Troubleshooting Installation Issues

Installation Fails

Problem: Installer fails with dependency errors

Solutions:

  1. Ensure you have internet connectivity
  2. Update package managers:
    • macOS: brew update && brew upgrade
    • Ubuntu/Debian: sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade
    • Raspberry Pi OS: sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade
  3. Try manual installation method below

Service Won't Start

Problem: moltbot start fails with port already in use

Solutions:

  1. Check what's using port 3000: lsof -i :3000
  2. Change port: moltbot config set server.port 3001
  3. Restart service: moltbot restart

Gateway Pairing Failed

Problem: Cannot pair OpenClaw with your account

Solutions:

  1. Ensure you're on the same network as your Mac/Pi
  2. Check firewall settings
  3. Try manual pairing: moltbot gateway pair --manual
  4. Visit our troubleshooting guide for detailed help

Verification Checklist

✅ Run moltbot status to verify the service is running

✅ Open http://localhost:3000 to access the dashboard

✅ Test basic functionality: moltbot test

✅ Check installed skills: moltbot skills list

✅ View logs: moltbot logs --follow

Next Steps

After completing the setup:

Legacy Migration: From OpenClaw to OpenClaw

📦 Still using the clawdbot CLI?

Simply run our new installer to migrate your configuration to OpenClaw automatically. All your settings, skills, and pairings will be preserved.

# Stop old service
clawdbot service stop

# Install new OpenClaw
curl -sSL https://get.moltbot.org/install.sh | bash

# Your configuration is automatically migrated
moltbot start

# Verify migration
moltbot status

What's preserved:

  • ✅ All configurations and settings
  • ✅ Installed skills and extensions
  • ✅ Gateway pairings and API keys
  • ✅ Custom automations and schedules

Last Updated: January 2026 | OpenClaw v2.0 (formerly Clawdbot) Compatible: macOS (Apple Silicon), Ubuntu, Debian, Raspberry Pi OS Perfect for: Quick installation, one-line setup, automatic migration, 2026 local AI deployment