OpenClaw Linux Deployment Guide

I. Prerequisites

1.1 Install Git

Update the system and install Git:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install git -y

1.2 Install Node.js (version ≥ 22)

Install NVM (Node Version Manager):

Mainland China servers (Gitee mirror):

curl -o- https://gitee.com/RubyMetric/nvm-cn/raw/main/install.sh | bash

Overseas servers (official source):

curl -o- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvm-sh/nvm/v0.39.1/install.sh | bash

Reload environment variables:

source ~/.bashrc

Install Node.js 22:

nvm install 22

Verify: run node -v. If it prints v22.x.x, you are good.

II. Install OpenClaw

Run the official one-line installer:

curl -fsSL https://openclaw.bot/install.sh | bash

Notes:

• If installation fails on mainland China servers, fix network access first.
• 2GB RAM machines may hit OOM; configure swap to use disk as virtual memory.
• The installation can take some time, so be patient.

III. Initialize configuration (Onboarding)

After installation, the onboarding wizard starts automatically. Choose:

• Safety prompt: when you see “OpenClaw is a hobby project and still in beta...”, enter “Yes” to continue (understand the permission risks).
• Deployment mode: choose “QuickStart” (you can later add settings via clawdbot configure).
• Model provider: choose “Qwen (OAuth)” (good free quota for getting started); the system will generate an authorization link.
• Model authorization: open the link in a browser, log in to Qwen, return to the terminal and select the default model “qwen-portal/coder-model”.
• Skip channels: choose “Skip for now” (configure Feishu later).
• Skills: choose “No” (skip for now, add later if needed).
• Hooks: choose “Skip for now”.
• Startup mode: choose “TUI” (terminal chat UI). When it opens, type “Hello” to verify.
• Exit TUI: press Ctrl + C, then use Web UI or Feishu later.

IV. Verify service status

Check whether services are running:

clawdbot status

If you see “Gateway service: running” and “Node service: running”, services are up.

V. Access the Web UI

Create an SSH tunnel (run on your local machine):

ssh -N -L 18789:127.0.0.1:18789 username@server_ip

Enter the server password to connect.

Get the dashboard URL by running clawdbot dashboard on the server and copy the “Dashboard URL”.

Open the URL in your local browser to access OpenClaw Web UI. On first run you can set the assistant name and your name (e.g., “Name: Openclaw”, “My Name: Boss”).