adolf/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 22.19+, Node 23.11+, or Node 24+. Node 24 is the default and recommended runtime for installs, CI, and release workflows; Node 22 remains supported via the active LTS line. The installer script detects and installs Node automatically — use this page when you want to set up Node yourself (versions, PATH, global installs).

Check your version

node -v

v24.x.x or higher is the recommended default. v22.19.x or higher is the supported Node 22 LTS path (upgrade to Node 24 when convenient). Node 23 builds before v23.11.0 are unsupported. If Node is missing or outside the supported range, 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

Initialize your version manager in your shell startup file (`~/.zshrc` or `~/.bashrc`). If you skip this, `openclaw` may not be found in new terminal sessions because 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