Does OpenClaw work on a Raspberry Pi?

Theoretically yes (on Pi 4 or 5), but too weak for productive multi-channel use. Recommended: Mac mini, Intel NUC or a small cloud VM.

Do I need a GPU for local models?

For Llama 3.3 70B: yes, a GPU with 48 GB+ VRAM. For 8B models: an M-series Mac with 32 GB RAM is enough. Cloud LLMs sidestep this entirely.

How big is OpenClaw itself?

The daemon bundle is ~150 MB, skills another ~50 MB. Total install under 250 MB plus the Node runtime.

Guide

Install OpenClaw — step by step

Starting OpenClaw is technically a matter of minutes. But between 'works' and 'works safely and team-ready' there is a fair bit of configuration. This guide walks the full path — from Node setup to first productive skill.

Manuel Streit

/ May 11, 2026 / 3 min read

About this guide

Install OpenClaw on macOS or Linux: Node 24, openclaw onboard, daemon setup, first channel pairing and skills.

Prerequisites

You need:

Node.js 24 (or at least 22.16+) — best via nvm or asdf
An LLM API key (OpenAI, Anthropic, Mistral) or a local Ollama install
Admin rights on the machine (for daemon install)
macOS 13+ or current Linux (Ubuntu 22.04+, Debian 12+)

One-liner install

The fastest path:

npm install -g openclaw@latest
openclaw onboard --install-daemon

The second command walks onboarding: enter API keys, pair the first channel, register the daemon as launchd (macOS) or systemd (Linux). Logs in ~/.openclaw/logs/, config in ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json.

Pair a channel

Once the daemon runs, pair the first channel. Example WhatsApp:

openclaw channel add whatsapp

You get a QR code, scan it on your phone (just like WhatsApp Web), and the channel is live. Important: before going live, set requireMention: true and define an allowlist, otherwise the bot will reply on every group.

Activate first skills

OpenClaw ships 100+ skills. By default only a few are active. Enable sensible standards:

openclaw skill enable inbox-triage
openclaw skill enable weekly-report
openclaw skill enable voice-to-task

These three are the most productive entry skills. Full list: openclaw skill list --all.

Security at setup

Before going productive: harden. At minimum:

requireMention: true globally
Channel allowlist (which numbers/groups can trigger the bot)
Dashboard only on 127.0.0.1, never 0.0.0.0 (see CVE-2026-25253 protection)
API keys via Keychain, never plaintext in config