OpenClaw
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Set Up OpenClaw on Your Mac

Beginner20-30 minutes

Prerequisite: Node.js Check

Before we get started, we need to check whether Node.js is installed on your Mac.

Step 0.1: Open Terminal

How to open Terminal:

  1. Press Cmd + Space on your keyboard

- The Spotlight search opens in the top right

  1. Type: Terminal

- You'll see an icon with a black window below

  1. Press Enter

- A black window opens -- that's the Terminal!

What does Terminal look like?

Markus@MacBook-Pro ~ %

Step 0.2: Check if Node.js is installed

In Terminal, type:

node --version

Press Enter.

What happens?

SCENARIO A: Node.js IS installed

You see:

v22.11.0

or a similar number >= 20.

Great! You can skip straight to Step 1.

SCENARIO B: Node.js is NOT installed

You see:

zsh: command not found: node

No problem! We'll install it now. Continue with Step 0.3.

Step 0.3: Install Node.js (If you had Scenario B)

Step A: Install Homebrew

Homebrew is a "package manager" -- it installs programs for you.

In Terminal:

/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"

Press Enter.

What happens:

  1. Your Mac asks for your password (the password for your Mac account)
  2. Type it in (it will NOT be displayed -- that's normal)
  3. Press Enter
  4. Installation takes 5-10 minutes
  5. At the end you'll see: Installation successful!

Step B: Install Node.js with Homebrew

In Terminal:

brew install node

Press Enter.

This takes 2-3 minutes. At the end you'll see what was installed.

Step C: Verify Node.js

In Terminal:

node --version

You should see:

v22.x.x

Perfect! Node.js is running.

Step 1: Install OpenClaw

Now let's get going!

In Terminal:

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

Press Enter.

What happens:

  • The installation script downloads
  • OpenClaw gets installed
  • Takes 3-5 minutes
  • You'll see a lot of text -- that's normal

At the end you should see:

Installation complete!

or

OpenClaw v2026.2.21 installed successfully

Congratulations!

Step 2: Configure OpenClaw

This is the most important step! Here you set everything up (AI provider, skills, etc.).

In Terminal:

openclaw configure

Press Enter.

A wizard (question-and-answer dialog) opens. Here's how it works:

Question 1: Where will the Gateway run?

Where will the Gateway run?
○ Local (this machine)

Answer: Select Local with the arrow key and press Enter.

Question 2: What do you want to configure?

You'll see several options:

  • Workspace
  • Model
  • Web tools
  • Gateway
  • Daemon
  • Channels
  • Skills

Recommendation for beginners:

Select Model first (highlight with the arrow key, press Enter).

Question 3: Which AI provider?

Model/auth provider

○ OpenAI
○ Anthropic (Claude)
○ Google
○ vLLM (Local/self-hosted)
... (many more)

Recommendation:

  • OpenAI: If you have a ChatGPT subscription (paid, but reliable)
  • Anthropic: If you have a Claude subscription
  • Google: Free (Google Gemini)

For this walkthrough: We'll use OpenAI.

Highlight with the arrow key and press Enter.

Question 4: Enter your API key

The wizard guides you to OpenAI.

Here's how it works:

  1. Your browser opens automatically
  2. Sign in to OpenAI (https://platform.openai.com)
  3. Go to API keys (left menu)
  4. Click Create new secret key
  5. Copy the code with Cmd + C
  6. Go back to Terminal
  7. Press Cmd + V to paste
  8. Press Enter

If the browser doesn't open:

  • Open it yourself: https://platform.openai.com/account/api-keys
  • Same steps as above

Question 5: Install Skills? (Optional, but takes a while!)

Select sections to configure

○ Workspace
○ Model
○ Web tools
○ Gateway
○ Daemon
○ Channels
● Skills
○ Health check

IMPORTANT: Skills installation takes 30-60 minutes!

Your options:

Option A: Skip (recommended for your first start)

  • Select a different item (e.g., "Continue")
  • You can install skills later individually
  • OpenClaw works right away

Option B: Install all (be patient)

  • Select Skills with Enter
  • Many skills get installed
  • Some may fail (especially on older Macs)
  • This is NORMAL! For example: "Install failed: apple-reminders -- requires macOS Sonoma"
  • OpenClaw still works regardless

We recommend: Option A (Skip) for your first start.

Question 6: Continue

Select sections to configure

○ Workspace
○ Model
○ Web tools
○ Gateway
○ Daemon
○ Channels
○ Skills
○ Health check
● Continue (Done)

Highlight Continue and press Enter.

Configuration is complete!

Step 3: Open the Dashboard

The Dashboard is the "control center" of OpenClaw.

In Terminal:

openclaw dashboard

Press Enter.

Your browser opens automatically with:

http://127.0.0.1:18789/

If it doesn't open automatically: Open a browser yourself and enter this address manually.

What you'll see in the Dashboard:

  • Chat window (at the top)
  • Send button (for writing messages)
  • Update notification (if a newer version is available)
  • Settings (bottom right, optional)

Step 4: First Test Message

Now let's test whether your AI assistant works!

  1. Click into the chat window
  2. Type: "Hello! Who are you?"
  3. Press Enter

You should get a response like:

Hello! I'm your OpenClaw assistant, powered by OpenAI. I can help you with many tasks...

If that works: Congratulations!

You now have your own AI assistant on your Mac!

Step 5: Updates (Important!)

OpenClaw automatically shows you in the Dashboard when an update is available:

Update available: v2026.3.13 (running v2026.2.21-2)

Installing an update:

Option A: Dashboard button

  • Click on the update notification in the Dashboard
  • OpenClaw restarts (30 seconds)
  • After that, the new version is running

Option B: Terminal command

npm update -g openclaw
openclaw gateway restart

Step 6: Connect WhatsApp (Optional)

You can also control OpenClaw via WhatsApp -- very handy!

In Terminal:

openclaw channels login --channel whatsapp

Press Enter.

A QR code appears in Terminal.

Scan the QR code:

  1. Open WhatsApp on your phone
  2. Go to Settings (bottom right, three dots)
  3. Tap Linked Devices
  4. Tap Link a Device
  5. Open the camera app
  6. Hold your camera over the QR code in Terminal
  7. WhatsApp links automatically

Done! Now you can use OpenClaw via WhatsApp.

Common Errors and Solutions

Error 1: "command not found: openclaw"

Problem: After installation, openclaw doesn't work

Solution:

  • Close Terminal completely
  • Reopen it
  • Try again

Error 2: "No API key found for provider 'openai'"

Problem: You see in the Dashboard: "Agent failed before reply: No API key found"

Solution:

openclaw configure

Select Model and enter your API key (see Step 2).

Error 3: "Gateway not running"

Problem: Dashboard doesn't load / http://127.0.0.1:18789 doesn't work

Solution:

openclaw gateway restart

Wait 5 seconds, then try again:

openclaw gateway status

You should see:

Gateway is running on port 18789

Error 4: "Skills installation fails"

Problem: During skill installation you see error messages like:

Install failed: apple-reminders — requires macOS Sonoma

This is NORMAL! Especially on older Macs.

Solution:

  • Let the installation continue
  • Failed skills are usually not essential
  • OpenClaw still works regardless

If you're interested in specific skills, you can install them later individually.

Error 5: "Skills installation takes forever"

Problem: Installation has been running 45+ minutes, your Mac is getting hot/slow

This is NORMAL! Especially on older Macs.

Solution:

  • Be patient -- the installation keeps running
  • If you really don't want to wait: Press Ctrl + C (cancels the process), then run openclaw configure and select Skip for now under Skills

Error 6: "Command openclaw not recognized / Unknown command"

Problem: You type a command and get "unknown command" or "not recognized"

Solution:

Check which commands are available:

openclaw --help

This shows you ALL available commands for your version.

Useful Terminal Commands

Open Dashboard

openclaw dashboard

Opens in your browser

Check status

openclaw gateway status

Shows whether OpenClaw is running

Restart

openclaw gateway restart

Restarts OpenClaw

Stop

openclaw gateway stop

Shuts it down

Show all commands

openclaw --help

Shows all available commands

View logs (for troubleshooting)

openclaw logs --follow

Shows live logs. Press Ctrl + C to stop.

Everything working?

Congratulations! You have successfully installed OpenClaw!

You now have your own AI assistant on your Mac:

  • Running locally on your device
  • Your data stays private
  • You only pay for API calls (OpenAI)
  • Accessible in your browser: http://127.0.0.1:18789/
  • Optionally connected to WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord, etc.

Still having problems?

Option 1: Self-help

  • See "Common Errors" above
  • Type openclaw --help for all commands
  • Close Terminal and reopen it
  • Restart your Mac (often helps!)

Option 2: Support

  • Email: office@markusstoeger.com (subject: openclaw.markusstoeger.com)
  • Describe your problem
  • Copy the error message from Terminal

Option 3: Managed Hosting (no installation needed)

  • Not in the mood for Terminal?
  • We set everything up for you
  • 19 per month, 7 days free trial
  • Visit openclaw.markusstoeger.com

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