Getting Node.js Ready for OpenClaw

I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve tried to run a new tool only to have it crash because my environment was out of date. It is frustrating when you just want to get to work but end up fighting with your terminal instead. Making sure your runtime is solid before you start saves a lot of headaches later.

OpenClaw needs a specific environment to run correctly. I will show you how to get Node.js configured so everything works the first time.

What You’ll Need

• Node.js 22 or newer: This is a hard requirement.
• A terminal: You will need this to run version checks and install commands.

Quick Start

First, check what you already have. Open your terminal and run:

node -v

If the output says v22.x.x or higher, you are ready. If you don’t have it or your version is too old, follow the steps for your system below.

Install Node

macOS I recommend using Homebrew:

brew install node

You can also get the installer directly from nodejs.org.

Linux For Ubuntu or Debian:

curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_22.x | sudo -E bash -
sudo apt-get install -y nodejs

For Fedora or RHEL:

sudo dnf install nodejs

Windows I recommend using winget:

winget install OpenJS.NodeJS.LTS

Or use Chocolatey:

choco install nodejs-lts

Using a Version Manager

If you need to switch between versions for different projects, you can use a manager like fnm or nvm. If you use fnm, you can set up Node 22 quickly:

fnm install 22
fnm use 22

Make sure your version manager is initialized in your shell startup file (~/.zshrc or ~/.bashrc). If it isn’t, your terminal might not find openclaw later because the PATH won’t be updated.

Troubleshooting

openclaw: command not found

This usually happens when your terminal doesn’t know where npm’s global binaries are stored. Here is how to fix it:

1. Find your global prefix:

   npm prefix -g

2. Check your PATH:

   echo "$PATH"

3. Update your startup file: On macOS or Linux, add this to your ~/.zshrc or ~/.bashrc:

   export PATH="$(npm prefix -g)/bin:$PATH"

   On Windows, add the output from step 1 to your system PATH via Environment Variables in Settings.

Permission errors on npm install -g

If you see EACCES errors on Linux, you should change npm’s global prefix to a directory you own:

mkdir -p "$HOME/.npm-global"
npm config set prefix "$HOME/.npm-global"
export PATH="$HOME/.npm-global/bin:$PATH"

Add that last export line to your ~/.bashrc to keep the fix active.

If you run into other weird environment issues, you can ask the AI Setup Assistant for help.

What’s Next

• Install Methods