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openclaw/docs/install/node.md
Peter Steinberger abfe7c64a7
docs(install): recommend Node 26 as the OpenClaw runtime (#114399) 
* docs(install): recommend Node 26; CI/installer stay on Node 24 for now

* feat(cli): point unsupported-runtime nvm hint at Node 26

* feat(install): provision Node 26 by default (brew mainline node formula, NodeSource 26.x, portable win zip)

* test(install): align installer tests with Node 26 provisioning defaults

* docs(install): state per-platform Node provisioning accurately
2026-07-27 04:32:21 -04:00

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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 22.22.3+, Node 24.15+, or Node 25.9+ (which includes Node 26). Node 26 is the default and recommended runtime — it starts the Gateway noticeably faster and uses less memory than Node 24, and the installer script provisions it when Node is missing. CI and release workflows still pin Node 24; Node 22 remains supported via its LTS line. Node 23 is unsupported. 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

v26 (any release) is the recommended default. v24.15.0 or newer 24.x remains fully supported (and is what CI pins); v22.22.3 or newer 22.x is the supported Node 22 LTS path; Node v25.9.0+ is also supported. Node 23 is 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_26.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 26
fnm use 26
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.

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