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RemoteClaw

Install

Install

Already followed Getting Started? You’re all set — this page is for alternative install methods, platform-specific instructions, and maintenance.

System requirements

  • Node 22+ (the installer script will install it if missing)
  • macOS, Linux, or Windows
  • pnpm only if you build from source

On Windows, we strongly recommend running RemoteClaw under WSL2.

Install methods

The installer script is the recommended way to install RemoteClaw. It handles Node detection, installation, and onboarding in one step.

For VPS/cloud hosts, avoid third-party “1-click” marketplace images when possible. Prefer a clean base OS image (for example Ubuntu LTS), then install RemoteClaw yourself with the installer script.

Installer script

Downloads the CLI, installs it globally via npm, and launches the onboarding wizard.

Terminal window
curl -fsSL https://remoteclaw.org/install.sh | bash

That’s it — the script handles Node detection, installation, and onboarding.

To skip onboarding and just install the binary:

Terminal window
curl -fsSL https://remoteclaw.org/install.sh | bash -s -- --no-onboard

For all flags, env vars, and CI/automation options, see Installer internals.

npm / pnpm

If you already have Node 22+ and prefer to manage the install yourself:

Terminal window
npm install -g remoteclaw@latest
remoteclaw onboard --install-daemon
sharp build errors?

If you have libvips installed globally (common on macOS via Homebrew) and sharp fails, force prebuilt binaries:

Terminal window
SHARP_IGNORE_GLOBAL_LIBVIPS=1 npm install -g remoteclaw@latest

If you see sharp: Please add node-gyp to your dependencies, either install build tooling (macOS: Xcode CLT + npm install -g node-gyp) or use the env var above.
From source

For contributors or anyone who wants to run from a local checkout.

  1. Clone and build

    Clone the RemoteClaw repo and build:

    Terminal window
    git clone https://github.com/remoteclaw/remoteclaw.git
    cd remoteclaw
    pnpm install
    pnpm ui:build
    pnpm build

  2. Link the CLI

    Make the remoteclaw command available globally:

    Terminal window
    pnpm link --global

    Alternatively, skip the link and run commands via pnpm remoteclaw ... from inside the repo.

  3. Run onboarding

    Terminal window
    remoteclaw onboard --install-daemon

For deeper development workflows, see Setup.

Other install methods

Docker

Docker — Containerized or headless deployments.

Podman

Podman — Rootless container: run setup-podman.sh once, then the launch script.

Nix

Nix — Declarative install via Nix.

Ansible

Ansible — Automated fleet provisioning.

Bun

Bun — CLI-only usage via the Bun runtime.

After install

Verify everything is working:

Terminal window
remoteclaw doctor         # check for config issues
remoteclaw status         # gateway status
remoteclaw dashboard      # open the browser UI

If you need custom runtime paths, use:

  • REMOTECLAW_HOME for home-directory based internal paths
  • REMOTECLAW_STATE_DIR for mutable state location
  • REMOTECLAW_CONFIG_PATH for config file location

See Environment vars for precedence and full details.

Troubleshooting: remoteclaw not found

PATH diagnosis and fix

Quick diagnosis:

Terminal window
node -v
npm -v
npm prefix -g
echo "$PATH"

If $(npm prefix -g)/bin (macOS/Linux) or $(npm prefix -g) (Windows) is not in your $PATH, your shell can’t find global npm binaries (including remoteclaw).

Fix — add it to your shell startup file (~/.zshrc or ~/.bashrc):

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

On Windows, add the output of npm prefix -g to your PATH.

Then open a new terminal (or rehash in zsh / hash -r in bash).

Update / migrate / uninstall

Updating

Updating — Keep RemoteClaw up to date.

Migrating

Migrating — Move to a new machine.

From OpenClaw

From OpenClaw — Migrate an OpenClaw installation to RemoteClaw.

Uninstall

Uninstall — Remove RemoteClaw completely.