Installing OpenClaw natively on Windows 11 requires a few key environment tools to handle Node.js modules and C++ compilation. While the developers often suggest WSL2 for a smoother experience, a native installation is perfectly viable if you set up the build tools correctly.

1. Dependency Installation Commands

Open PowerShell as Administrator and run the following commands to install the required system dependencies using winget (Windows Package Manager) and npm.

Install Git and Node.js (LTS)

winget install Git.Git
winget install OpenJS.NodeJS.LTS

Install C++ Build Tools (Required for native module compilation)

choco install cmake visualstudio2022buildtools visualstudio2022-workload-vctools -y

Note: If you do not have Chocolatey installed, you can manually install the “Desktop development with C++” workload via the Visual Studio Installer.

Configure Execution Policy

Set-ExecutionPolicy -Scope Process Bypass -Force

2. Native Installation Steps

Once the dependencies are in place, follow these steps to install the OpenClaw CLI and initialize your assistant.

Step 1: Install the OpenClaw Package

You can install OpenClaw globally using the official PowerShell script or via npm.

Option A: PowerShell Script (Recommended)

iwr -useb https://openclaw.ai/install.ps1 | iex

Option B: Manual NPM Install

npm install -g openclaw@latest

Step 2: Run Onboarding

This command launches an interactive wizard that helps you connect your AI providers (like Gemini or Claude) and messaging channels (like Telegram or WhatsApp).

openclaw onboard --install-daemon

⚠️ IMPORTANT: The --install-daemon flag ensures the OpenClaw gateway runs as a background service so your bot stays online even after you close the terminal.

Step 3: Verify the Installation

Check that the gateway is active and verify your version:

openclaw --version
openclaw status

Troubleshooting Common Windows Issues

“Command not found”

If openclaw isn’t recognized after installation, your npm global folder might not be in your PATH.

Solution:

1. Run npm config get prefix to find your npm global path
2. Add the resulting path to your System Environment Variables
3. Restart your terminal

Git ENOENT Error

If the installer fails with a Git error, ensure you have restarted your terminal after running the winget install Git.Git command.

Solution:

1. Close and reopen PowerShell
2. Verify Git is installed: git --version
3. Try the installation again

Permission Denied

Always ensure you are running PowerShell as an Administrator when installing global packages or system services.

Solution:

1. Right-click on PowerShell
2. Select “Run as Administrator”
3. Try the installation command again

Additional Tips

Installing Chocolatey

If you don’t have Chocolatey installed yet, run this in Administrator PowerShell:

Set-ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Scope Process -Force; [System.Net.ServicePointManager]::SecurityProtocol = [System.Net.ServicePointManager]::SecurityProtocol -bor 3072; iex ((New-Object System.Net.WebClient).DownloadString('https://community.chocolatey.org/install.ps1'))

Checking Your PATH

To see your current PATH and verify npm is included:

$env:Path -split ';'

Manually Adding npm to PATH

If npm isn’t in your PATH:

1. Press Windows + R
2. Type sysdm.cpl and press Enter
3. Click Environment Variables
4. Under System variables, find and edit Path
5. Click New and add the npm path (usually C:\Users\YourName\AppData\Roaming\npm)
6. Click OK on all windows
7. Restart your terminal

Alternative: Using WSL2 (Recommended by Developers)

If you encounter persistent issues with native Windows installation, the OpenClaw developers recommend using WSL2 (Windows Subsystem for Linux) for a more stable experience.

Install WSL2

wsl --install

Then follow the standard Linux installation instructions inside your WSL2 environment.

Next Steps

Once OpenClaw is installed and running:

1. Configure your AI model – Choose between Gemini, Claude, GPT, or others
2. Set up messaging channels – Connect WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord, etc.
3. Explore skills – Check out built-in capabilities with openclaw skills list
4. Customize your agent – Edit workspace files like SOUL.md and USER.md
5. Start chatting – Run openclaw chat to interact with your agent

Useful Resources

• Official Documentation: docs.openclaw.ai
• GitHub Repository: github.com/openclaw/openclaw
• Community Discord: discord.com/invite/clawd
• Installation Script: openclaw.ai/install.ps1

Quick Reference

# Check installation
openclaw --version
openclaw status

# Start/stop gateway
openclaw gateway start
openclaw gateway stop

# Interactive chat
openclaw chat

# View configuration
openclaw config get

# List skills
openclaw skills list

# Update OpenClaw
openclaw update

# Get help
openclaw help

Conclusion

Installing OpenClaw natively on Windows 11 is straightforward once you have the proper build tools in place. The key requirements are Git, Node.js, and C++ build tools for compiling native modules. If you encounter any issues, the troubleshooting section above covers the most common problems.

For the smoothest experience, the OpenClaw team recommends WSL2, but native Windows installation works perfectly well for most users once properly configured.

Happy building with OpenClaw! 🦞