Install Openclaw

Create an openclaw user to limit permissions

Create a dedicated openclaw user with sudo privileges:

sudo adduser --disabled-password --gecos "" openclaw
sudo usermod -aG sudo openclaw  # Optional: keep sudo access for this user
sudo passwd openclaw # Set password, needed later

Install with the official script

You will be asked to enter the password during installation:

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

Complete installation in the setup wizard

Follow the wizard based on your needs.

You can skip skills during setup and install them later by asking openclawBot directly.

Common issues

1. Cannot access gateway

You may have skipped creating the openclaw user and installed everything with root. In that case, gateway may not have the expected permissions.

2. Cannot access GitHub resources

In mainland China, you may need to use a GitHub mirror.