How to Install and Run OpenClaw: An Open-Source Personal AI Assistant

OpenClaw (formerly ClawdBot / Moltbot) is an open-source personal AI agent that runs entirely on your own machine. Unlike cloud-based AI assistants, OpenClaw is fully local . You control your data, your workflows, and how the agent behaves. It's not just a chatbot — it's an action-oriented agent . What Makes OpenClaw Different? OpenClaw can: Maintain persistent memory Access your local file system Call external services and APIs Execute real tasks instead of just replying with text You can interact with it through tools like Telegram or WhatsApp, or directly via a web UI or terminal. This makes it suitable for developers who want a real AI assistant, not just a demo. System Requirements Before getting started, make sure you have: Node.js ≥ 22 macOS, Linux, or Windows (via WSL2) npm (comes with Node.js) Check your Node version: node -v Quick Installation (Recommended) The easiest way to install OpenClaw is the official one-line installer. On macOS or Linux: curl -fsSL https://openclaw.s