OpenClaw on Windows

Windows 11 System Requirements

Use an updated Windows 11 installation with PowerShell available.

You also need:

• Node 24, or Node 22.19+.
• npm installed with Node.
• A model provider or a local model.
• Administrator access for some service actions.
• Network access to the model endpoint and any channel integrations you plan to use.

Before installing, confirm Node and npm from PowerShell:

node -v
npm -v

Choose one operating environment before you configure the service. Native Windows is simpler when your repository, editor, credentials, and local model all run in Windows. WSL2 is useful when your build tools, scripts, or package ecosystem expect Linux.

Avoid splitting one OpenClaw setup across both environments unless you need to. Mixing native Windows and WSL2 can make file paths, localhost routing, environment variables, credential storage, and service management harder to debug.

Install via win-x64.exe

The official documentation does not list a standalone file named openclaw-win-x64.exe.

Do not download an executable with that name from an unverified site.

Official options include the Windows Hub and the PowerShell installer:

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

Verify the publisher and source before running any installer.

If you prefer a desktop-style setup, use the Windows Hub path from the official OpenClaw documentation rather than searching for an executable by filename. Treat any installer as privileged software: confirm the download source, review the requested permissions, and avoid running it against sensitive repositories or accounts until you understand what local access it needs.

After installation, open a new PowerShell window and check that the command is available:

openclaw --help

If the command is not available, continue with the PATH checks in the errors section before reinstalling.

Install via npm on Windows

Install a supported Node version first. Then run the npm install command from PowerShell:

npm install -g openclaw@latest
openclaw onboard --install-daemon

The global npm install places the openclaw command in npm's global binary directory. Confirm the installed command before onboarding a repository:

openclaw --help

Open the dashboard:

openclaw dashboard

The local address is normally:

http://127.0.0.1:18789/

If the dashboard does not open, check whether the service started, whether another process already uses the same port, and whether Windows Defender Firewall or endpoint security software is blocking local access.

For repository work, run OpenClaw from the same environment that owns the repository path. A repository under C:\Users\... is easiest to manage from native PowerShell. A repository under a Linux path inside WSL2 is easiest to manage from the WSL2 shell.

Configure Discord Relay on Windows

Create a Discord application and bot in the Discord developer portal. Add the bot to a private test server before connecting it to active project channels.

Then add the channel:

openclaw channels add --channel discord --token "<bot-token>"

Keep the token out of screenshots, shell history snippets, shared logs, repositories, and issue trackers. If a token is exposed, rotate it in the Discord developer portal before using the bot again.

Limit the bot's Discord permissions. Start with the smallest permission set that allows it to read the intended channel and post replies. Test message flow in a private server first, then move the relay to the project server only after you confirm that the bot can receive commands and respond in the expected channel.

On Windows, also confirm that the OpenClaw service is running in the same user context where the channel was configured. A token added from one account or shell environment may not be available to a different service context.

To compare how the same Discord relay behaves outside a native Windows install, use OpenClaw Docker Setup before moving the bot into shared channels.

For source-level validation, the official documentation is worth checking after you understand the OpenClaw on Windows workflow described here.

Fix Common Windows Errors (PATH, npm ENOENT, WSL Conflicts)

Command not found

Check Node, npm, and npm's global prefix:

node -v
npm -v
npm prefix -g

Add the npm global binary directory to the user PATH, then open a new PowerShell window. Do not rely on an already-open terminal after changing PATH; it may still hold the old environment.

If you installed with npm, the missing command usually means PowerShell cannot find npm's global binaries. If you installed through the Windows Hub or PowerShell installer, confirm that the installer completed successfully and that the installed command location is available to your user account.

npm ENOENT

ENOENT usually means npm expected a file or directory that was missing. Repair Node or reinstall it, then open a new terminal and rerun:

node -v
npm -v
npm cache verify

If the error continues, check whether antivirus or endpoint security software removed a file during installation. Also confirm that the repository path does not include a broken symlink or a directory that no longer exists.

WSL conflict

Decide where the Gateway runs. Do not start native Windows and WSL2 Gateways on the same port.

Keep model endpoints reachable from the chosen environment. If OpenClaw runs in native Windows, test the model endpoint from PowerShell. If OpenClaw runs in WSL2, test the endpoint from inside WSL2 before changing OpenClaw configuration.

Use one path style consistently. Native Windows paths such as C:\Users\... and WSL2 paths such as /home/... can point to different working copies, different credentials, and different dependency installs.

> Production evidence > > The benchmark that matters to Verdent is software completion: 76.1% on SWE-bench Verified, backed by planning, isolated execution, and review. > > Production-Ready Quality is the boundary between generated code and code a team is ready to merge.

After fixing PATH or npm issues, compare your current setup against How to Install OpenClaw to confirm the Windows installer, npm, and relay steps match the expected flow.

When details such as limits or setup steps matter, Reddit can help confirm the latest implementation surface.

Connect OpenClaw to Claude or Ollama on Windows

Run onboarding from the environment where OpenClaw will operate:

openclaw onboard

Select Anthropic for Claude. Add an API credential when prompted. Store the credential in the expected local configuration flow rather than hardcoding it into a repository, script, or shared command snippet.

For Ollama, start the Ollama service first. Then select the local endpoint during onboarding. Confirm that Ollama responds before blaming OpenClaw configuration:

ollama list

If OpenClaw runs in WSL2, localhost routing may differ. Verify the endpoint from inside WSL2. A service that responds in Windows PowerShell may not respond from WSL2 with the same localhost address.

When the model connection fails, check three things in order: the provider credential, the endpoint address, and the environment boundary. Most Windows model issues come from using a credential in the wrong shell, pointing to a local service from the wrong environment, or assuming that native Windows and WSL2 share the same network view.

After confirming the Windows endpoint responds, use OpenClaw Ollama Integration to align local model behavior with the connection settings you chose during onboarding.

Before you budget a real project around OpenClaw on Windows, compare the claims here with Openclaw.

Fully Uninstall OpenClaw on Windows 11

First stop and remove the service with the current OpenClaw uninstall command. Use the command from the current OpenClaw documentation for your installed version, because service management commands can change between releases.

Then remove the npm package if you installed it through npm:

npm uninstall -g openclaw

Back up and remove local data only when you no longer need it:

%USERPROFILE%\.openclaw

Do not delete the data directory before exporting required sessions, credentials, channel settings, or configuration. Removing the directory can break recovery if you later need to inspect prior runs or restore a working setup.

For a cleaner removal, close the dashboard, stop related background processes, uninstall the package, and then remove local data after backup. If you used both native Windows and WSL2, check both environments for separate installs or configuration directories.

For repository development, Verdent provides a managed plan-first workflow across supported models.