How to Install OpenClaw on Ubuntu Server

Prerequisites

• Ubuntu 22.04+ (or any Debian-based distro)
• Node.js 20+ installed
• A supported LLM API key (OpenAI, Anthropic, etc.)

Step 1: Install Node.js

If you don't have Node.js 20+:

curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_22.x | sudo -E bash -
sudo apt-get install -y nodejs

Verify:

node --version  # Should be v20+ or v22+

Step 2: Install OpenClaw

npm install -g openclaw

Step 3: Initialize Your Agent

mkdir ~/my-agent && cd ~/my-agent
openclaw init

This creates the workspace structure: - SOUL.md — agent personality - USER.md — your profile - AGENTS.md — operating rules - IDENTITY.md — agent identity

Step 4: Configure Your LLM

Set your API key:

export OPENAI_API_KEY="sk-..."
# or
export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="sk-ant-..."

Add to ~/.bashrc for persistence.

Step 5: Start the Gateway

openclaw gateway start

Your agent is now running. Connect it to messaging platforms or use the web interface.

Step 6: Connect Messaging (Optional)

Discord

openclaw config set discord.token YOUR_BOT_TOKEN

Telegram

openclaw config set telegram.token YOUR_BOT_TOKEN

Running as a System Service

Create a systemd service for automatic startup:

sudo tee /etc/systemd/system/openclaw.service > /dev/null <<EOF
[Unit]
Description=OpenClaw AI Agent
After=network.target

[Service]
Type=simple
User=$USER
WorkingDirectory=$HOME/my-agent
ExecStart=$(which openclaw) gateway start
Restart=always

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target
EOF

sudo systemctl enable --now openclaw

Verify It Works

openclaw status

You should see your agent running with connected channels listed.

Next Steps

• Customize SOUL.md with your agent's personality
• Install skills from ClawhHub
• Set up memory and heartbeats

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Ready to go deeper? Check out our hands-on course: OpenClaw Agent — practical exercises you can follow along on your own machine.

Related guide

Related reading: OpenClaw-driven CVE remediation with Ansible covers this in real-world detail.