Install OpenClaw
There are 8 ways to install OpenClaw, and most guides show you 1. This covers every route, the one Anthropic recommends, and which ones you have to update by hand.
If you want to install Claude Code today, there is one thing worth knowing first:
You might not need to.
Most guides open with a terminal command. That command is fine. But it is 1 of 8, and nobody mentions that the one you pick decides whether you are still on the current version in 3 months.
- The 2 ways to use Claude Code without installing anything
- What you need first, and which plans include it
- All 8 install routes, and the 1 Anthropic marks recommended
- Which installs update themselves, and which leave you on an old version
- How to check the install actually worked
And I'll start with the 2 that need nothing installed at all.
You may not need to install anything
Two of the 6 places Claude Code runs need nothing on your machine.
Claude Code on the web runs at claude.ai/code. You sign in, connect GitHub, and the session runs on Anthropic's infrastructure. It keeps going after you close the tab, which is the part people underrate.
The Claude desktop app is the other one. Download it for macOS or for Windows, open the Code tab, choose Local, pick a folder. It carries Claude Code inside it, so there is no Node.js and no CLI to install separately.
Both run the same engine as the terminal. Same model, same CLAUDE.md, same connected tools.
So if the terminal is what has been stopping you, it was never the price of entry.
What you need first
A paid plan. Claude Code needs Pro, Max, Team, Enterprise or Console, and the free Claude.ai plan does not include it.
You can also point it at a third-party provider instead: Amazon Bedrock, Google Cloud's Agent Platform, or Microsoft Foundry.
Then a machine that meets the requirements below.
Which install should you pick?
The native installer, unless you already manage your machine with a package manager.
This is the choice people get wrong, because the cost shows up weeks later. Native installs update themselves in the background. Homebrew, WinGet, apt, dnf and apk do not, so you take that on yourself.
Homebrew also ships 2 casks that are really 2 release channels: claude-code tracks stable, which runs about a week behind and skips releases with major regressions, and claude-code@latest takes new versions as they ship.
You can opt Homebrew and WinGet into automatic upgrades with CLAUDE_CODE_PACKAGE_MANAGER_AUTO_UPDATE=1. apt, dnf and apk cannot, because those need elevated privileges.
System requirements
- macOS 13.0 or later, Windows 10 1809 or later, Ubuntu 20.04, Debian 10, or Alpine 3.19
- 4 GB of RAM, on x64 or ARM64
- Bash, Zsh, PowerShell or CMD
- An internet connection, from a country Anthropic supports
Every way to install OpenClaw
Copy the line for your machine. Every command here is Anthropic’s own, and they all end with the same working install.
macOS, Linux, WSL
The one Anthropic marks recommended.
$ curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bashWindows PowerShell
The default on Windows 10 1809 and up.
$ irm https://claude.ai/install.ps1 | iexWindows CMD
Same installer, for a Command Prompt shell.
$ curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.cmd -o install.cmd && install.cmd && del install.cmdHomebrew
If you already manage your Mac with brew.
$ brew install --cask claude-codeWinGet
If you already manage Windows with winget.
$ winget install Anthropic.ClaudeCodenpm
A documented alternative rather than the first path. The docs describe what happens when an npm install cannot auto-update, which implies it normally does, but they never say so outright.
$ npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-codeAll 8 routes compared
| Route | When to use it | Command |
|---|---|---|
| macOS, Linux, WSL | The one Anthropic marks recommended. | curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash |
| Windows PowerShell | The default on Windows 10 1809 and up. | irm https://claude.ai/install.ps1 | iex |
| Windows CMD | Same installer, for a Command Prompt shell. | curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.cmd -o install.cmd && install.cmd && del install.cmd |
| Homebrew | If you already manage your Mac with brew. Does not auto-update. You update it yourself. | brew install --cask claude-code |
| WinGet | If you already manage Windows with winget. Does not auto-update. You update it yourself. | winget install Anthropic.ClaudeCode |
| apt (Debian, Ubuntu) | Does not auto-update, and cannot be opted in. | See the Linux package manager instructions in Anthropic's setup docs |
| npm | A documented alternative rather than the first path. The docs describe what happens when an npm install cannot auto-update, which implies it normally does, but they never say so outright. | npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code |
Check it worked
- 1Confirm it landed. Prints a version such as 2.1.211 (Claude Code).
$ claude --version - 2Check the install properly. Read-only diagnostics: install health, settings errors, warnings with fixes. It does not start a session.
$ claude doctor
Where OpenClaw runs, and which need a terminal
The terminal is 1 of 6 places OpenClaw runs, and 4 of them never open one. If that is what has been stopping you, start with the desktop app.
| Where | Terminal? | Best for | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| CLI | Yes | Terminal work, scripting, remote servers | The full feature set. Scripting and the Agent SDK are CLI only. |
| Desktop | No | Visual review, parallel sessions | Diff viewer, app preview, and it carries Claude Code inside it, so there is no CLI to install. |
| VS Code | No | Staying inside your editor | Inline diffs, file context. The extension bundles its own copy of the CLI for its panel. |
| JetBrains | In the IDE | IntelliJ, PyCharm, WebStorm | Diff viewer, selection sharing. It runs `claude` in the IDE terminal, so it needs the CLI installed. |
| Web | No | Long tasks that keep running when you close the lid | Cloud sessions at claude.ai/code, Anthropic managed by default. |
| Mobile | No | Starting and watching work away from your desk | Cloud sessions in the iOS and Android app, plus Remote Control for a local one. |
Then point it at your AI OS
Installing OpenClaw gives you the agent. It does not give it your context, and every session still starts with an empty window until you do. Connect it to your AI OS next.
OpenClaw install questions
Mostly the things that go wrong, and what to do about each one.
Anthropic's agentic coding tool. It reads your project, edits files and runs commands, and works through a task rather than answering one question at a time.
It runs in a terminal, in a desktop app, inside VS Code, JetBrains and Cursor, in your browser and on your phone.
No. Claude Code needs a Pro, Max, Team, Enterprise or Console account, and the free Claude.ai plan does not include it.
You can also run it against a third-party provider instead: Amazon Bedrock, Google Cloud's Agent Platform, or Microsoft Foundry.
No. Claude Code runs on 6 surfaces and the terminal is 1 of them.
Desktop gives you the same engine with a diff viewer and parallel sessions. There are extensions for VS Code and JetBrains. And it runs at claude.ai/code and in the phone app.
Those last 2 run in the cloud by default, or you can point them at your own machine with `claude remote-control` and keep everything local.
The native installer, unless you already manage your machine with a package manager.
Homebrew and WinGet work, but they do not auto-update, so you take on updating it yourself. Native installs update in the background.
Run `claude --version`. A working install prints a version number such as 2.1.211 (Claude Code).
For a real check, run `claude doctor`. It prints install health, settings-file errors and warnings with suggested fixes, without starting a session.
Native installations do, in the background.
Homebrew, WinGet and Linux package manager installations do not. Those are manual by default, which is the single most common reason someone is running a version from 2 months ago without knowing it.
Yes, on the local ones. Configuration, project memory and MCP servers are shared across the CLI, Desktop, VS Code and JetBrains, so all 4 read the same files.
Web and mobile run in Anthropic's cloud, so there your AI OS has to be committed to the repository the session checks out.
macOS 13.0 or later, Windows 10 1809 or later, or Ubuntu 20.04, Debian 10 or Alpine 3.19.
You need 4 GB of RAM on an x64 or ARM64 processor, one of Bash, Zsh, PowerShell or CMD, and an internet connection from a country Anthropic supports.
Nothing else. ripgrep ships with Claude Code and handles search, so if search starts failing that is the piece to look at first.
You sign in with your Anthropic account, the same one you use for Claude. On the desktop app and on the web you sign in inside the app itself.
In the terminal, run `claude` and it opens a browser to log in. If the browser does not open, press `c` to copy the URL and paste it yourself. If the browser shows a code instead of returning you to the terminal, paste that code at the prompt: that happens in WSL2, over SSH and in containers, where the browser cannot reach the local callback. You will see `Login successful`, then press Enter.
If `ANTHROPIC_API_KEY` is already set it asks once to approve that key instead. Worth knowing: an approved key outranks an active Pro or Max subscription, which is the usual cause of an organization error on a perfectly good account. Type `/logout` to sign out and start again.
Yes. The installer takes a version, so `curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash -s 2.1.89` pins that one.
Passing `stable` instead of a number puts you on the delayed release channel rather than the newest build.
No, and this is the part people miss. Installing it gives you the agent. It still knows nothing about your business.
Every session starts with an empty context window, so what it knows about you comes from the files it reads on launch. That is what an AI OS is, and connecting it is the next step.
It depends how it went on. A native install has its own uninstaller, Homebrew removes it with `brew uninstall --cask claude-code`, and WinGet removes its own.
Removing the binary does not remove your `.claude` directory, so your settings, skills and memory survive a reinstall.