Skip to content

Instantly share code, notes, and snippets.

@fabianmagrini

fabianmagrini/install-openclaw.md Secret

Created January 31, 2026 05:12
Show Gist options

  • Select an option

    Learn more about clone URLs
  • Save fabianmagrini/27cf52240cd062f9b0c4b412797b84e9 to your computer and use it in GitHub Desktop.

Select an option

Learn more about clone URLs
Save fabianmagrini/27cf52240cd062f9b0c4b412797b84e9 to your computer and use it in GitHub Desktop.
Download ZIP
Install OpenClaw AI Assistant
Raw
install-openclaw.md

Install OpenClaw AI Assistant using Orbstack

Phase 1: Create the Linux VM in OrbStack

OrbStack "Machines" are lightweight Linux VMs (using LXD) that are perfect for running background services like OpenClaw.

  1. Open OrbStack on your Mac.
  2. Create a New Machine:
    • Click the "Machines" tab on the sidebar.
    • Click "New Machine" (or the + icon).
    • Choose Ubuntu 24.04 (recommended) or Debian.
    • Give it a name (e.g., openclaw-vm).
  3. Configure Resources:
    • OpenClaw performs best with at least 2GB of RAM. OrbStack usually manages this dynamically, but ensure your global settings allow it.
  4. Start the Machine: Once created, click the play button or double-click the machine name to open a terminal inside the VM.

Phase 2: Install OpenClaw AI

The easiest way to install the AI assistant is via the official installation script.

  1. Inside the OrbStack terminal, run the following command to download and install OpenClaw:

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

    (Note: If the command above fails, ensure curl is installed: sudo apt update && sudo apt install curl -y)

  2. Run the Onboarding Wizard: After installation, start the interactive setup:

    openclaw onboard --install-daemon

    This wizard will ask you for:

    • AI Provider: You will need an API key (OpenAI, Anthropic/Claude, or local via Ollama).
    • Messaging Channels: Follow the prompts if you want to connect it to WhatsApp, Telegram, or Discord.
    • Persistence: Setting it as a "daemon" ensures it stays running in the background of your OrbStack VM.

Phase 3: Accessing the Dashboard

OrbStack automatically handles networking between your Mac and the VM.

  1. OpenClaw runs a web dashboard on port 18789 by default.
  2. On your Mac's browser (Chrome/Safari), go to: http://openclaw-vm.local:18789 (Replace openclaw-vm with whatever name you gave your machine in OrbStack).
  3. If that doesn't work, you can use the internal IP or localhost:18789 if OrbStack is port-forwarding (check the "Network" tab in OrbStack for the specific machine).

Troubleshooting & Tips

  • Docker Approach: If you prefer using Docker, OrbStack is a drop-in replacement for Docker Desktop. You can simply run the OpenClaw Docker image directly in the "Containers" tab instead of creating a full VM.
  • Permissions: OpenClaw often asks for "full computer access." Since it’s inside an OrbStack VM, it is sandboxed from your main macOS files unless you explicitly mount them. This is a great way to test the agent safely.
  • File Access: You can access your Mac files inside the VM at /mnt/mac. If OpenClaw needs to read your documents to help you, you can point it to that directory.

(Alternative) If you meant the Captain Claw Game

If you wanted to play the 1997 game reimplementation:

  1. In your OrbStack Ubuntu VM, install the dependencies: 
    sudo apt install libsdl2-dev libsdl2-image-dev libsdl2-mixer-dev libsdl2-ttf-dev libsdl2-gfx-dev
  2. Download the latest .deb package from the OpenClaw GitHub releases.
  3. Note: OrbStack does not support GUI/Graphical apps out-of-the-box. To see the game, you would need to install an X11 server like XQuartz on your Mac and export the display from the VM, or use NoMachine/VNC.
Sign up for free to join this conversation on GitHub. Already have an account? Sign in to comment