OpenClaw on a Raspberry Pi

The docs pitch the Raspberry Pi as the cheapest always-on Gateway you can own: one-time hardware in the tens of dollars, no monthly fee, and enough power because the Pi only runs the Gateway while the models run in the cloud through an API. Here is which Pi to buy, the install in the order the docs give it, the performance tips that matter more here than anywhere else, and the one rule that decides whether the thing is usable.

Which Pi

• Pi 5 with four or eight gigabytes is best; Pi 4 with four is the sweet spot; Pi 4 with two works with swap, with one it is tight; a 3B+ is slow; a Zero 2 W is not recommended.
• Minimum one gigabyte, one core, 500 megabytes of disk and a 64-bit OS, which is required; recommended two gigabytes or more, a 16 gigabyte card or a USB SSD, and Ethernet.
• About thirty minutes, with the official power supply and Raspberry Pi OS Lite in its 64-bit build, no desktop.

Minimum: 1 GB RAM, 1 core, 500 MB free disk, 64-bit OS.

The install

Flash the OS with the Imager and preconfigure the hostname, SSH, a user and WiFi; SSH in; update, install git, curl and the build tools, and set the timezone, which matters for cron and reminders. Install Node 24, add two gigabytes of swap with a low swappiness on two gigabytes or less, run the installer without onboarding, then onboarding with the service flag; the docs recommend API keys over OAuth on a headless device and Telegram as the first channel. Verify with status, the user service and its journal, then reach the dashboard through an SSH tunnel, or Tailscale for always-on access.

Performance tips

• A USB SSD instead of an SD card, which is slow and wears out; if the OS stays on SD, put the state directory on the SSD.
• A Node compile cache under var tmp, not tmp, which some distributions clear on boot, and the no-respawn variable that keeps routine restarts in-process; a systemd drop-in carries host-specific startup settings.
• Free GPU memory and disable Bluetooth on a headless Pi, and enable lingering once so the user service survives logout.

OpenClaw on a VPS is the same checklist for a rented server, and OpenClaw backup and restore explains the archive the state directory can be saved to, SSD or not.

The models rule, and ARM

Use cloud-hosted API models only: the docs say not to run local models on a Pi, because even small ones are too slow to be useful. Most of OpenClaw works on ARM64 as is, Node, Telegram, WhatsApp and Chromium included; the occasional gap is an optional Go or Rust tool shipped by a skill, so check the architecture and look for an arm64 build before compiling anything. If the service will not start, read the journal and run the doctor; if the Pi is slow, check for throttling; if WiFi drops, turn its power management off. Free models for OpenClaw is the free-models question answered for machines that can carry one.

On Diali

A Pi is the cheapest always-on Gateway you can own, and the operating job is the same as on any server: updates, swap, the tunnel, the restart nobody sees. Diali is the version where the always-on part is ours. Hosted OpenClaw on Diali is the assistant and What OpenClaw costs puts the two side by side.

• Pi 4 with four gigabytes or a Pi 5; 64-bit OS, no desktop.
• Swap on small boards, an SSD for state, cloud models only.
• ARM64 runs almost everything; the gaps are skill binaries.