OpenClaw system requirements

The docs’ system requirements fit in three lines: a supported Node, one of three operating systems, and pnpm only if you build from source. The requirements people actually run into are the ones after: the memory a Gateway plus a model plus a browser wants, the macOS version the app needs, and the difference between a machine that can run OpenClaw and one that can keep running it. Here are both lists.

What the docs require

• Node 24.16 or newer, or 26.1 or newer; 26 is recommended and the installer provisions it, 26 on macOS and 24 LTS on Linux.
• macOS, Linux or Windows; on Windows the Hub app, the PowerShell installer or a WSL2 Gateway.
• The macOS app needs macOS 15 or later; voice wake and push-to-talk need macOS 26; the official Node binaries for the CLI need macOS 13.5 or later.
• The Windows Hub app needs Windows 10 20H2 or later, or Windows 11, on x64 or ARM64, with no administrator rights.
• pnpm for source builds; Docker only for containerised setups.

What the machine actually needs

The docs do not publish a memory figure, and the community’s lite-mode skill exists for machines with two to four gigabytes, trimming heavy features before the box starts swapping, which tells you where the floor is. A Gateway is always on, the heartbeat wakes the model on a schedule, a sandboxed browser is a browser, and a local model is memory on top of all of it. The OpenClaw heartbeat explains the one that surprises people.

Keeps OpenClaw usable on 2-4 GB machines: checks free memory and trims heavy features before the box starts swapping.

The requirement no list includes

• A machine that stays on, with power and a network, or the assistant only answers when you are at the keyboard.
• A provider account or a local model, and a budget for one or hardware for the other.
• Someone to update it: releases change what worked, and the docs’ own update guide has a rollback path for a reason.

Updating OpenClaw and OpenClaw on a VPS are the two guides for that third requirement, on a laptop and on a rented server.

Hermes, for comparison

Hermes needs only Git on its host; the installer brings its own Python, Node, ripgrep and ffmpeg, and it runs on Linux, macOS, WSL2, native Windows and Android through Termux. Installing the Hermes agent covers it.

On Diali

On Diali the requirement is a browser and a chat app. The workspace size is the plan: Starter, Pro and Max differ in workspace size, included credits and how often the assistant checks in, and the Gateway, the browser and the updates run on the instance. Diali pricing has the sizes; Hosted OpenClaw on Diali the assistant.

• Node 24 or 26, one of three operating systems: that is the list.
• Memory is the real floor, and the docs do not put a number on it.
• The requirement nobody lists is a machine that stays on and a person who updates it.