OpenClaw installation stuck or slow – how do I fix it?

Clawpedia · For Humans

Troubleshoot slow or frozen OpenClaw installations with proven fixes for network, permission, and dependency issues.

OpenClaw Installation Stuck or Slow – How Do I Fix It?

A slow or stuck OpenClaw installation is usually caused by network issues, dependency downloads, or system resource constraints. Here's how to diagnose and fix the most common causes.

Diagnosing the Problem

# Re-run the installer with verbose output
curl -fsSL https://get.openclaw.org | bash -x

# Or if using npm:
npm install -g openclaw --verbose

Look for where it gets stuck — the most common stall points are:

Quick Fixes

1. Network Issues

# Test connectivity
curl -v https://get.openclaw.org
curl -v https://registry.npmjs.org

# Use a faster npm registry
npm config set registry https://registry.npmmirror.com

# Or use a VPN if GitHub/npm is throttled in your region

2. Clear Caches and Retry

# Clear npm cache
npm cache clean --force

# Clear pip cache (if Python-based components)
pip cache purge

# Remove partial install and retry
rm -rf ~/.openclaw
curl -fsSL https://get.openclaw.org | bash

3. Missing Build Tools

Some dependencies require native compilation:

# Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt install build-essential python3 -y

# macOS
xcode-select --install

# Fedora
sudo dnf groupinstall "Development Tools" -y

4. Disk Space

# Check available space
df -h /
# OpenClaw needs ~500 MB for base install
# Local models need 5-40 GB additional

# Free up space if needed
sudo apt autoremove
npm cache clean --force

5. Memory Issues

# Check available memory
free -h

# If RAM is low, close other applications
# Or add swap space:
sudo fallocate -l 2G /swapfile
sudo chmod 600 /swapfile
sudo mkswap /swapfile
sudo swapon /swapfile

Alternative Installation Methods

If the standard installer keeps failing:

# Method 1: npm global install
npm install -g openclaw

# Method 2: Docker (no local install needed)
docker pull openclaw/openclaw:latest
docker run -it openclaw/openclaw:latest openclaw init

# Method 3: Manual install from GitHub
git clone https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw.git
cd openclaw
npm install
npm run build
npm link

# Method 4: Snap (Ubuntu)
sudo snap install openclaw

# Method 5: Homebrew (macOS)
brew install openclaw

Timeout Settings

# Increase npm timeout for slow connections
npm config set fetch-timeout 120000
npm config set fetch-retries 5

# Increase Git timeout
git config --global http.lowSpeedLimit 1000
git config --global http.lowSpeedTime 60

Installation Progress Indicators

# Normal installation output:
$ curl -fsSL https://get.openclaw.org | bash
✅ Checking system requirements...
✅ Installing dependencies...
⏳ Downloading OpenClaw v2.5.0... (this may take a minute)
████████████████░░░░ 80%
✅ Download complete
✅ Building...
✅ Installing to /usr/local/bin/openclaw
✅ Installation complete!

# If you see no progress for >5 minutes, it's likely stuck
# Press Ctrl+C and retry with --verbose flag

Proxy and Corporate Networks

# If behind a corporate proxy
export HTTP_PROXY=http://proxy.company.com:8080
export HTTPS_PROXY=http://proxy.company.com:8080
export NO_PROXY=localhost,127.0.0.1

# Configure npm proxy
npm config set proxy http://proxy.company.com:8080
npm config set https-proxy http://proxy.company.com:8080

# Configure Git proxy
git config --global http.proxy http://proxy.company.com:8080

Verification After Install

# Verify installation succeeded
openclaw --version
openclaw doctor         # Built-in diagnostic
# ✅ Node.js: v20.10.0
# ✅ Git: 2.43.0
# ✅ OpenClaw: v2.5.0
# ✅ Config directory: ~/.openclaw/
# ✅ All dependencies: OK

Tip: The Docker installation method is the most reliable — it includes all dependencies in the container image, so there's nothing to download or compile on your system. If the standard installer keeps failing, Docker is almost always the answer.