How to Install OpenClaw on a New Mac

This is a practical guide to set up OpenClaw on a new Mac: build a solid system foundation, configure Node and GitHub, then finish onboarding and daily-use settings.

1. System Foundation: CLI and Package Manager

Install Xcode Command Line Tools

xcode-select --install

Install Homebrew

/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"

Configure Homebrew Environment (Apple Silicon)

echo 'eval "$(/opt/homebrew/bin/brew shellenv)"' >> ~/.zprofile
eval "$(/opt/homebrew/bin/brew shellenv)"

2. Node.js and pnpm Setup

Install fnm and enable auto-switching

brew install fnm
echo 'eval "$(fnm env --use-on-cd --shell zsh)"' >> ~/.zshrc
source ~/.zshrc

Install Node LTS and set default

fnm install --lts
fnm default lts-latest

Enable Corepack and activate pnpm

corepack enable
corepack prepare pnpm@latest --activate

Verify key binary paths

which node
which pnpm
node -v
pnpm -v

Use these absolute paths later in launchd/LaunchAgent configurations.

3. GitHub SSH Setup (ED25519 Recommended)

Confirm system SSH

which ssh

Generate key

ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "your_email@example.com"

Configure ~/.ssh/config

Host *
  AddKeysToAgent yes
  UseKeychain yes

Host github.com
  HostName ssh.github.com
  Port 443
  User git
  IdentityFile ~/.ssh/id_ed25519
  ProxyCommand nc -X 5 -x 127.0.0.1:7897 %h %p

Remove ProxyCommand if no local proxy is used.

Upload pubkey and verify

pbcopy < ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub
ssh -T git@github.com

4. Install OpenClaw and Useful CLIs

Optional model-side CLIs

pnpm add -g @openai/codex
pnpm add -g @google/gemini-cli

Install OpenClaw

pnpm add -g openclaw@latest
pnpm approve-builds -g
openclaw onboard --install-daemon

Recommended onboarding choices:

• Mode: QuickStart
• Provider: OpenAI
• Hooks: all enabled

5. Key Post-Install Settings

Web UI entry points

• First time: tokenized URL from onboarding
• Daily: http://127.0.0.1:18789/

Suggested auto-update config

"update": {
  "channel": "stable",
  "auto": {
    "enabled": true,
    "stableDelayHours": 6,
    "stableJitterHours": 12,
    "betaCheckIntervalHours": 1
  }
}

Suggested model fallback config

"agents": {
  "defaults": {
    "model": {
      "primary": "openai-codex/gpt-5.3-codex",
      "fallbacks": [
        "bailian/qwen3.5-plus",
        "bailian/qwen3-coder-plus"
      ]
    }
  }
}

6. Troubleshooting Checklist

pnpm not found in daemon

Check LaunchAgent ProgramArguments and use absolute paths.

Native module build failure

Run pnpm approve-builds -g and ensure scripts are not blocked.

GitHub SSH timeout

Use ssh.github.com:443 and verify proxy port config.

Environment drift

Run this before work:

node -v && pnpm -v && openclaw --version

With these steps done, OpenClaw on a new Mac is stable and production-ready.

Published at: Mar 3, 2026 · Modified at: Mar 3, 2026

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