openclaw/docs/platforms/linux.md

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Linux support + companion app status	Looking for Linux companion app status Planning platform coverage or contributions	Linux App

Linux App

The Gateway is fully supported on Linux. Node is the recommended runtime. Bun is not recommended for the Gateway (WhatsApp/Telegram bugs).

Native Linux companion apps are planned. Contributions are welcome if you want to help build one.

Beginner quick path (VPS)

1. Install Node 24 (recommended; Node 22 LTS, currently 22.14+, still works for compatibility)
2. npm i -g openclaw@latest
3. openclaw onboard --install-daemon
4. From your laptop: ssh -N -L 18789:127.0.0.1:18789 <user>@<host>
5. Open http://127.0.0.1:18789/ and authenticate with the configured shared secret (token by default; password if you set gateway.auth.mode: "password")

Full Linux server guide: Linux Server. Step-by-step VPS example: exe.dev

Install

• Getting Started
• Install & updates
• Optional flows: Bun (experimental), Nix, Docker

Gateway

• Gateway runbook
• Configuration

Gateway service install (CLI)

Use one of these:

openclaw onboard --install-daemon

Or:

openclaw gateway install

Or:

openclaw configure

Select Gateway service when prompted.

Repair/migrate:

openclaw doctor

System control (systemd user unit)

OpenClaw installs a systemd user service by default. Use a system service for shared or always-on servers. openclaw gateway install and openclaw onboard --install-daemon already render the current canonical unit for you; write one by hand only when you need a custom system/service-manager setup. The full service guidance lives in the Gateway runbook.

Minimal setup:

Create ~/.config/systemd/user/openclaw-gateway[-<profile>].service:

[Unit]
Description=OpenClaw Gateway (profile: <profile>, v<version>)
After=network-online.target
Wants=network-online.target

[Service]
ExecStart=/usr/local/bin/openclaw gateway --port 18789
Restart=always
RestartSec=5
TimeoutStopSec=30
TimeoutStartSec=30
SuccessExitStatus=0 143
KillMode=control-group

[Install]
WantedBy=default.target

Enable it:

systemctl --user enable --now openclaw-gateway[-<profile>].service