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Recommended for beginnersmacOS Installation
Mac / Mac Mini setup guide
Why Mac?
- • Native Apple Silicon performance
- • Run Ollama locally for free AI
- • Perfect "always-on" home server with Mac Mini
- • No cloud costs - runs on your own hardware
Requirements
macOS Version
12.0+ (Monterey or later)
RAM
8GB+ (16GB for Ollama)
Storage
10GB free space
Processor
Apple Silicon or Intel
Installation Steps
1
Install Homebrew (if not installed)
Homebrew is the package manager for macOS.
$
/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"2
Install Node.js
OpenClaw requires Node.js 22 or higher.
$
brew install node@223
Install OpenClaw
This will download and set up OpenClaw in your home directory.
$
curl -fsSL https://openclaw.ai/install | bash4
Configure your AI provider
Add your API key for Claude, GPT-4, or set up Ollama.
$
openclaw config5
Start OpenClaw
Your personal AI assistant is now running!
$
openclaw startOptional: Run Free with Ollama
Install Ollama to run AI models locally with zero API costs:
Install Ollama:
$
brew install ollamaDownload a model:
$
ollama pull llama3.1Configure OpenClaw to use Ollama:
$
openclaw config --provider ollama --model llama3.1Next Steps
Connect OpenClaw to your favorite messaging apps.