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← Own your AI · Mission 9 of 31

A 24/7 AI assistant that actually does things, running on your own PC

OpenClaw is the open-source assistant from all those reels: it reads and writes files, runs commands and works on a schedule. Set it up on your own PC, lock it down so it can't wreck anything, and give it real jobs. Free with a local AI, or fast with a cheap API model.

52 minIntermediateTools: FreeStep 1 free
Tested 9 Oct 2026 · OpenClaw 2026.9.9, Ollama with Gemma 4 e2b, Node 26.7, Windows 11 (16GB, no graphics card)
Your own AI assistant with a chat page in your browser, running on your PC with no account and no API key
A safe setupit can only touch files in its own folder, asks before running any command, and can't browse the web
A real job donemessy notes turned into a to-do file
  • Scheduled jobs that run while you're away, and the Gateway installed as a background service so it starts with your PC
  • A choice of brain: a free private model on your own PC, or a cheap API model for fast, sharper replies
Before you start
  • Ollama with gemma4:e2b downloaded. Not done that yet? Do Run a ChatGPT-style AI on your own laptop first. Gemma 4 needs Ollama 0.20.7 or newer: check with ollama --version.
  • Node.js 24.16 or newer (Node 26 recommended). Type node --version to check. If you don't have it, install it from nodejs.org ↗.
  • About 1GB of free disk space, and 16GB of RAM for the local model
  • Optional, for the fast path: an API key from a provider such as OpenAI or Mistral, with a monthly spending limit set
01/06Install OpenClaw0 done
STEP 01 of 06~3 min

Install OpenClaw

OpenClaw is a free, open-source assistant (391k stars on GitHub) that runs on your own computer instead of someone else's server.

  1. OpenClaw has two parts: a Gateway, the always-on program that holds the assistant, its memory and its tools, and a Control UI, a chat page you open in your browser. It can also connect to WhatsApp, Telegram and 20+ other apps, but you don't need any of those today.

    CarefulFake copies of OpenClaw have been used to spread malware. Only install it with the command below (the official package on npm) or from github.com/openclaw/openclaw ↗.

  2. Open PowerShell and run:

    Terminal
    npm install -g openclaw@latest --allow-scripts=openclaw

  3. It takes a minute or two and adds 343 packages: about 600MB on disk, plus about 300MB that npm keeps in its download cache. You'll see some npm warn lines about install scripts. They're normal. Then check it worked:

    Terminal
    openclaw --version
    Output
    OpenClaw 2026.9.9 (bcfc888)
    TipThe project also has a one-line installer (iwr -useb https://openclaw.ai/install.ps1 | iex) that sets up Node if needed and starts setup straight away. The npm route above works the same on Windows, Mac and Linux.
✓
Checkpointopenclaw --version prints a version number.
If it breaks'--allow-scripts is not allowed in project-scoped installs' + 2 more
'--allow-scripts is not allowed in project-scoped installs'
You left out -g. The -g installs OpenClaw for your whole user account, which is what you want.
npm says it doesn't know '--allow-scripts'
Your npm is older than 11.16. Run the same command without --allow-scripts=openclaw.
'openclaw' is not recognised, or 'running scripts is disabled on this system'
Open a new PowerShell window first. If PowerShell blocks the script, type openclaw.cmd instead of openclaw (for example openclaw.cmd --version). It's the same program.
Still stuck? Ask the community
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