Install

Install

Recommended: installer script

The fastest way to install. It detects your OS, installs Node if needed, installs Velaclaw, and launches onboarding.

macOS / Linux / WSL2

curl -fsSL https://velaclaw.ai/install.sh | bash

Windows (PowerShell)

iwr -useb https://velaclaw.ai/install.ps1 | iex

To install without running onboarding:

macOS / Linux / WSL2

curl -fsSL https://velaclaw.ai/install.sh | bash -s -- --no-onboard

Windows (PowerShell)

& ([scriptblock]::Create((iwr -useb https://velaclaw.ai/install.ps1))) -NoOnboard

For all flags and CI/automation options, see Installer internals.

System requirements

• Node 24 (recommended) or Node 22.14+ — the installer script handles this automatically
• macOS, Linux, or Windows — both native Windows and WSL2 are supported; WSL2 is more stable. See Windows.
• pnpm is only needed if you build from source

Alternative install methods

Local prefix installer (install-cli.sh)

Use this when you want Velaclaw and Node kept under a local prefix such as ~/.velaclaw, without depending on a system-wide Node install:

curl -fsSL https://velaclaw.ai/install-cli.sh | bash

It supports npm installs by default, plus git-checkout installs under the same prefix flow. Full reference: Installer internals.

npm, pnpm, or bun

If you already manage Node yourself:

npm

npm install -g velaclaw@latest
velaclaw onboard --install-daemon

pnpm

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

pnpm requires explicit approval for packages with build scripts. Run pnpm approve-builds -g after the first install.

bun

bun add -g velaclaw@latest
velaclaw onboard --install-daemon

Bun is supported for the global CLI install path. For the Gateway runtime, Node remains the recommended daemon runtime.

Troubleshooting: sharp build errors (npm)

If sharp fails due to a globally installed libvips:

SHARP_IGNORE_GLOBAL_LIBVIPS=1 npm install -g velaclaw@latest

From source

For contributors or anyone who wants to run from a local checkout:

git clone https://github.com/Zavianx/velaclaw.git
cd velaclaw
pnpm install && pnpm ui:build && pnpm build
pnpm link --global
velaclaw onboard --install-daemon

Or skip the link and use pnpm velaclaw ... from inside the repo. See Setup for full development workflows.

Install from GitHub main

npm install -g github:Zavianx/velaclaw#main

To keep tracking the public main branch later:

velaclaw update --tag main

Containers and package managers

Docker

Containerized or headless deployments.

Podman

Rootless container alternative to Docker.

Nix

Declarative install via Nix flake.

Ansible

Automated fleet provisioning.

Bun

CLI-only usage via the Bun runtime.

Verify the install

velaclaw --version      # confirm the CLI is available
velaclaw doctor         # check for config issues
velaclaw gateway status # verify the Gateway is running

If you want managed startup after install:

• macOS: LaunchAgent via velaclaw onboard --install-daemon or velaclaw gateway install
• Linux/WSL2: systemd user service via the same commands
• Native Windows: Scheduled Task first, with a per-user Startup-folder login item fallback if task creation is denied

Hosting and deployment

Deploy Velaclaw on a cloud server or VPS:

VPS

Any Linux VPS

Docker VM

Shared Docker steps

Kubernetes

K8s

Fly.io

Fly.io

Hetzner

Hetzner

GCP

Google Cloud

Azure

Azure

Railway

Railway

Render

Render

Northflank

Northflank

Update, migrate, or uninstall

Updating

Keep Velaclaw up to date.

Migrating

Move to a new machine.

Uninstall

Remove Velaclaw completely.

Troubleshooting: velaclaw not found

If the install succeeded but velaclaw is not found in your terminal:

node -v           # Node installed?
npm prefix -g     # Where are global packages?
echo "$PATH"      # Is the global bin dir in PATH?

If $(npm prefix -g)/bin is not in your $PATH, add it to your shell startup file (~/.zshrc or ~/.bashrc):

export PATH="$(npm prefix -g)/bin:$PATH"

Then open a new terminal. See Node setup for more details.