Today we are going to learn how to install OpenClaw from scratch on a Raspberry Pi using an SD card.
Step 1: Flash the SD card with Raspberry Pi Imager
Do not use the normal Windows or Mac formatter. Use Raspberry Pi Imager (the official tool).
Step 2: Update the system on first boot
Don’t update anything until you plug the SD card into the Pi and connect over SSH:
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y
Step 3: Install Node.js (the right version)
To avoid installing version v24 or experimental versions, we’ll use the official installer for the stable v22 (LTS):
# We download the script from version 22 curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_22.x | sudo -E bash - # Install Node.js sudo apt-get install -y nodejs
Confirm that everything is okay with node -v. It should say v22.x.x.
Step 4: Install log2ram to protect the SD card
This will save your SD card: we are going to install a utility that stores logs in RAM and only writes them to the SD card once a day.
sudo apt install git -y git clone https://github.com/azlux/log2ram.git cd log2ram chmod +x install.sh sudo ./install.sh # Hay que reiniciar para que se active sudo reboot
Step 5: Install OpenClaw
Now that the system is clean and optimized so it doesn’t wear out the SD card, install OpenClaw:
sudo npm install -g openclaw
And now we can configure OpenClaw.
Step 6: Fix IPv6 issues
vi ~/.profile
Go to the end of the file and paste this line:
export NODE_OPTIONS="--dns-result-order=ipv4first"
Save and then apply the change:
source ~/.profile
