Clawdbot on Linux
Linux is the ideal platform for running Clawdbot. Follow this guide for Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, Arch, and other distributions.
Supported Distributions
Ubuntu/Debian
apt
Fedora/RHEL
dnf
Arch Linux
pacman
Alpine
apk
Installation by Distribution
Step 1: Update System
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y
Step 2: Install Node.js 20
curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_20.x | sudo -E bash -
sudo apt-get install -y nodejs
Step 3: Install Git
sudo apt install git -y
Step 4: Clone and Setup Clawdbot
git clone https://github.com/clawdbot/clawdbot.git
cd clawdbot
npm install
cp .env.example .env
nano .env # Add your API keys
Step 5: Start Clawdbot
npm start
Install Dependencies
sudo dnf update -y
sudo dnf install -y nodejs npm git
Clone and Run
git clone https://github.com/clawdbot/clawdbot.git
cd clawdbot && npm install
cp .env.example .env && nano .env
npm start
Install Dependencies
sudo pacman -Syu
sudo pacman -S nodejs npm git
Clone and Run
git clone https://github.com/clawdbot/clawdbot.git
cd clawdbot && npm install
cp .env.example .env && nano .env
npm start
Docker works on any Linux distribution and provides a consistent environment.
Install Docker
curl -fsSL https://get.docker.com | sh
sudo usermod -aG docker $USER
# Log out and back in
Run Clawdbot
git clone https://github.com/clawdbot/clawdbot.git
cd clawdbot
cp .env.example .env && nano .env
docker compose up -d
Running as a Systemd Service
To run Clawdbot automatically on boot and keep it running in the background:
Create Service File
sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/clawdbot.service
Service Configuration
[Unit]
Description=Clawdbot AI Assistant
After=network.target
[Service]
Type=simple
User=your_username
WorkingDirectory=/home/your_username/clawdbot
ExecStart=/usr/bin/npm start
Restart=on-failure
RestartSec=10
[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target
Enable and Start
sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable clawdbot
sudo systemctl start clawdbot
sudo systemctl status clawdbot # Check status
Troubleshooting
Don't use sudo with npm. Fix npm permissions by running: mkdir ~/.npm-global && npm config set prefix '~/.npm-global'
Clawdbot requires Node.js 18+. Use the NodeSource repository or nvm to install a newer version.
Check logs with sudo journalctl -u clawdbot -f. Common issues include wrong paths or missing environment variables.