Install openclaw.ai on Docker

Beginner ⏱ 15 minutes 📅 Updated Aug 2026

📋 Prerequisites

Docker Engine or Docker Desktop with Compose v2
2GB+ RAM available for the image build
Git for the official setup scripts
API key from LLM provider (optional if using local LLM)

Quick Start

Use OpenClaw's official setup script. It prepares persistent state, runs onboarding, configures Gateway authentication, and starts the Compose stack:

bash

git clone https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw.git
cd openclaw
export OPENCLAW_IMAGE="ghcr.io/openclaw/openclaw:latest"
./scripts/docker/setup.sh

💡

Official Images

GHCR is the primary registry. Docker Hub's openclaw/openclaw:latest is the official mirror.

Docker Compose (Recommended)

The setup script creates and starts the supported Compose stack. Check the Gateway, then print the authenticated Control UI URL:

bash

docker compose ps
docker compose logs -f openclaw-gateway
docker compose run --rm openclaw-cli dashboard --no-open

Open http://127.0.0.1:18789/ and paste the Gateway token from .env when prompted.

With Local LLM (Ollama)

Run Ollama on the host, pull a model, and make the service reachable from Docker:

bash

ollama pull llama3.2
OLLAMA_HOST=0.0.0.0:11434 ollama serve

Run ./scripts/docker/setup.sh again and choose Ollama during onboarding. Use http://host.docker.internal:11434 as the base URL. Do not append /v1.

📋 Useful Docker Commands

bash

# View logs
docker compose logs -f openclaw-gateway

# Stop containers
docker compose down

# Update to latest version
export OPENCLAW_IMAGE="ghcr.io/openclaw/openclaw:latest"
./scripts/docker/setup.sh

# Run a CLI command
docker compose run --rm openclaw-cli status

# Remove all data (fresh start)
docker compose down -v

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📋 Prerequisites

Quick Start

Docker Compose (Recommended)

With Local LLM (Ollama)

📋 Useful Docker Commands

📖 Related Tutorials

Docker Compose Multi-Container

Kubernetes