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Raspberry Pi

docs/install/raspberry-pi.md

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Run a persistent, always-on OpenClaw Gateway on a Raspberry Pi. Since the Pi is just the gateway (models run in the cloud via API), even a modest Pi handles the workload well.

Prerequisites

  • Raspberry Pi 4 or 5 with 2 GB+ RAM (4 GB recommended)
  • MicroSD card (16 GB+) or USB SSD (better performance)
  • Official Pi power supply
  • Network connection (Ethernet or WiFi)
  • 64-bit Raspberry Pi OS (required -- do not use 32-bit)
  • About 30 minutes

Setup

<Steps> <Step title="Flash the OS"> Use **Raspberry Pi OS Lite (64-bit)** -- no desktop needed for a headless server. 
1. Download [Raspberry Pi Imager](https://www.raspberrypi.com/software/).
2. Choose OS: **Raspberry Pi OS Lite (64-bit)**.
3. In the settings dialog, pre-configure:
   - Hostname: `gateway-host`
   - Enable SSH
   - Set username and password
   - Configure WiFi (if not using Ethernet)
4. Flash to your SD card or USB drive, insert it, and boot the Pi.
</Step> <Step title="Connect via SSH"> ```bash ssh user@gateway-host ``` </Step> <Step title="Update the system"> ```bash sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y sudo apt install -y git curl build-essential 
# Set timezone (important for cron and reminders)
sudo timedatectl set-timezone America/Chicago
```
</Step> <Step title="Install Node.js 24"> ```bash curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_24.x | sudo -E bash - sudo apt install -y nodejs node --version ``` </Step> <Step title="Add swap (important for 2 GB or less)"> ```bash sudo fallocate -l 2G /swapfile sudo chmod 600 /swapfile sudo mkswap /swapfile sudo swapon /swapfile echo '/swapfile none swap sw 0 0' | sudo tee -a /etc/fstab 
# Reduce swappiness for low-RAM devices
echo 'vm.swappiness=10' | sudo tee -a /etc/sysctl.conf
sudo sysctl -p
```
</Step> <Step title="Install OpenClaw"> ```bash curl -fsSL https://openclaw.ai/install.sh | bash ``` </Step> <Step title="Run onboarding"> ```bash openclaw onboard --install-daemon ``` 
Follow the wizard. API keys are recommended over OAuth for headless devices. Telegram is the easiest channel to start with.
</Step> <Step title="Verify"> ```bash openclaw status systemctl --user status openclaw-gateway.service journalctl --user -u openclaw-gateway.service -f ``` </Step> <Step title="Access the Control UI"> On your computer, get a dashboard URL from the Pi: 
```bash
ssh user@gateway-host 'openclaw dashboard --no-open'
```

Then create an SSH tunnel in another terminal:

```bash
ssh -N -L 18789:127.0.0.1:18789 user@gateway-host
```

Open the printed URL in your local browser. For always-on remote access, see [Tailscale integration](/gateway/tailscale).
</Step> </Steps>

Performance tips

Use a USB SSD -- SD cards are slow and wear out. A USB SSD dramatically improves performance. See the Pi USB boot guide.

Enable module compile cache -- Speeds up repeated CLI invocations on lower-power Pi hosts:

bash
grep -q 'NODE_COMPILE_CACHE=/var/tmp/openclaw-compile-cache' ~/.bashrc || cat >> ~/.bashrc <<'EOF' # pragma: allowlist secret
export NODE_COMPILE_CACHE=/var/tmp/openclaw-compile-cache
mkdir -p /var/tmp/openclaw-compile-cache
export OPENCLAW_NO_RESPAWN=1
EOF
source ~/.bashrc

Reduce memory usage -- For headless setups, free GPU memory and disable unused services:

bash
echo 'gpu_mem=16' | sudo tee -a /boot/config.txt
sudo systemctl disable bluetooth

Troubleshooting

Out of memory -- Verify swap is active with free -h. Disable unused services (sudo systemctl disable cups bluetooth avahi-daemon). Use API-based models only.

Slow performance -- Use a USB SSD instead of an SD card. Check for CPU throttling with vcgencmd get_throttled (should return 0x0).

Service will not start -- Check logs with journalctl --user -u openclaw-gateway.service --no-pager -n 100 and run openclaw doctor --non-interactive. If this is a headless Pi, also verify lingering is enabled: sudo loginctl enable-linger "$(whoami)".

ARM binary issues -- If a skill fails with "exec format error", check whether the binary has an ARM64 build. Verify architecture with uname -m (should show aarch64).

WiFi drops -- Disable WiFi power management: sudo iwconfig wlan0 power off.

Next steps