Installation Guide

Get NanoClaw Running

Lightweight TypeScript core, one install path. Clone, run claude, use /setup.

checklist System Requirements

javascript Node.js

Node.js 20+ (LTS recommended)

computer OS

macOS or Linux. Windows via WSL2 may work but is not officially supported.

memory RAM

512MB+ RAM. Lightweight runtime, no heavy compilation.

hard_drive Disk

~50MB installed (node_modules). Container image adds ~500MB.

extension Optional

Required: Apple Container (macOS) or Docker (macOS/Linux). Required: Claude Code CLI.

wifi Network

Internet required for Anthropic API calls. No offline mode.

Clone the repo and start with Claude CLI. Up and running in minutes.

bolt

One-Liner

Requires Claude CLI. All platforms.

$ git clone https://github.com/qwibitai/NanoClaw.git && cd NanoClaw && claude

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Step-by-Step

Clone first, then configure. More control.

$ git clone https://github.com/qwibitai/NanoClaw.git

$ cd NanoClaw && npm install

$ # Run claude and use /setup for guided configuration

$ # Or edit .env and src/index.ts directly

verified Verify Your Installation

Run these commands to confirm NanoClaw is installed correctly.

$ node -e "console.log(require('./package.json').version)"

Should print the installed version number.

$ npm test

Runs the test suite (vitest) to verify dependencies and core functionality.

$ claude

Opens Claude Code. Run /setup inside the session for guided configuration.

settings Initial Configuration

Claude Code handles setup via /setup. Here's what it configures.

Install Dependencies

Claude Code runs npm install and builds the container image (nanoclaw-agent:latest) with Chromium, agent-browser, and Claude Code pre-installed.

Authenticate

Set ANTHROPIC_API_KEY in .env, or authenticate via Claude Code OAuth. Secrets are passed to containers at runtime, never loaded into process.env.

Connect WhatsApp

Run 'npm run auth' to pair via QR code. WhatsApp is the built-in channel. Add Telegram, Discord, or Slack later via skills (/add-telegram, /add-discord, /add-slack).

Start the Agent

Run 'npm start' to launch NanoClaw. It connects to WhatsApp, starts the message polling loop, and begins processing messages in isolated containers.

.env — NanoClaw doesn't use configuration files. To make changes, tell Claude Code what you want. The codebase is small enough that Claude can safely modify it.

system_update_alt Upgrading NanoClaw

Keep NanoClaw up to date to get the latest features, integrations, and security patches.

Git + npm

$ cd NanoClaw && git pull && npm install

Docker

$ cd NanoClaw && git pull && docker compose up --build

Check the changelog at github.com/qwibitai/nanoclaw/releases for what's new in each version.

build Troubleshooting

Common issues and how to fix them.

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