Guide
OpenClaw with Colima: macOS Containers Without Docker Desktop
Colima runs Linux containers on a Mac through a lightweight Lima VM and speaks the same Docker API, so the docker commands you already know keep working. It is free, open source and terminal-first. If you want to self-host an OpenClaw agent on a Mac without installing Docker Desktop, this is the path — and there is one default that will bite you.
Why People Switch
Under the hood both tools do the same thing: spin up a Linux VM and expose the Docker API to your Mac. The differences are everything around that.
| Colima | Docker Desktop | |
|---|---|---|
| Interface | Command line only | Full GUI |
| Cost | Free and open source | Free personally; paid subscription for larger companies |
| Footprint | Lighter — reported around half the idle memory | Heavier, always-running desktop app |
| Kubernetes | k3s, starts faster and uses less memory | Built in, heavier |
| Docker CLI | Installed separately | Bundled |
The licensing change Docker made in 2022 is what pushed most teams to look, and published benchmarks on Apple Silicon put Colima meaningfully ahead on container start time and idle memory. Treat those figures as directional — the honest summary is that Colima is lighter and quieter, and gives up the GUI.
Install
Colima does not bundle the Docker client, so install both. This is the first thing people miss, and it presents as command not found: docker after a seemingly successful setup:
brew install colima dockerStart It With Enough Memory
Here is the gotcha. Colima defaults to a VM with 2 CPUs and 2GB of memory. OpenClaw wants at least 2GB for its container alone — so on the default VM there is nothing left for the guest OS, and the container gets out-of-memory killed. The symptom is an agent that starts, runs briefly, and dies with no useful error.
colima start --cpu 4 --memory 8 --disk 100Four CPUs and 8GB is a comfortable size for one agent with room for the browser tools. Disk can be grown later without rebuilding the VM; CPU and memory changes need a colima stop and colima start with the new values.
Confirm the Docker socket is live before going further:
colima status
docker psRun OpenClaw
From here nothing is Colima-specific — it is the standard Docker workflow, so the full OpenClaw Docker guide applies exactly as written:
docker run -d --name openclaw \
--memory=2g --memory-swap=3g \
-v ~/openclaw:/home/node/.openclaw \
-p 18789:18789 \
ghcr.io/openclaw/openclaw:latestThen open the gateway at http://localhost:18789. Note the memory maths: the container asks for 2GB out of the VM you sized above, which is why the 8GB VM matters. Config and channel setup are covered in the setup guide, and installing OpenClaw on Mac covers the non-container routes.
Things Worth Knowing
- Colima does not start at login by default. After a reboot the VM is down and your agent is with it. For an assistant that is supposed to be always on, this is the fundamental limitation of the whole approach.
- Volume mounts cross a VM boundary. Heavy file I/O against a mounted Mac directory is slower than the same work inside the VM's own filesystem.
- The VM sleeps when your Mac does. A closed laptop is an offline agent, and messages sent meanwhile are missed rather than queued.
- Stopping is not deleting.
colima stopkeeps the VM and your containers;colima deleteremoves it and anything not on a mounted volume.
FAQ
Do I need Docker Desktop to run OpenClaw on a Mac?
No. Colima provides the same Docker API through a Lima VM, and every OpenClaw Docker command works unchanged. Install the Docker CLI alongside it with brew install colima docker.
Why does my OpenClaw container keep dying on Colima?
Almost always the default VM size. Colima starts with 2GB of memory and OpenClaw wants 2GB for its container alone, so it is killed once the guest OS takes its share. Recreate the VM with colima start --cpu 4 --memory 8.
Is Colima faster than Docker Desktop?
On Apple Silicon, published benchmarks report faster container starts and roughly half the idle memory use. The bigger practical win is that nothing is running when you are not using it.
Will my agent stay online with Colima?
Only while your Mac is awake and Colima is started — it does not launch at boot by default. For continuous availability, host the agent somewhere that stays on.