Developer Guide
OpenClaw on GitHub: The Official Repo, License, and How to Run It
The official OpenClaw source lives at github.com/openclaw/openclaw. This guide covers what is in the repository, what the license lets you do, the three ways to get OpenClaw running from it, and when a managed host saves you the work. If you are after Hermes Agent instead, its repo is linked below too.
openclaw/openclaw, written in TypeScript, and the latest tagged release is v2026.9.6. Release numbers move weekly, so read the Releases page rather than this line before pinning anything.Where the official repo is
OpenClaw is published by the openclaw GitHub organization at github.com/openclaw/openclaw. The project is stewarded by the OpenClaw Foundation, which employs the core team and signs releases. Its website is openclaw.ai and the documentation is at docs.openclaw.ai.
Popular projects attract lookalike forks and repackaged installers. The organization name is the check that matters: openclaw/openclaw, not a personal account with a similar repo name.
What you get from the repository
- The Gateway and CLI source — the local control plane for sessions, tools, and channel connections, plus the
openclawcommand. - The Control UI — the browser dashboard you chat with and configure from.
- Channel integrations — WhatsApp, Telegram, Slack, Discord, Google Chat, Signal, iMessage, and more.
- Releases — tagged versions with changelogs. See OpenClaw releases for a readable summary.
- Issues and discussions — the place to report bugs in OpenClaw itself.
Community skills are discovered through ClawHub rather than the main repo. And if you want your agent to work with GitHub (open PRs, manage issues), that is a different topic, covered in the GitHub skill guide.
License
The LICENSE file is the MIT License, copyright the OpenClaw Foundation. GitHub’s license detection does not currently label it, but the text is standard MIT. You can run, modify, fork, and self-host it, including for commercial use, as long as the copyright notice travels with it. The project states it has no paid tier or token. Running it is free; the models you connect are not. See Is OpenClaw free? for what self-hosting actually costs.
Three ways to run it from GitHub
1. The official installer, which provisions a supported Node.js runtime if needed and starts onboarding:
# macOS / Linux / WSL2
curl -fsSL https://openclaw.ai/install.sh | bash2. The published npm package, if you already manage Node.js (the README asks for Node 24.16+ or 26.1+):
npm install -g openclaw@latest --allow-scripts=openclaw
openclaw onboard --install-daemonOn npm 11.15 and earlier, drop --allow-scripts=openclaw.
3. Build from source, for contributing or testing unreleased changes. The repo is a pnpm workspace, and plain npm install at the root is not supported:
git clone https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw.git
cd openclaw
pnpm install
pnpm build
pnpm ui:buildBuilding main gives you whatever merged last. For anything other people depend on, check out a release tag. Docker and other deployment paths are covered in OpenClaw with Docker and Install OpenClaw.
Hermes Agent lives in a different repo
Hermes Agent is often searched alongside OpenClaw, but it is a separate project: Nous Research publishes it at github.com/NousResearch/hermes-agent. It is written in Python rather than TypeScript, is also MIT-licensed, and uses its own ~/.hermes/config.yaml instead of OpenClaw’s openclaw.json. Config from one does not paste into the other. The Hermes Agent GitHub guide covers its repo, releases, and install path.
Source vs managed hosting
| Run from GitHub | OpenClaw Launch | |
|---|---|---|
| Setup | Install, onboard, provision a server, keep it online | Deploy from the dashboard |
| Version | You choose and test each tag | Pinned, tested release |
| Exposure and TLS | Your reverse proxy and security review | HTTPS and pairing handled |
| Frameworks | One install per framework | OpenClaw or Hermes Agent from one account |
| Control | Full: patch the source, run any branch | Config and skills, not the source |
Self-hosting from GitHub is the right call if you want to modify the code, run on your own hardware, or keep everything local. If you just want a working bot on Telegram or WhatsApp, a managed host removes the server work.
Reporting bugs
File OpenClaw bugs on the upstream issue tracker with your version, the relevant config (tokens removed), and the full error. Problems specific to a bot hosted on OpenClaw Launch, such as deploys, billing, or the Connect Platforms screen, go to [email protected] instead.
OpenClaw GitHub FAQ
What is the official OpenClaw GitHub repository?
It is github.com/openclaw/openclaw, under the openclaw organization. The project website is openclaw.ai and the docs live at docs.openclaw.ai. Forks and mirrors with similar names exist, so check the organization name before you clone or install anything.
Is OpenClaw open source, and under what license?
Yes. The repository’s LICENSE file is the MIT License, copyright the OpenClaw Foundation. GitHub may not label it as MIT in the sidebar because of how it detects license files, but the text itself is MIT. You can use, modify, and self-host it, including commercially.
Do I need to clone the repo to use OpenClaw?
No. Most people use the official installer or the published npm package. Cloning is for contributing or running unreleased code. The repo is a pnpm workspace, so a plain npm install at the root is not supported.
Where is Hermes Agent on GitHub?
Hermes Agent is a separate project by Nous Research at github.com/NousResearch/hermes-agent. It is written in Python and also MIT-licensed. See the Hermes Agent GitHub guide for its repo layout and release tags.
Is OpenClaw Launch the same as the OpenClaw project?
No. OpenClaw is developed by the OpenClaw Foundation. OpenClaw Launch is an independent hosting service that runs pinned, tested releases of OpenClaw and Hermes Agent in managed containers. Bugs in OpenClaw itself belong on the upstream issue tracker; hosting issues go to our support.