Troubleshooting

This usually happens on macOS/Linux when npm's global directory isn't writable. Solutions:

Option 1: Use sudo (not recommended)

sudo npm install -g clawdbot

Option 2: Fix npm permissions (recommended)

mkdir ~/.npm-global
npm config set prefix '~/.npm-global'
export PATH=~/.npm-global/bin:$PATH

Add the export line to your ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc.

OpenClaw (Moltbot) requires Node.js 18+. Check your version:

node --version

If outdated, update via nodejs.org or use nvm:

nvm install 20
nvm use 20

Common causes and fixes:

• QR code expired: Run clawd onboard again to get a fresh code
• Phone offline: Ensure your phone has internet access
• WhatsApp Web limit: Disconnect other WhatsApp Web sessions
• Session corrupted: Delete ~/.config/openclaw/whatsapp-session and reconnect

Verify your bot token:

clawd config get telegram.token

If incorrect, update it:

clawd config set telegram.token YOUR_BOT_TOKEN

Make sure you've started a conversation with your bot on Telegram first.

If you see "Invalid API key" or "Authentication failed":

1. Verify your API key at the provider's dashboard (Anthropic/OpenAI)
2. Check for extra spaces or newlines in the key
3. Ensure your account has available credits
4. Update the key: clawd config set ai.apiKey YOUR_KEY

OpenClaw (Moltbot) caches context for faster responses. To reduce memory:

• Reduce context window size in config
• Clear old chat history: clawd memory clear --older-than 30d
• Restart OpenClaw (Moltbot) periodically

Response time depends on your AI provider. Tips:

• Use a faster model (e.g., Claude Haiku instead of Opus)
• Check your internet connection
• Consider using Groq for faster inference
• Run a local model with Ollama for lowest latency