Fix Windows-Specific OpenClaw Issues

Windows Auto-Fix

Our Config Wizard automatically fixes Windows path escaping and other Windows-specific issues.

Generate Windows-Compatible Config

Top Windows Issues

1. Path Escaping Errors

Most common Windows issue. Backslashes in paths must be doubled.

❌ Wrong

"workDir": "C:\Users\name\project"

Causes JSON parse error

✅ Correct

"workDir": "C:\\Users\\name\\project"

Valid JSON

2. PowerShell Execution Policy

You might see: cannot be loaded because running scripts is disabled

PowerShell (Admin)

Set-ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Scope CurrentUser

3. Windows Defender Firewall

Port 3000 might be blocked by default.

Steps to Allow Port 3000:

1. Open Windows Defender Firewall
2. Click "Advanced settings"
3. Click "Inbound Rules" → "New Rule"
4. Select "Port" → Next
5. Enter 3000 → Next
6. Select "Allow the connection" → Finish

4. Node.js Not Found

After installing Node.js, you might need to restart your terminal.

PowerShell

node --version

If still not found, add Node.js to PATH manually:

1. Search "Environment Variables" in Windows
2. Edit "Path" under System Variables
3. Add C:\Program Files\nodejs\
4. Restart terminal

5. Docker Desktop Not Starting

Requires WSL 2 on Windows 10/11.

PowerShell (Admin)

wsl --install

Then restart your computer and start Docker Desktop.

6. npm ENOENT on First Install

If you get npm error code ENOENT when running the install script for the first time:

Fix: Run as Administrator

# Right-click PowerShell → "Run as Administrator", then:
npm.cmd install -g openclaw@latest

If that doesn't work, check your npm global directory exists:

Check npm Global Prefix

npm prefix -g
# The directory shown must exist. If it doesn't:
mkdir "$(npm prefix -g)"

Windows-Specific Best Practices

Use PowerShell, not CMD

Better Unicode support and modern features

Install Windows Terminal

Improved terminal experience from Microsoft Store

Use forward slashes when possible

Works in most Node.js contexts: "C:/Users/name"

Run as Administrator for first install

Avoids permission issues

Quick Diagnostic

Run our Local Doctor to check for Windows-specific issues:

Diagnostic

npx clawkit-doctor@latest

Seeing Other Errors Too?

Windows issues often come with these related problems:

PowerShell Scripts Blocked

PSSecurityException on npm commands

spawn git ENOENT

Git not installed or not in PATH

Windows Gateway Errors

Zombie processes, crash loops, EBUSY

JSON Parse Errors

Backslash escaping in config files

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