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Hosting

macOS VMs

  • Small Linux VPS for an always-on Gateway and low cost. See VPS hosting.
  • Dedicated hardware (Mac mini or Linux box) if you want full control and a residential IP for browser automation. Many sites block data center IPs, so local browsing often works better.
  • Hybrid: keep the Gateway on a cheap VPS, and connect your Mac as a node when you need browser/UI automation. See Nodes and Gateway remote.

Use a macOS VM only when you specifically need macOS-only capabilities such as iMessage, or want strict isolation from your daily Mac.

macOS VM options

Local VM on your Apple Silicon Mac (Lume)

Run OpenClaw in a sandboxed macOS VM on your existing Apple Silicon Mac using Lume. This gives you:

  • Full macOS environment in isolation (your host stays clean)
  • iMessage support via imsg; the default local path is impossible on Linux/Windows
  • Instant reset by cloning VMs
  • No extra hardware or cloud costs

Hosted Mac providers (cloud)

If you want macOS in the cloud, hosted Mac providers work too:

  • MacStadium (hosted Macs)
  • Other hosted Mac vendors also work; follow their VM + SSH docs

Once you have SSH access to a macOS VM, continue at Install OpenClaw below.

Quick path (Lume, experienced users)

  1. Install Lume.
  2. lume create openclaw --os macos --ipsw latest
  3. Complete Setup Assistant, enable Remote Login (SSH).
  4. lume run openclaw --no-display
  5. SSH in, install OpenClaw, configure channels.
  6. Done.

What you need (Lume)

  • Apple Silicon Mac (M1/M2/M3/M4)
  • macOS Sequoia or later on the host
  • ~60 GB free disk space per VM
  • ~20 minutes

1) Install Lume

bash
/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/trycua/cua/main/libs/lume/scripts/install.sh)"

If ~/.local/bin is not in your PATH:

bash
echo 'export PATH="$PATH:$HOME/.local/bin"' >> ~/.zshrc && source ~/.zshrc

Verify:

bash
lume --version

Docs: Lume Installation

2) Create the macOS VM

bash
lume create openclaw --os macos --ipsw latest

This downloads macOS and creates the VM. A VNC window opens automatically.

3) Complete Setup Assistant

In the VNC window:

  1. Select language and region.
  2. Skip Apple ID (or sign in if you want iMessage later).
  3. Create a user account (remember the username and password).
  4. Skip all optional features.

After setup completes:

  1. Enable SSH: System Settings -> General -> Sharing, enable "Remote Login".
  2. For headless VM use, enable auto-login: System Settings -> Users & Groups, select "Automatically log in as:", and choose the VM user.

4) Get the VM IP address

bash
lume get openclaw

Look for the IP address (usually 192.168.64.x).

5) SSH into the VM

bash
ssh youruser@192.168.64.X

Replace youruser with the account you created, and the IP with your VM's IP.

6) Install OpenClaw

A fresh macOS VM has no Node.js or npm. Inside the VM, run the installer script. It installs a supported Node runtime when needed, installs OpenClaw, and starts onboarding:

bash
curl -fsSL https://openclaw.ai/install.sh | bash

Follow the onboarding prompts to set up your model provider (Anthropic, OpenAI, etc.).

Quick start keeps the Gateway in the foreground of this terminal, but the VM will later run headless, so the Gateway needs to run as a background service. Press Ctrl+C to stop the foreground Gateway, then install the service and verify that it is running:

bash
openclaw gateway installopenclaw gateway status

If the VM already has Node 24.16+ or 26.1+, you can install the package directly instead. Use the following command on npm 12 or npm 11.16+. On npm 11.15 and earlier, omit --allow-scripts=openclaw.

bash
npm install -g openclaw@latest --allow-scripts=openclawopenclaw onboard --install-daemon

7) Configure channels

Keep the Telegram token in the Gateway environment rather than copying it into openclaw.json. Add TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN=<bot-token> to ~/.openclaw/.env, then load it in the current shell and add the channel:

bash
export TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN="<bot-token>"openclaw channels add --channel telegram --use-env

The managed Gateway reads the same state-directory .env after restart. For WhatsApp, configure your allowlist and then scan the login QR code:

bash
openclaw config set channels.whatsapp.dmPolicy allowlistopenclaw config set channels.whatsapp.allowFrom '["+15551234567"]' --strict-jsonopenclaw channels login --channel whatsapp

8) Run the VM headlessly

Stop the VM and restart without display:

bash
lume stop openclawlume run openclaw --no-display

The VM runs in the background; OpenClaw's daemon keeps the gateway running. To check status:

bash
ssh youruser@192.168.64.X "openclaw status"

Bonus: iMessage integration

This is the killer feature of running on macOS. Use iMessage with imsg to add Messages to OpenClaw.

Inside the VM:

  1. Sign in to Messages.
  2. Install imsg.
  3. Grant Full Disk Access and Automation permission for the process running OpenClaw/imsg.
  4. Verify RPC support with imsg rpc --help.

Add to your OpenClaw config:

json5
{  channels: {    imessage: {      enabled: true,      cliPath: "imsg",      dbPath: "~/Library/Messages/chat.db",    },  },}

Restart the gateway. Your agent can now send and receive iMessages. Full setup details: iMessage channel.

Save a golden image

Before customizing further, snapshot your clean state:

bash
lume stop openclawlume clone openclaw openclaw-golden

Reset anytime:

bash
lume stop openclaw && lume delete openclawlume clone openclaw-golden openclawlume run openclaw --no-display

Running 24/7

Keep the VM running by:

  • Keeping your Mac plugged in
  • Disabling sleep in System Settings -> Energy Saver
  • Using caffeinate if needed

For true always-on, consider a dedicated Mac mini or a small VPS. See VPS hosting.

Troubleshooting

Problem Solution
Cannot SSH into VM Check "Remote Login" is enabled in the VM's System Settings
VM IP not showing Wait for VM to fully boot, run lume get openclaw again
Lume command not found Add ~/.local/bin to your PATH
WhatsApp QR not scanning Ensure you are logged into the VM (not host) when running openclaw channels login
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