Windows 10, error on installation | Friends of the Crustacean 🦞🤝 | Page 1

leaden laurel Feb 14, 2026, 5:45 AM

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[OK] Windows detected
[1 Existing OpenClaw installation detected
[OK] Node. js v22.22.0 found
[] Installing OpenClaw (openclaw@latest)...
node. exe : npm error code 1
At line:1 char:1

& "C: \Program Files\nodejs/node.exe" "C: \Program Files\nodejs/node_mo ...

CategoryInfo
: NotSpecified: (npm error code 1:String) [], RemoteException

FullyQualifiedErrorId: NativeCommandError

halcyon oceanBOT Feb 14, 2026, 5:45 AM

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pseudo vergeBOT Feb 14, 2026, 5:47 AM

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That snippet is basically just PowerShell telling you: “npm exited with code 1” (NativeCommandError). The real reason is a few lines further down in the output (the lines that start with npm ERR!) or inside npm’s log file.

1) Can you paste the actual npm error?

Please re-run just the install step in PowerShell and paste the last ~50 lines (especially npm ERR!):

npm i -g openclaw@latest --loglevel verbose

Also paste the log path npm prints (it’s usually under):
%LOCALAPPDATA%\npm-cache\_logs\...

Without that, we can only guess.

2) Two common Windows causes (quick checks)

If you see spawn git ENOENT / “git not found”: install Git for Windows + reopen PowerShell.
Docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai/help/faq#windows-install-says-git-not-found-or-openclaw-not-recognized

#

If it’s a permissions / old broken global install situation, try:

npm uninstall -g openclaw
npm cache clean --force
npm i -g openclaw@latest

3) If you just want the smoothest path on Windows 10

OpenClaw is strongly recommended via WSL2 (native Windows is more fragile / less tested).
Guide: https://docs.openclaw.ai/platforms/windows

If you paste the npm ERR! block (or the log), I can tell you exactly which of the above it is (git, node-gyp/build tools, proxy/TLS, permissions, etc.).

leaden laurel Feb 14, 2026, 6:47 AM

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npm error code npm
error
npm
errori
path C: \Users\home2 \AppData \Roaming\npm\node_moduleslopenclaw\node_modules\node-11ama-cpp
command failed
npm
error
npm
error
command C: \WINDOWS\system32\cmd.exe /d /s /c node ./dist/cli/cli.js postinstall
error
[node-11ama-cpp] Cloning 11ama. cpp
прт
error
*[[3251[node-11ama-cpp] Cloning ggml-org/11ama.cpp (local bundle)
npm
error
^[[2K^[[1A^[[2K^[[G[node-11ama-cpp]
прт
error
^[[2K^[[1A^[[2K^[[G[node-11ama-cpp]
CLoning gog/llama.cpp (local bundle)
npm
^[[2К^[[1A^[[2K^[[G[node-11ama-cpp]
Cloning ggml-org/11ama.cpp (local bundle)
error
13%
Cloning ggml-org/llama.cpp(local bundle)
прт
error
прт
error
16%
^L[2К^[[1A^[[2K^[[1A^[[2K^[[G[node-11ama-cpp] Cloning ggml-org/llama.cpP(local bundle)
прт
error error 17%
^[2K^LA^[2К^[[1А^[[2K^[[G[node-11ama-cpp] cloning ggm1-org/11ama.cpp (local bundle)
прт
npm
error error 18%
^[2К^[[1А^[[2К^[[1A^[[2K^[[G[node-11ama-cpp] Cloning ggm1-org/llama.cpp (local bundle)
error
npm
error 19%
npm
error error
^[[2К^[[1A^[[2K^[[1A^[[2K^[[G[node-11ama-cpp] Cloning ggml-org/llama.cpp (Local bundle)
20%
error
прт
error 21%
npm
^[2К^[[1А^[[2К^[[1A^[[2K^[[G[node-11ama-cpp] Cloning ggml-org/llama.cpp (local bundle)
error error 22%
npm
^[2К^[1А^[2К^[[1А^[[2К^[[G[node-11ama-cpp] cloningggml-org/llama.cpp(local bundle)
error
npm
error
^L[2К^[[1A^[[2K^[[1A^[[2K^[[G[node-11ama-cpp] cloning (local bundle)

pseudo vergeBOT Feb 14, 2026, 6:49 AM

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That log is failing inside node-llama-cpp’s postinstall (it’s the local-LLM / llama.cpp binding). The ^[[2K... junk is just the progress bar escape codes — the important bit is:

npm error path ...\node_modules\node-llama-cpp
node ./dist/cli/cli.js postinstall
[node-llama-cpp] Cloning ggml-org/llama.cpp (local bundle) ...

On native Windows, that dependency often fails later when it tries to download/build tooling (cmake / build tools), or when Windows blocks/locks files.

Best fix (recommended): use WSL2 (Windows-supported path)

OpenClaw’s docs strongly recommend running on Windows via WSL2 (Ubuntu):
https://docs.openclaw.ai/platforms/windows

That avoids most of these native-Windows build/download issues.

If you want to keep going on native Windows: I need the next error lines

Your paste cuts off during the clone progress (22%). The real error is after that (often something like “Failed to download cmake”, “cmake not found”, permissions/EPERM, or similar).

#

Can you paste either:

the last ~50 lines after it stops, or
the npm debug log path it prints (usually under C:\Users\<you>\AppData\Local\npm-cache\_logs\...) and paste the bottom of that file.

Two quick things that frequently fix this on native Windows

While you grab the log, these are the common wins:

Make sure Git is installed + on PATH (even if it says “local bundle”, it still often needs git tooling):

Docs section: https://docs.openclaw.ai/help/faq#windows-install-says-git-not-found-or-openclaw-not-recognized

Clear npm cache and retry (corrupted cache can cause weird install failures):

npm cache clean --force
npm i -g openclaw@latest

Send the tail of the npm log and I’ll tell you exactly which bucket this falls into (git missing, cmake download blocked, Windows permissions/AV locking, long paths, etc.).

leaden laurel Feb 14, 2026, 6:51 AM

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npm
error 100%
nom error
^[2K^[1A^[2К^[[1A^[[2К^[[G[node-11ama-cpp] / Cloned ggml-org/11ama.cpp (local bundle)
pm error
^TT?25h[node-11ama-cpp] + Downloading cmake
npm error
[node-1lama-cpp] × Failed to download cmake
pm error
[node-11ama-cpp] Failed to load a prebuilt binary for platform "win" "x64", falling back to building from source. Error: Error: The specified module could not
be found.
npm
1121C: \Users\home \AppData \Roaming\pm\node_modules\openclaw\node_modules@node-11ama-cpp\win-x64\bins\win-x64\11ama-addon.node
npm
at Object..node (node: internal/modules/cjs/loader:1865:18)
прт
error
at Module. load (node: internal/modules/cjs/loader:1441:32)
npm
error
at Function._load (node: internal/modules/cjs/loader:1263:12)
npm
at TracingChannel.traceSync (node:diagnostics_channel:328:14)
прт
at wrapModuleLoad (node: internal/modules/cjs/loader:237:24)
npm error
at Module.require (node:internal/modules/cjs/loader:1463:12)
npm error
at require (node: internal/modules/helpers:147:16)
прт
error
at
LoadBindingModule (file:///C:/Users/home2/AppData/Roaming/npm/node_modules/openclaw/node_modules/node-11ama-cpp/dist/bindings/getLlama.js:493:25)
t loadExistingLlamaBinary (file:///C:/Users/home2/AppData/Roaming/npm/node_modules/openclaw/node_modules/node-11ama-cpp/dist/bindings/getL1ama.js:371:37
error
at async getllamaForoptions (file:///C:/Users/home2/AppData/Roaming/npm/node_modules/openclaw/node_modules/node-11ama-cpp/dist/bindings/getLlama.js:286:27
) €
npm
error
code: "ERR_DLOPEN_FAILED'
npm error 3
pm error ^[[?251^[[225h xpm" is not recognized as an internal or external command, pm error operable program or batch file. npm error
[node-11ama-cpp] Failed to build 11ama.cpp with no GPU support. Error: SpawnError: Command pm --yes--xpm@^e.16.3 install @xpack-dev-tools/cmake@latest

#

npm error
t ChildProcess.<anonymous› (file:///C:/Users/home2/AppData/Roaming/npm/node_modules/openclaw/node_modules/node-11ama-cpp/dist/utils/spawnCommand.js:47:2
npm error
at ChildProcess.emit (node: events: 519:28)
npm error
at cp.emit (C: \Users \home2\AppData\Roaming\npm\node_modules\openclaw\node_modules\cross-spawn\lib\enoent.js:34:29)
npm error
at ChildProcess._handle.onexit (node: internal/child_process:293:12)
npm error SpawnError: Command npm exec --yes -- xpm@^e.16.3 install @xpack-dev-tools/cmake@latest --no-save exited with code 1 npm
at createrror (file:///C:/Users/home2/AppData/Roaming/npm/node_modules/openclaw/node_modules/node-11ama-cpp/dist/utils/spawnCommand.js:34:20)
пр error
at ChildProcess. <anonymous› (file:///C:/Users/home2/AppData/Roaming/npm/node_modules/openclaw/node_modules/node-11ama-cpp/dist/utils/spawnCommand.js:47:24
npm error
at ChildProcess.emit (node: events: 519; 28)
npmerror
at cp.emit (C: \Users\home2 \AppData\Roaming\npm\node_modules\openclaw\node_modules\cross-spawn\11b\enoent.js: 34:29)
npm error
at ChildProcess.
handle.onexit (node: internal/child_process: 293:12)
how error A
complete log of this run can be
found in: C; \Users\home2\AppData\Local\npm-cache_1ogs\2026-02-14T06_39_14_420Z-debug-0.1og
10:48 PM

pseudo vergeBOT Feb 14, 2026, 6:53 AM

#

Yep — this is not OpenClaw itself failing, it’s node-llama-cpp (local llama.cpp bindings) getting pulled in during install and then its postinstall blows up:

Failed to download cmake
xpm is not recognized ...
then it tries to build from source and dies.

This happens a lot on native Windows (network blocks to GitHub releases, missing build/runtime deps, etc.). OpenClaw on Windows is recommended via WSL2 for exactly this reason: https://docs.openclaw.ai/platforms/windows

Option A (recommended): install in WSL2

Follow the WSL2 guide above (Ubuntu), then run the normal Linux steps inside WSL.

Option B (native Windows workaround): install OpenClaw without the peer deps

node-llama-cpp is a peer dependency (optional feature for local models). You can install OpenClaw while skipping peer deps:

npm uninstall -g openclaw

#

npm i -g openclaw@latest --legacy-peer-deps

After that, check:

openclaw --version

This should get you installed, but local model support via llama.cpp won’t work (until you separately fix node-llama-cpp on Windows).

If you specifically want local llama.cpp on native Windows

Then you’ll need to fix the underlying Windows toolchain/download issue (CMake/tooling download blocked, or missing MSVC runtime). The fastest “usual suspect” is installing Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable 2015–2022 (x64) and ensuring your network/AV isn’t blocking GitHub release downloads.

If you try Option B and it works, tell me and we’ll decide whether you even need node-llama-cpp on that machine.

#

Got it — the install is failing specifically in node-llama-cpp (the optional local-LLM / llama.cpp binding), not in OpenClaw itself.

Your key lines:

[node-llama-cpp] ✖ Failed to download cmake
“xpm” is not recognized as an internal or external command
then it tries to build from source and dies
plus ERR_DLOPEN_FAILED / “The specified module could not be found” when loading llama-addon.node

Recommended fix (Windows): use WSL2

OpenClaw on Windows is recommended via WSL2 (Ubuntu), because native Windows tends to hit exactly these build/tooling issues:
https://docs.openclaw.ai/platforms/windows

Fast workaround (stay on native Windows): install OpenClaw without peer deps

node-llama-cpp is a peer dependency (optional), but npm tries to auto-install peer deps by default. You can skip it:

#Windows 10, error on installation