Quickstart#

Alpha software

NemoClaw is in alpha, available as an early preview since March 16, 2026. APIs, configuration schemas, and runtime behavior are subject to breaking changes between releases. Do not use this software in production environments. File issues and feedback through the GitHub repository as the project continues to stabilize.

Follow these steps to get started with NemoClaw and your first sandboxed OpenClaw agent.

Prerequisites#

Before getting started, check the prerequisites to ensure you have the necessary software and hardware to run NemoClaw.

Hardware#

Resource	Minimum	Recommended
CPU	4 vCPU	4+ vCPU
RAM	8 GB	16 GB
Disk	20 GB free	40 GB free

The sandbox image is approximately 2.4 GB compressed. During image push, the Docker daemon, k3s, and the OpenShell gateway run alongside the export pipeline, which buffers decompressed layers in memory. On machines with less than 8 GB of RAM, this combined usage can trigger the OOM killer. If you cannot add memory, configuring at least 8 GB of swap can work around the issue at the cost of slower performance.

Software#

Dependency	Version
Node.js	22.16 or later
npm	10 or later
Platform	See below

Warning

OpenShell lifecycle For NemoClaw-managed environments, use nemoclaw onboard when you need to create or recreate the OpenShell gateway or sandbox. Avoid openshell self-update, npm update -g openshell, openshell gateway start --recreate, or openshell sandbox create directly unless you intend to manage OpenShell separately and then rerun nemoclaw onboard.

Container Runtimes#

The following table lists tested platform and runtime combinations. Availability is not limited to these entries, but untested configurations may have issues.

OS	Container runtime	Status	Notes
Linux	Docker	Tested	Primary tested path.
macOS (Apple Silicon)	Colima, Docker Desktop	Tested with limitations	Install Xcode Command Line Tools (`xcode-select --install`) and start the runtime before running the installer.
DGX Spark	Docker	Tested	Use the standard installer and `nemoclaw onboard`.
Windows WSL2	Docker Desktop (WSL backend)	Tested with limitations	Requires WSL2 with Docker Desktop backend.

Install NemoClaw and Onboard OpenClaw Agent#

Download and run the installer script. The script installs Node.js if it is not already present, then runs the guided onboard wizard to create a sandbox, configure inference, and apply security policies.

Note

NemoClaw creates a fresh OpenClaw instance inside the sandbox during the onboarding process.

curl -fsSL https://www.nvidia.com/nemoclaw.sh | bash

If you use nvm or fnm to manage Node.js, the installer may not update your current shell’s PATH. If nemoclaw is not found after install, run source ~/.bashrc (or source ~/.zshrc for zsh) or open a new terminal.

Note

The onboard flow builds the sandbox image with NEMOCLAW_DISABLE_DEVICE_AUTH=1 so the dashboard is immediately usable during setup. This is a build-time setting baked into the sandbox image, not a runtime knob. If you export NEMOCLAW_DISABLE_DEVICE_AUTH after onboarding finishes, it has no effect on an existing sandbox.

When the install completes, a summary confirms the running environment:

──────────────────────────────────────────────────
Sandbox      my-assistant (Landlock + seccomp + netns)
Model        nvidia/nemotron-3-super-120b-a12b (NVIDIA Endpoints)
──────────────────────────────────────────────────
Run:         nemoclaw my-assistant connect
Status:      nemoclaw my-assistant status
Logs:        nemoclaw my-assistant logs --follow
──────────────────────────────────────────────────

[INFO]  === Installation complete ===

Chat with the Agent#

Connect to the sandbox, then chat with the agent through the TUI or the CLI.

nemoclaw my-assistant connect

In the sandbox shell, open the OpenClaw terminal UI and start a chat:

openclaw tui

Alternatively, send a single message and print the response:

openclaw agent --agent main --local -m "hello" --session-id test

Uninstall#

To remove NemoClaw and all resources created during setup, run the uninstall script:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/NVIDIA/NemoClaw/refs/heads/main/uninstall.sh | bash

Flag	Effect
`--yes`	Skip the confirmation prompt.
`--keep-openshell`	Leave the `openshell` binary installed.
`--delete-models`	Also remove NemoClaw-pulled Ollama models.

For troubleshooting installation or onboarding issues, see the Troubleshooting guide.

Next Steps#

Switch inference providers to use a different model or endpoint.
Approve or deny network requests when the agent tries to reach external hosts.
Customize the network policy to pre-approve trusted domains.
Deploy to a remote GPU instance for always-on operation.
Monitor sandbox activity through the OpenShell TUI.

Reconfigure or Recover#

Recover from a misconfigured sandbox without re-running the full onboard wizard or destroying workspace state.

Change inference model or API#

Change the active model or provider at runtime without rebuilding the sandbox:

$ openshell inference set -g nemoclaw -m <model> -p <provider>

See Switch inference providers for provider-specific model IDs and API compatibility notes.

Reset a stored credential#

If an API key was entered incorrectly during onboarding, clear the stored value and re-enter it on the next onboard run:

$ nemoclaw credentials list           # see which keys are stored
$ nemoclaw credentials reset <KEY>    # clear a single key, e.g. NVIDIA_API_KEY
$ nemoclaw onboard                    # re-run to re-enter the cleared key

The credentials command is documented in full at Commands → nemoclaw credentials reset.

Rebuild a sandbox while preserving workspace state#

If you changed the underlying Dockerfile, upgraded OpenClaw, or want to pick up a new base image without losing your sandbox’s workspace files, use rebuild instead of destroying and recreating:

$ nemoclaw <sandbox-name> rebuild

Rebuild preserves the mounted workspace and registered policies while recreating the container. See Commands → nemoclaw <name> rebuild for flag details.

Add a network preset after onboarding#

Apply an additional preset (e.g. Telegram, GitHub) to a running sandbox without re-onboarding:

$ nemoclaw <sandbox-name> policy-add

See Commands → nemoclaw <name> policy-add for usage details and flags.

Troubleshooting#

If you run into issues during installation or onboarding, refer to the Troubleshooting guide for common error messages and resolution steps.