Install failed: clawhub (exit 243) — npm error A complete log of this run can be found in: /home/node/.npm/_logs/2026-04-02T10_03_55_166Z-debug-0.log npm error code EACCES npm error syscall mkdir npm error path /usr/local/lib/node_modules/clawhub npm error errno -13 npm error Error: EACCES: permission denied, mkdir '/usr/local/lib/node_modules/clawhub' npm error at async mkdir (node:internal/fs/promises:856:10) npm error at async /usr/local/lib/node_modules/npm/node_modules/@npmcli/arborist/lib/arborist/reify.js:572:20 npm error at async Promise.allSettled (index 0) npm error at async #reifyPackages (/usr/local/lib/node_modules/npm/node_modules/@npmcli/arborist/lib/arborist/reify.js:309:11) npm error at async Arborist.reify (/usr/local/lib/node_modules/npm/node_modules/@npmcli/arborist/lib/arborist/reify.js:121:5) npm error at async Install.exec (/usr/local/lib/node_modules/npm/lib/commands/install.js:151:5) npm error at async Npm.exec (/usr/local/lib/node_modules/npm/lib/npm.js:208:9) npm error at async module.exports (/usr/local/lib/node_modules/npm/lib/cli/entry.js:67:5) { npm error errno: -13, npm error code: 'EACCES', npm error syscall: 'mkdir', npm error path: '/usr/local/lib/node_modules/clawhub' npm error } npm error npm error The operation was rejected by your operating system. npm error It is likely you do not have the permissions to access this file as the current user npm error npm error If you believe this might be a permissions issue, please double-check the npm error permissions of the file and its containing directories, or try running npm error the command again as root/Administrator. npm notice npm notice New minor version of npm available! 11.9.0 -> 11.12.1 npm notice Changelog: https://github.com/npm/cli/releases/tag/v11.12.1 npm notice To update run: npm install -g [email protected] npm notice npm error A complete log of this run can be found in: /home/node/.npm/_logs/2026-04-02T10_03_55_166Z-debug-0.log

TL;DR

The issue can likely be resolved by running the npm install command with elevated permissions or changing the ownership of the /usr/local/lib/node_modules directory.

Guidance

• The error message indicates a permission issue (EACCES) when trying to install dependencies using npm. This suggests that the user running the command does not have write access to the /usr/local/lib/node_modules directory.
• To verify the issue, check the permissions of the /usr/local/lib/node_modules directory and its containing directories.
• To mitigate the issue, try running the npm install command with elevated permissions using sudo or change the ownership of the /usr/local/lib/node_modules directory to the current user.
• Consider using a different directory for installing dependencies, such as a user-specific directory, to avoid permission issues.

Example

# Change ownership of the directory to the current user
sudo chown -R $USER:$USER /usr/local/lib/node_modules

# Alternatively, run the command with elevated permissions
sudo npm install

Notes

The issue may be specific to the openclaw images and the way they are configured. The solution may vary depending on the specific use case and requirements.

Recommendation

Apply workaround: Run the npm install command with elevated permissions or change the ownership of the /usr/local/lib/node_modules directory to avoid permission issues. This is a temporary solution until a more permanent fix can be implemented.