TL;DR: Install Termux from F-Droid (not the Play Store), set up proot-distro Ubuntu inside it, then run the standard OpenClaw install. Set up wakelocks so Android doesn't kill it. Works on any phone with 4GB+ RAM. If you want something simpler, the AnyClaw app bundles everything into one install. Cloud APIs respond at normal speed. Local models are painfully slow on phone hardware.
I run OpenClaw on a phone I bought for $50. Not as a novelty. It handles my AI assistant setup when I'm away from my desk, processes messages through Telegram, and runs background tasks on a schedule.
One person in the community runs it on a $25 Moto G from Walmart. No issues.
Three ways to get openclaw android running, ranked from most to least flexible.
Method 1: Termux + proot-distro (the real setup)
This is what I use. Full OpenClaw gateway on your phone, same as running it on a VPS.
Get Termux from F-Droid
Do not install Termux from the Google Play Store. That version has been abandoned since 2020 and ships packages too old for OpenClaw. The F-Droid version gets regular updates and includes Node.js 22+.
- Install F-Droid from f-droid.org
- Open F-Droid, search "Termux"
- Install Termux and Termux:API (you'll need the API package for wakelocks)
Why proot-distro instead of raw Termux
Termux runs on Android's Bionic C library instead of the standard glibc. That causes compatibility issues with many Node.js native modules. The os.networkInterfaces() call, which OpenClaw uses during startup, returns unexpected results or fails on Bionic. Some npm packages with native C++ bindings also won't compile against Bionic headers.
proot-distro gives you a real Ubuntu environment inside Termux with glibc, apt, and the full Linux userspace. Native modules compile and run like they would on a VPS. The overhead is minimal because proot translates syscalls, it doesn't run a full VM.
Set up Ubuntu inside Termux
Open Termux and run:
pkg update && pkg install proot-distro
proot-distro install ubuntu
proot-distro login ubuntuNow you're in a real Ubuntu shell. Install Node.js 22:
curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_22.x | bash -
apt install -y nodejsInstall and run OpenClaw
Still inside the proot Ubuntu shell:
npm install -g openclaw@latest
openclaw onboardThe openclaw onboard command walks you through picking your first AI model, setting an API key, and creating your first agent. Takes about two minutes.
Start the gateway:
openclaw gateway --verboseThe --verbose flag prints connection logs to the terminal. Useful on a phone because you can see if the gateway is actually receiving requests or if Android killed the process silently.
Once the gateway is running, open http://127.0.0.1:18789 in your phone's browser to access the web dashboard. You can manage agents, add skills, and configure models from there.
Keep it alive (critical)
Android will kill OpenClaw within minutes if you don't set this up.
Wakelock: Prevents Android from sleeping the Termux process.
termux-wake-lockRun this in Termux (not inside the proot shell). You need to go back to the Termux layer for this. Open a new Termux session or exit proot first.
Battery optimization: Go to Settings > Battery > App battery usage > Termux, and set it to "Unrestricted." On some phones this is under Settings > Apps > Termux > Battery.
tmux: Lets the gateway survive if you accidentally close the Termux window.
# Inside proot Ubuntu:
apt install tmux
tmux new -s openclaw
openclaw gateway --verboseDetach with Ctrl+B then D. Reattach later with tmux attach -t openclaw.
Xiaomi, OPPO, Vivo, Huawei phones: These have aggressive manufacturer battery managers that override Android's standard settings. You need to find the manufacturer-specific battery management app (MIUI Battery Saver, ColorOS Battery Management, etc.) and whitelist Termux there too. Without this step, the gateway dies within an hour.
Method 2: AnyClaw app (the easy way)
AnyClaw bundles OpenClaw, Node.js, a Linux environment, and native Rust binaries into a single Android app. No Termux, no terminal commands.
Install AnyClaw from the Google Play Store (listed as "andClaw" in some regions) or from the official AnyClaw website. Open it. Configure your API key. Done.
The trade-off: less control. You can't customize the Node.js environment, install MCP servers, or tweak low-level settings the way you can with Termux. For basic chat and agent use, it works. For anything involving custom tooling, use Termux.
Method 3: direct Termux without proot (lightweight)
If you don't want the ~700MB storage overhead of proot-distro Ubuntu, you can try installing OpenClaw directly in Termux:
pkg update && pkg install nodejs-lts
npm install -g openclaw@latest --ignore-scriptsThe --ignore-scripts flag skips post-install compilation steps. Without it, node-llama-cpp tries to build from source via cmake, which takes 30+ minutes on a phone and usually fails on ARM toolchains. Leave the flag on unless you need local model inference.
This method works for some people. For others, compatibility issues from the Bionic C library make it unreliable. If you get errors about os.networkInterfaces() or sqlite3 native bindings, switch to Method 1 with proot-distro.
Phone-specific tuning
SOUL.md for shorter responses
On a phone screen, long AI responses are painful to scroll through. OpenClaw lets you drop a SOUL.md file in your agent's directory to control how it responds. For mobile use, add something like:
Keep responses under 3 sentences unless asked for detail.
Use short paragraphs. No bullet lists longer than 5 items.
When given a choice between brief and thorough, pick brief.
This cuts token usage too, which matters if you're paying per API call.
Tasker automation
DoneClaw published a guide on connecting OpenClaw to Tasker. The idea: trigger OpenClaw actions based on Android events. Your phone receives a calendar notification, Tasker fires a webhook to the local gateway, and your AI agent drafts a prep summary for the meeting.
Works with any automation app that can send HTTP requests. Tasker is the most common, but Automate and MacroDroid do the same thing.
What actually works on a phone
Cloud APIs: fast. OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, any provider you'd use on a desktop. The phone just sends requests and receives responses. No difference in speed. This is how I run mine.
Local models: slow. Android phones do CPU-only inference. No GPU offloading for llama.cpp. A query that takes 2 seconds on a desktop GPU takes 30+ seconds on a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. On cheaper chips, forget it.
If you still want to try, install Ollama inside proot Ubuntu and point OpenClaw at localhost:11434. Stick with small models: phi3:mini (2.3GB) or gemma2:2b (1.6GB). Anything bigger and you'll be waiting a minute per response.
RAM: 4GB minimum, 8GB recommended. OpenClaw and Node.js take about 300-500MB. That leaves room for Android and a few background apps. If you try running local models, 12GB+ is the real minimum.
Storage: 3GB for OpenClaw and Node modules, plus the ~700MB proot-distro Ubuntu image if you're using Method 1. Add 4-70GB if you're downloading GGUF model files. Use termux-setup-storage to access your SD card if internal storage is tight.
Battery: Expect 5-10% drain per hour with active use. Idle with the gateway running and wakelock on, it's closer to 2-3% per hour. A phone with 5000mAh lasts a full day as a dedicated OpenClaw server if you're mostly routing to cloud APIs.
The gotchas
ARM64 compatibility gaps. sqlite3 and @discordjs/opus don't ship prebuilt binaries for linux-arm64. Building from source fails on ARM NEON intrinsics. This is why Method 1 (proot-distro) is the recommended path. Use memory-core (OpenClaw's default memory plugin) instead of plugins that depend on sqlite3 native bindings.
/tmp is read-only. OpenClaw's CLI hardcodes /tmp/openclaw for logs, but /tmp is read-only on Termux. It falls back to $TMPDIR automatically on newer versions. If you're on an older version and see write errors, set TMPDIR manually:
export TMPDIR=$HOME/tmp && mkdir -p $TMPDIRMemory accumulation. Long-running Node.js processes on phones use more memory over time. I restart my gateway once a week. A cron job handles it:
apt install cron
crontab -e
# Add: 0 4 * * 1 tmux send-keys -t openclaw C-c && sleep 2 && tmux send-keys -t openclaw "openclaw gateway --verbose" EnterThe Companion App is not the gateway. OpenClaw has an official Android Companion App on the Play Store. It connects your phone's camera, mic, and sensors to a gateway running somewhere else. It does not run the gateway itself. If you want OpenClaw running on the phone, you need Termux or the AnyClaw app.
Connect your messaging
Once the gateway is running, you can reach it from Telegram or WhatsApp on the same phone or any other device. The setup is identical to a VPS install. Point your bot token at the gateway's address and port.
If you're comparing this setup to other platforms, PicoClaw is worth a look for ultra-low-resource phones. It's a single Go binary that uses under 10MB of RAM.
