ErrorDocker
Docker daemon is not running
OpenClaw requires Docker to run. This error means your system can't connect to the Docker engine — either it's not installed, not started, or your user doesn't have access.
Symptoms
- •
Cannot connect to the Docker daemon at unix:///var/run/docker.sock - •
docker: command not found - •
Is the docker daemon running?
Causes
- •Docker is not installed on the system
- •The Docker daemon (background service) hasn't been started
- •Docker binary is not in your PATH
- •Docker Desktop is installed but not launched (macOS/Windows)
Solution
Install Docker
If Docker isn't installed yet, install it with the official convenience script:
curl -fsSL https://get.docker.com | shOn macOS or Windows, download and install Docker Desktop instead.
Start the Docker daemon
sudo systemctl start docker
sudo systemctl enable dockerOn macOS/Windows, open the Docker Desktop app — the daemon starts automatically.
Verify it's working
docker infoIf you see system info (server version, storage driver, etc.), Docker is running. You can now start OpenClaw:
docker compose up -d