If the installer completes but `clawdbot` is not found in a new terminal, it’s usually a Node/npm PATH issue. See: [Install](/install#nodejs--npm-path-sanity).
If you run the installer while **already inside a Clawdbot source checkout** (detected via `package.json` + `pnpm-workspace.yaml`), it prompts:
- update and use this checkout (`git`)
- or migrate to the global npm install (`npm`)
In non-interactive contexts (no TTY / `--no-prompt`), you must pass `--install-method git|npm` (or set `CLAWDBOT_INSTALL_METHOD`), otherwise the script exits with code `2`.
### Why Git is needed
Git is required for the `--install-method git` path (clone / pull).
For `npm` installs, Git is *usually* not required, but some environments still end up needing it (e.g. when a package or dependency is fetched via a git URL). The installer currently ensures Git is present to avoid `spawn git ENOENT` surprises on fresh distros.
### Why npm hits `EACCES` on fresh Linux
On some Linux setups (especially after installing Node via the system package manager or NodeSource), npm’s global prefix points at a root-owned location. Then `npm install -g ...` fails with `EACCES` / `mkdir` permission errors.
`install.sh` mitigates this by switching the prefix to:
-`~/.npm-global` (and adding it to `PATH` in `~/.bashrc` / `~/.zshrc` when present)
## install-cli.sh (non-root CLI installer)
This script installs `clawdbot` into a prefix (default: `~/.clawdbot`) and also installs a dedicated Node runtime under that prefix, so it can work on machines where you don’t want to touch the system Node/npm.
