Windows (WSL2)

Scope

Moltbot on Windows is recommended via WSL2 (Ubuntu). The CLI + Gateway run inside Linux, which keeps the runtime consistent and makes tooling (Node/pnpm, Linux binaries, skills) far more compatible.

Native Windows installs are untested and typically more problematic.

Quick path (WSL2)

Install WSL2 + Ubuntu (Microsoft guide)
Enable systemd in WSL (required for service install)
Install and onboard inside WSL
Verify Gateway health and open the UI

Step-by-step

1) Install WSL2 + Ubuntu

In PowerShell (Admin):

wsl --install
# or pick a distro explicitly:
wsl --list --online
wsl --install -d Ubuntu-24.04

2) Enable systemd (required)

In your WSL terminal:

sudo tee /etc/wsl.conf >/dev/null <<'EOF'
[boot]
systemd=true
EOF

Then back in PowerShell:

wsl --shutdown

Re-open Ubuntu and verify:

systemctl --user status

3) Install Moltbot (inside WSL)

Use the normal install flow inside WSL:

Getting started: /docs/start/getting-started/
Install hub: /docs/install/

4) Install the Gateway service and verify

moltbot onboard --install-daemon
moltbot status
moltbot health

Advanced: expose WSL services over LAN (portproxy)

WSL has its own virtual network. If another machine needs to reach a service running inside WSL, forward a Windows port to the current WSL IP (which changes after restarts).

Example (PowerShell as Administrator):

$Distro = "Ubuntu-24.04"
$ListenPort = 18789
$TargetPort = 18789

$WslIp = (wsl -d $Distro -- hostname -I).Trim().Split(" ")[0]
if (-not $WslIp) { throw "WSL IP not found." }

netsh interface portproxy add v4tov4 listenaddress=0.0.0.0 listenport=$ListenPort `
  connectaddress=$WslIp connectport=$TargetPort

Companion app status

There is no native Windows companion app yet; contributions are welcome.