diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index e803b1a260..cb8c0ac1db 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -44,6 +44,7 @@ Docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai
 
 ### Changes
 
+- Install: add optional Podman-based setup: `setup-podman.sh` for one-time host setup (openclaw user, image, launch script, systemd quadlet), `run-openclaw-podman.sh launch` / `launch setup`; systemd Quadlet unit for openclaw user service; docs for rootless container, openclaw user (subuid/subgid), and quadlet (troubleshooting). (#16273) Thanks @DarwinsBuddy.
 - Discord: send voice messages with waveform previews from local audio files (including silent delivery). (#7253) Thanks @nyanjou.
 - Discord: add configurable presence status/activity/type/url (custom status defaults to activity text). (#10855) Thanks @h0tp-ftw.
 - Slack/Plugins: add thread-ownership outbound gating via `message_sending` hooks, including @-mention bypass tracking and Slack outbound hook wiring for cancel/modify behavior. (#15775) Thanks @DarlingtonDeveloper.
diff --git a/docs/docs.json b/docs/docs.json
index f8f81e6e13..0952953b0a 100644
--- a/docs/docs.json
+++ b/docs/docs.json
@@ -319,6 +319,10 @@
       "source": "/docker",
       "destination": "/install/docker"
     },
+    {
+      "source": "/podman",
+      "destination": "/install/podman"
+    },
     {
       "source": "/doctor",
       "destination": "/gateway/doctor"
@@ -836,7 +840,13 @@
               },
               {
                 "group": "Other install methods",
-                "pages": ["install/docker", "install/nix", "install/ansible", "install/bun"]
+                "pages": [
+                  "install/docker",
+                  "install/podman",
+                  "install/nix",
+                  "install/ansible",
+                  "install/bun"
+                ]
               },
               {
                 "group": "Maintenance",
diff --git a/docs/install/index.md b/docs/install/index.md
index a1e966c02c..f9da04d71a 100644
--- a/docs/install/index.md
+++ b/docs/install/index.md
@@ -142,6 +142,9 @@ The **installer script** is the recommended way to install OpenClaw. It handles
   <Card title="Docker" href="/install/docker" icon="container">
     Containerized or headless deployments.
   </Card>
+  <Card title="Podman" href="/install/podman" icon="container">
+    Rootless container: run `setup-podman.sh` once, then the launch script.
+  </Card>
   <Card title="Nix" href="/install/nix" icon="snowflake">
     Declarative install via Nix.
   </Card>
diff --git a/docs/install/podman.md b/docs/install/podman.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..2bf8b61ac2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/install/podman.md
@@ -0,0 +1,105 @@
+---
+summary: "Run OpenClaw in a rootless Podman container"
+read_when:
+  - You want a containerized gateway with Podman instead of Docker
+title: "Podman"
+---
+
+# Podman
+
+Run the OpenClaw gateway in a **rootless** Podman container. Uses the same image as Docker (build from the repo [Dockerfile](https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/blob/main/Dockerfile)).
+
+## Requirements
+
+- Podman (rootless)
+- Sudo for one-time setup (create user, build image)
+
+## Quick start
+
+**1. One-time setup** (from repo root; creates user, builds image, installs launch script):
+
+```bash
+./setup-podman.sh
+```
+
+By default the container is **not** installed as a systemd service, you start it manually (see below). For a production-style setup with auto-start and restarts, install it as a systemd Quadlet user service instead:
+
+```bash
+./setup-podman.sh --quadlet
+```
+
+(Or set `OPENCLAW_PODMAN_QUADLET=1`; use `--container` to install only the container and launch script.)
+
+**2. Start gateway** (manual, for quick smoke testing):
+
+```bash
+./scripts/run-openclaw-podman.sh launch
+```
+
+**3. Onboarding wizard** (e.g. to add channels or providers):
+
+```bash
+./scripts/run-openclaw-podman.sh launch setup
+```
+
+Then open `http://127.0.0.1:18789/` and use the token from `~openclaw/.openclaw/.env` (or the value printed by setup).
+
+## Systemd (Quadlet, optional)
+
+If you ran `./setup-podman.sh --quadlet` (or `OPENCLAW_PODMAN_QUADLET=1`), a [Podman Quadlet](https://docs.podman.io/en/latest/markdown/podman-systemd.unit.5.html) unit is installed so the gateway runs as a systemd user service for the openclaw user. The service is enabled and started at the end of setup.
+
+- **Start:** `sudo systemctl --machine openclaw@ --user start openclaw.service`
+- **Stop:** `sudo systemctl --machine openclaw@ --user stop openclaw.service`
+- **Status:** `sudo systemctl --machine openclaw@ --user status openclaw.service`
+- **Logs:** `sudo journalctl --machine openclaw@ --user -u openclaw.service -f`
+
+The quadlet file lives at `~openclaw/.config/containers/systemd/openclaw.container`. To change ports or env, edit that file (or the `.env` it sources), then `sudo systemctl --machine openclaw@ --user daemon-reload` and restart the service. On boot, the service starts automatically if lingering is enabled for openclaw (setup does this when loginctl is available).
+
+To add quadlet **after** an initial setup that did not use it, re-run: `./setup-podman.sh --quadlet`.
+
+## The openclaw user (non-login)
+
+`setup-podman.sh` creates a dedicated system user `openclaw`:
+
+- **Shell:** `nologin` — no interactive login; reduces attack surface.
+- **Home:** e.g. `/home/openclaw` — holds `~/.openclaw` (config, workspace) and the launch script `run-openclaw-podman.sh`.
+- **Rootless Podman:** The user must have a **subuid** and **subgid** range. Many distros assign these automatically when the user is created. If setup prints a warning, add lines to `/etc/subuid` and `/etc/subgid`:
+
+  ```text
+  openclaw:100000:65536
+  ```
+
+  Then start the gateway as that user (e.g. from cron or systemd):
+
+  ```bash
+  sudo -u openclaw /home/openclaw/run-openclaw-podman.sh
+  sudo -u openclaw /home/openclaw/run-openclaw-podman.sh setup
+  ```
+
+- **Config:** Only `openclaw` and root can access `/home/openclaw/.openclaw`. To edit config: use the Control UI once the gateway is running, or `sudo -u openclaw $EDITOR /home/openclaw/.openclaw/openclaw.json`.
+
+## Environment and config
+
+- **Token:** Stored in `~openclaw/.openclaw/.env` as `OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKEN`. Generate with: `openssl rand -hex 32`.
+- **Optional:** In that `.env` you can set provider keys (e.g. `GROQ_API_KEY`, `OLLAMA_API_KEY`) and other OpenClaw env vars.
+- **Host ports:** By default the script maps `18789` (gateway) and `18790` (bridge). Override the **host** port mapping with `OPENCLAW_PODMAN_GATEWAY_HOST_PORT` and `OPENCLAW_PODMAN_BRIDGE_HOST_PORT` when launching.
+- **Paths:** Host config and workspace default to `~openclaw/.openclaw` and `~openclaw/.openclaw/workspace`. Override the host paths used by the launch script with `OPENCLAW_CONFIG_DIR` and `OPENCLAW_WORKSPACE_DIR`.
+
+## Useful commands
+
+- **Logs:** With quadlet: `sudo journalctl --machine openclaw@ --user -u openclaw.service -f`. With script: `sudo -u openclaw podman logs -f openclaw`
+- **Stop:** With quadlet: `sudo systemctl --machine openclaw@ --user stop openclaw.service`. With script: `sudo -u openclaw podman stop openclaw`
+- **Start again:** With quadlet: `sudo systemctl --machine openclaw@ --user start openclaw.service`. With script: re-run the launch script or `podman start openclaw`
+- **Remove container:** `sudo -u openclaw podman rm -f openclaw` — config and workspace on the host are kept
+
+## Troubleshooting
+
+- **Permission denied (EACCES) on config or auth-profiles:** The container defaults to `--userns=keep-id` and runs as the same uid/gid as the host user running the script. Ensure your host `OPENCLAW_CONFIG_DIR` and `OPENCLAW_WORKSPACE_DIR` are owned by that user.
+- **Rootless Podman fails for user openclaw:** Check `/etc/subuid` and `/etc/subgid` contain a line for `openclaw` (e.g. `openclaw:100000:65536`). Add it if missing and restart.
+- **Container name in use:** The launch script uses `podman run --replace`, so the existing container is replaced when you start again. To clean up manually: `podman rm -f openclaw`.
+- **Script not found when running as openclaw:** Ensure `setup-podman.sh` was run so that `run-openclaw-podman.sh` is copied to openclaw’s home (e.g. `/home/openclaw/run-openclaw-podman.sh`).
+- **Quadlet service not found or fails to start:** Run `sudo systemctl --machine openclaw@ --user daemon-reload` after editing the `.container` file. Quadlet requires cgroups v2: `podman info --format '{{.Host.CgroupsVersion}}'` should show `2`.
+
+## Optional: run as your own user
+
+To run the gateway as your normal user (no dedicated openclaw user): build the image, create `~/.openclaw/.env` with `OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKEN`, and run the container with `--userns=keep-id` and mounts to your `~/.openclaw`. The launch script is designed for the openclaw-user flow; for a single-user setup you can instead run the `podman run` command from the script manually, pointing config and workspace to your home. Recommended for most users: use `setup-podman.sh` and run as the openclaw user so config and process are isolated.
diff --git a/openclaw.podman.env b/openclaw.podman.env
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..34500ab809
--- /dev/null
+++ b/openclaw.podman.env
@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+# OpenClaw Podman environment
+# Copy to openclaw.podman.env.local and set OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKEN (or use -e when running).
+# This file can be used with:
+#   OPENCLAW_PODMAN_ENV=/path/to/openclaw.podman.env ./scripts/run-openclaw-podman.sh launch
+
+# Required: gateway auth token. Generate with: openssl rand -hex 32
+# Set this before running the container (or use run-openclaw-podman.sh which can generate it).
+OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKEN=
+
+# Optional: web provider (leave empty to skip)
+# CLAUDE_AI_SESSION_KEY=
+# CLAUDE_WEB_SESSION_KEY=
+# CLAUDE_WEB_COOKIE=
+
+# Host port mapping (defaults; override if needed)
+OPENCLAW_PODMAN_GATEWAY_HOST_PORT=18789
+OPENCLAW_PODMAN_BRIDGE_HOST_PORT=18790
+
+# Gateway bind (used by the launch script)
+OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_BIND=lan
+
+# Optional: LLM provider API keys (for zero cost use Ollama locally or Groq free tier)
+# OLLAMA_API_KEY=ollama-local
+# GROQ_API_KEY=
diff --git a/scripts/podman/openclaw.container.in b/scripts/podman/openclaw.container.in
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..2c9af017c2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/podman/openclaw.container.in
@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+# OpenClaw gateway — Podman Quadlet (rootless)
+# Installed by setup-podman.sh into openclaw's ~/.config/containers/systemd/
+# {{OPENCLAW_HOME}} is replaced at install time.
+
+[Unit]
+Description=OpenClaw gateway (rootless Podman)
+
+[Container]
+Image=openclaw:local
+ContainerName=openclaw
+UserNS=keep-id
+Volume={{OPENCLAW_HOME}}/.openclaw:/home/node/.openclaw
+EnvironmentFile={{OPENCLAW_HOME}}/.openclaw/.env
+Environment=HOME=/home/node
+Environment=TERM=xterm-256color
+PublishPort=18789:18789
+PublishPort=18790:18790
+Pull=never
+Exec=node dist/index.js gateway --bind lan --port 18789
+
+[Service]
+TimeoutStartSec=300
+Restart=on-failure
+
+[Install]
+WantedBy=default.target
diff --git a/scripts/run-openclaw-podman.sh b/scripts/run-openclaw-podman.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000000..fd7bd684fb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/run-openclaw-podman.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,189 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# Rootless OpenClaw in Podman: run after one-time setup.
+#
+# One-time setup (from repo root): ./setup-podman.sh
+# Then:
+#   ./scripts/run-openclaw-podman.sh launch           # Start gateway
+#   ./scripts/run-openclaw-podman.sh launch setup      # Onboarding wizard
+#
+# As the openclaw user (no repo needed):
+#   sudo -u openclaw /home/openclaw/run-openclaw-podman.sh
+#   sudo -u openclaw /home/openclaw/run-openclaw-podman.sh setup
+#
+# Legacy: "setup-host" delegates to ../setup-podman.sh
+
+set -euo pipefail
+
+OPENCLAW_USER="${OPENCLAW_PODMAN_USER:-openclaw}"
+
+resolve_user_home() {
+  local user="$1"
+  local home=""
+  if command -v getent >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+    home="$(getent passwd "$user" 2>/dev/null | cut -d: -f6 || true)"
+  fi
+  if [[ -z "$home" && -f /etc/passwd ]]; then
+    home="$(awk -F: -v u="$user" '$1==u {print $6}' /etc/passwd 2>/dev/null || true)"
+  fi
+  if [[ -z "$home" ]]; then
+    home="/home/$user"
+  fi
+  printf '%s' "$home"
+}
+
+OPENCLAW_HOME="$(resolve_user_home "$OPENCLAW_USER")"
+OPENCLAW_UID="$(id -u "$OPENCLAW_USER" 2>/dev/null || true)"
+LAUNCH_SCRIPT="$OPENCLAW_HOME/run-openclaw-podman.sh"
+
+# Legacy: setup-host → run setup-podman.sh
+if [[ "${1:-}" == "setup-host" ]]; then
+  shift
+  REPO_ROOT="$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")/.." && pwd)"
+  SETUP_PODMAN="$REPO_ROOT/setup-podman.sh"
+  if [[ -f "$SETUP_PODMAN" ]]; then
+    exec "$SETUP_PODMAN" "$@"
+  fi
+  echo "setup-podman.sh not found at $SETUP_PODMAN. Run from repo root: ./setup-podman.sh" >&2
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+# --- Step 2: launch (from repo: re-exec as openclaw in safe cwd; from openclaw home: run container) ---
+if [[ "${1:-}" == "launch" ]]; then
+  shift
+  if [[ -n "${OPENCLAW_UID:-}" && "$(id -u)" -ne "$OPENCLAW_UID" ]]; then
+    # Exec as openclaw with cwd=/tmp so a nologin user never inherits an invalid cwd.
+    exec sudo -u "$OPENCLAW_USER" env HOME="$OPENCLAW_HOME" PATH="$PATH" TERM="${TERM:-}" \
+      bash -c 'cd /tmp && exec '"$LAUNCH_SCRIPT"' "$@"' _ "$@"
+  fi
+  # Already openclaw; fall through to container run (with remaining args, e.g. "setup")
+fi
+
+# --- Container run (script in openclaw home, run as openclaw) ---
+EFFECTIVE_HOME="${HOME:-}"
+if [[ -n "${OPENCLAW_UID:-}" && "$(id -u)" -eq "$OPENCLAW_UID" ]]; then
+  EFFECTIVE_HOME="$OPENCLAW_HOME"
+  export HOME="$OPENCLAW_HOME"
+fi
+if [[ -z "${EFFECTIVE_HOME:-}" ]]; then
+  EFFECTIVE_HOME="${OPENCLAW_HOME:-/tmp}"
+fi
+CONFIG_DIR="${OPENCLAW_CONFIG_DIR:-$EFFECTIVE_HOME/.openclaw}"
+ENV_FILE="${OPENCLAW_PODMAN_ENV:-$CONFIG_DIR/.env}"
+WORKSPACE_DIR="${OPENCLAW_WORKSPACE_DIR:-$CONFIG_DIR/workspace}"
+CONTAINER_NAME="${OPENCLAW_PODMAN_CONTAINER:-openclaw}"
+OPENCLAW_IMAGE="${OPENCLAW_PODMAN_IMAGE:-openclaw:local}"
+PODMAN_PULL="${OPENCLAW_PODMAN_PULL:-never}"
+HOST_GATEWAY_PORT="${OPENCLAW_PODMAN_GATEWAY_HOST_PORT:-${OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_PORT:-18789}}"
+HOST_BRIDGE_PORT="${OPENCLAW_PODMAN_BRIDGE_HOST_PORT:-${OPENCLAW_BRIDGE_PORT:-18790}}"
+GATEWAY_BIND="${OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_BIND:-lan}"
+
+# Safe cwd for podman (openclaw is nologin; avoid inherited cwd from sudo)
+cd "$EFFECTIVE_HOME" 2>/dev/null || cd /tmp 2>/dev/null || true
+
+RUN_SETUP=false
+if [[ "${1:-}" == "setup" || "${1:-}" == "onboard" ]]; then
+  RUN_SETUP=true
+  shift
+fi
+
+mkdir -p "$CONFIG_DIR" "$WORKSPACE_DIR"
+# Subdirs the app may create at runtime (canvas, cron); create here so ownership is correct
+mkdir -p "$CONFIG_DIR/canvas" "$CONFIG_DIR/cron"
+
+if [[ -f "$ENV_FILE" ]]; then
+  set -a
+  # shellcheck source=/dev/null
+  source "$ENV_FILE" 2>/dev/null || true
+  set +a
+fi
+
+upsert_env_var() {
+  local file="$1"
+  local key="$2"
+  local value="$3"
+  local tmp
+  tmp="$(mktemp)"
+  if [[ -f "$file" ]]; then
+    awk -v k="$key" -v v="$value" '
+      BEGIN { found = 0 }
+      $0 ~ ("^" k "=") { print k "=" v; found = 1; next }
+      { print }
+      END { if (!found) print k "=" v }
+    ' "$file" >"$tmp"
+  else
+    printf '%s=%s\n' "$key" "$value" >"$tmp"
+  fi
+  mv "$tmp" "$file"
+  chmod 600 "$file" 2>/dev/null || true
+}
+
+if [[ -z "${OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKEN:-}" ]]; then
+  if command -v openssl &>/dev/null; then
+    export OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKEN="$(openssl rand -hex 32)"
+  else
+    export OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKEN="$(python3 - <<'PY'
+import secrets
+print(secrets.token_hex(32))
+PY
+)"
+  fi
+  mkdir -p "$(dirname "$ENV_FILE")"
+  upsert_env_var "$ENV_FILE" "OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKEN" "$OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKEN"
+  echo "Generated OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKEN and wrote it to $ENV_FILE." >&2
+fi
+
+PODMAN_USERNS="${OPENCLAW_PODMAN_USERNS:-keep-id}"
+USERNS_ARGS=()
+RUN_USER_ARGS=()
+case "$PODMAN_USERNS" in
+  ""|auto) ;;
+  keep-id) USERNS_ARGS=(--userns=keep-id) ;;
+  host) USERNS_ARGS=(--userns=host) ;;
+  *)
+    echo "Unsupported OPENCLAW_PODMAN_USERNS=$PODMAN_USERNS (expected: keep-id, auto, host)." >&2
+    exit 2
+    ;;
+esac
+
+RUN_UID="$(id -u)"
+RUN_GID="$(id -g)"
+if [[ "$PODMAN_USERNS" == "keep-id" ]]; then
+  RUN_USER_ARGS=(--user "${RUN_UID}:${RUN_GID}")
+  echo "Starting container as uid=${RUN_UID} gid=${RUN_GID} (must match owner of $CONFIG_DIR)" >&2
+else
+  echo "Starting container without --user (OPENCLAW_PODMAN_USERNS=$PODMAN_USERNS), mounts may require ownership fixes." >&2
+fi
+
+ENV_FILE_ARGS=()
+[[ -f "$ENV_FILE" ]] && ENV_FILE_ARGS+=(--env-file "$ENV_FILE")
+
+if [[ "$RUN_SETUP" == true ]]; then
+  exec podman run --pull="$PODMAN_PULL" --rm -it \
+    --init \
+    "${USERNS_ARGS[@]}" "${RUN_USER_ARGS[@]}" \
+    -e HOME=/home/node -e TERM=xterm-256color -e BROWSER=echo \
+    -e OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKEN="$OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKEN" \
+    -v "$CONFIG_DIR:/home/node/.openclaw:rw" \
+    -v "$WORKSPACE_DIR:/home/node/.openclaw/workspace:rw" \
+    "${ENV_FILE_ARGS[@]}" \
+    "$OPENCLAW_IMAGE" \
+    node dist/index.js onboard "$@"
+fi
+
+podman run --pull="$PODMAN_PULL" -d --replace \
+  --name "$CONTAINER_NAME" \
+  --init \
+  "${USERNS_ARGS[@]}" "${RUN_USER_ARGS[@]}" \
+  -e HOME=/home/node -e TERM=xterm-256color \
+  -e OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKEN="$OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKEN" \
+  "${ENV_FILE_ARGS[@]}" \
+  -v "$CONFIG_DIR:/home/node/.openclaw:rw" \
+  -v "$WORKSPACE_DIR:/home/node/.openclaw/workspace:rw" \
+  -p "${HOST_GATEWAY_PORT}:18789" \
+  -p "${HOST_BRIDGE_PORT}:18790" \
+  "$OPENCLAW_IMAGE" \
+  node dist/index.js gateway --bind "$GATEWAY_BIND" --port 18789
+
+echo "Container $CONTAINER_NAME started. Dashboard: http://127.0.0.1:${HOST_GATEWAY_PORT}/"
+echo "Logs: podman logs -f $CONTAINER_NAME"
+echo "For auto-start/restarts, use: ./setup-podman.sh --quadlet (Quadlet + systemd user service)."
diff --git a/setup-podman.sh b/setup-podman.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000000..fb8c3909a0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/setup-podman.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,215 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# One-time host setup for rootless OpenClaw in Podman: creates the openclaw
+# user, builds the image, loads it into that user's Podman store, and installs
+# the launch script. Run from repo root with sudo capability.
+#
+# Usage: ./setup-podman.sh [--quadlet|--container]
+#   --quadlet   Install systemd Quadlet so the container runs as a user service
+#   --container Only install user + image + launch script; you start the container manually (default)
+#   Or set OPENCLAW_PODMAN_QUADLET=1 (or 0) to choose without a flag.
+#
+# After this, start the gateway manually:
+#   ./scripts/run-openclaw-podman.sh launch
+#   ./scripts/run-openclaw-podman.sh launch setup   # onboarding wizard
+# Or as the openclaw user: sudo -u openclaw /home/openclaw/run-openclaw-podman.sh
+# If you used --quadlet, you can also: sudo systemctl --machine openclaw@ --user start openclaw.service
+set -euo pipefail
+
+OPENCLAW_USER="${OPENCLAW_PODMAN_USER:-openclaw}"
+REPO_PATH="${OPENCLAW_REPO_PATH:-$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")" && pwd)}"
+RUN_SCRIPT_SRC="$REPO_PATH/scripts/run-openclaw-podman.sh"
+QUADLET_TEMPLATE="$REPO_PATH/scripts/podman/openclaw.container.in"
+
+require_cmd() {
+  if ! command -v "$1" >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+    echo "Missing dependency: $1" >&2
+    exit 1
+  fi
+}
+
+is_root() { [[ "$(id -u)" -eq 0 ]]; }
+
+run_root() {
+  if is_root; then
+    "$@"
+  else
+    sudo "$@"
+  fi
+}
+
+run_as_user() {
+  local user="$1"
+  shift
+  if command -v sudo >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+    sudo -u "$user" "$@"
+  elif is_root && command -v runuser >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+    runuser -u "$user" -- "$@"
+  else
+    echo "Need sudo (or root+runuser) to run commands as $user." >&2
+    exit 1
+  fi
+}
+
+# Quadlet: opt-in via --quadlet or OPENCLAW_PODMAN_QUADLET=1
+INSTALL_QUADLET=false
+for arg in "$@"; do
+  case "$arg" in
+    --quadlet)   INSTALL_QUADLET=true ;;
+    --container) INSTALL_QUADLET=false ;;
+  esac
+done
+if [[ -n "${OPENCLAW_PODMAN_QUADLET:-}" ]]; then
+  case "${OPENCLAW_PODMAN_QUADLET,,}" in
+    1|yes|true)  INSTALL_QUADLET=true ;;
+    0|no|false) INSTALL_QUADLET=false ;;
+  esac
+fi
+
+require_cmd podman
+if ! is_root; then
+  require_cmd sudo
+fi
+if [[ ! -f "$REPO_PATH/Dockerfile" ]]; then
+  echo "Dockerfile not found at $REPO_PATH. Set OPENCLAW_REPO_PATH to the repo root." >&2
+  exit 1
+fi
+if [[ ! -f "$RUN_SCRIPT_SRC" ]]; then
+  echo "Launch script not found at $RUN_SCRIPT_SRC." >&2
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+user_exists() {
+  local user="$1"
+  if command -v getent >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+    getent passwd "$user" >/dev/null 2>&1 && return 0
+  fi
+  id -u "$user" >/dev/null 2>&1
+}
+
+resolve_user_home() {
+  local user="$1"
+  local home=""
+  if command -v getent >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+    home="$(getent passwd "$user" 2>/dev/null | cut -d: -f6 || true)"
+  fi
+  if [[ -z "$home" && -f /etc/passwd ]]; then
+    home="$(awk -F: -v u="$user" '$1==u {print $6}' /etc/passwd 2>/dev/null || true)"
+  fi
+  if [[ -z "$home" ]]; then
+    home="/home/$user"
+  fi
+  printf '%s' "$home"
+}
+
+resolve_nologin_shell() {
+  for cand in /usr/sbin/nologin /sbin/nologin /usr/bin/nologin /bin/false; do
+    if [[ -x "$cand" ]]; then
+      printf '%s' "$cand"
+      return 0
+    fi
+  done
+  printf '%s' "/usr/sbin/nologin"
+}
+
+# Create openclaw user (non-login, with home) if missing
+if ! user_exists "$OPENCLAW_USER"; then
+  NOLOGIN_SHELL="$(resolve_nologin_shell)"
+  echo "Creating user $OPENCLAW_USER ($NOLOGIN_SHELL, with home)..."
+  if command -v useradd >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+    run_root useradd -m -s "$NOLOGIN_SHELL" "$OPENCLAW_USER"
+  elif command -v adduser >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+    # Debian/Ubuntu: adduser supports --disabled-password/--gecos. Busybox adduser differs.
+    run_root adduser --disabled-password --gecos "" --shell "$NOLOGIN_SHELL" "$OPENCLAW_USER"
+  else
+    echo "Neither useradd nor adduser found, cannot create user $OPENCLAW_USER." >&2
+    exit 1
+  fi
+else
+  echo "User $OPENCLAW_USER already exists."
+fi
+
+OPENCLAW_HOME="$(resolve_user_home "$OPENCLAW_USER")"
+OPENCLAW_UID="$(id -u "$OPENCLAW_USER" 2>/dev/null || true)"
+OPENCLAW_CONFIG="$OPENCLAW_HOME/.openclaw"
+LAUNCH_SCRIPT_DST="$OPENCLAW_HOME/run-openclaw-podman.sh"
+
+# Prefer systemd user services (Quadlet) for production. Enable lingering early so rootless Podman can run
+# without an interactive login.
+if command -v loginctl &>/dev/null; then
+  run_root loginctl enable-linger "$OPENCLAW_USER" 2>/dev/null || true
+fi
+if [[ -n "${OPENCLAW_UID:-}" && -d /run/user && command -v systemctl &>/dev/null ]]; then
+  run_root systemctl start "user@${OPENCLAW_UID}.service" 2>/dev/null || true
+fi
+
+# Rootless Podman needs subuid/subgid for the run user
+if ! grep -q "^${OPENCLAW_USER}:" /etc/subuid 2>/dev/null; then
+  echo "Warning: $OPENCLAW_USER has no subuid range. Rootless Podman may fail." >&2
+  echo "  Add a line to /etc/subuid and /etc/subgid, e.g.: $OPENCLAW_USER:100000:65536" >&2
+fi
+
+echo "Creating $OPENCLAW_CONFIG and workspace..."
+run_root mkdir -p "$OPENCLAW_CONFIG/workspace"
+run_root chown -R "$OPENCLAW_USER:" "$OPENCLAW_CONFIG"
+
+if [[ ! -f "$OPENCLAW_CONFIG/.env" ]]; then
+  if command -v openssl >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+    TOKEN="$(openssl rand -hex 32)"
+  else
+    TOKEN="$(python3 - <<'PY'
+import secrets
+print(secrets.token_hex(32))
+PY
+)"
+  fi
+  echo "OPENCLAW_GATEWAY_TOKEN=$TOKEN" | run_root tee "$OPENCLAW_CONFIG/.env" >/dev/null
+  run_root chown "$OPENCLAW_USER:" "$OPENCLAW_CONFIG/.env"
+  run_root chmod 600 "$OPENCLAW_CONFIG/.env" 2>/dev/null || true
+  echo "Created $OPENCLAW_CONFIG/.env with new token."
+fi
+
+echo "Building image from $REPO_PATH..."
+podman build -t openclaw:local -f "$REPO_PATH/Dockerfile" "$REPO_PATH"
+
+echo "Loading image into $OPENCLAW_USER's Podman store..."
+TMP_IMAGE="$(mktemp -p /tmp openclaw-image.XXXXXX.tar)"
+trap 'rm -f "$TMP_IMAGE"' EXIT
+podman save openclaw:local -o "$TMP_IMAGE"
+chmod 644 "$TMP_IMAGE"
+(cd /tmp && run_as_user "$OPENCLAW_USER" env HOME="$OPENCLAW_HOME" podman load -i "$TMP_IMAGE")
+rm -f "$TMP_IMAGE"
+trap - EXIT
+
+echo "Copying launch script to $LAUNCH_SCRIPT_DST..."
+run_root cp "$RUN_SCRIPT_SRC" "$LAUNCH_SCRIPT_DST"
+run_root chown "$OPENCLAW_USER:" "$LAUNCH_SCRIPT_DST"
+run_root chmod 755 "$LAUNCH_SCRIPT_DST"
+
+# Optionally install systemd quadlet for openclaw user (rootless Podman + systemd)
+QUADLET_DIR="$OPENCLAW_HOME/.config/containers/systemd"
+if [[ "$INSTALL_QUADLET" == true && -f "$QUADLET_TEMPLATE" ]]; then
+  echo "Installing systemd quadlet for $OPENCLAW_USER..."
+  run_root mkdir -p "$QUADLET_DIR"
+  sed "s|{{OPENCLAW_HOME}}|$OPENCLAW_HOME|g" "$QUADLET_TEMPLATE" | run_root tee "$QUADLET_DIR/openclaw.container" >/dev/null
+  run_root chown -R "$OPENCLAW_USER:" "$QUADLET_DIR"
+  if command -v systemctl &>/dev/null; then
+    run_root systemctl --machine "${OPENCLAW_USER}@" --user daemon-reload 2>/dev/null || true
+    run_root systemctl --machine "${OPENCLAW_USER}@" --user enable openclaw.service 2>/dev/null || true
+    run_root systemctl --machine "${OPENCLAW_USER}@" --user start openclaw.service 2>/dev/null || true
+  fi
+fi
+
+echo ""
+echo "Setup complete. Start the gateway:"
+echo "  $RUN_SCRIPT_SRC launch"
+echo "  $RUN_SCRIPT_SRC launch setup   # onboarding wizard"
+echo "Or as $OPENCLAW_USER (e.g. from cron):"
+echo "  sudo -u $OPENCLAW_USER $LAUNCH_SCRIPT_DST"
+echo "  sudo -u $OPENCLAW_USER $LAUNCH_SCRIPT_DST setup"
+if [[ "$INSTALL_QUADLET" == true ]]; then
+  echo "Or use systemd (quadlet):"
+  echo "  sudo systemctl --machine ${OPENCLAW_USER}@ --user start openclaw.service"
+  echo "  sudo systemctl --machine ${OPENCLAW_USER}@ --user status openclaw.service"
+else
+  echo "To install systemd quadlet later: $0 --quadlet"
+fi