OpenClaw on Huawei (HarmonyOS): Distributed AI with MacOS

Or: How I turned an old phone into a 24/7 AI Agent server

TL;DR: We built a distributed AI system where a Huawei phone acts as the “Control Node” (running OpenClaw/Node.js via Termux & Proot-Distro) and a M4 Pro acts as the “Computing Node” (running Ollama). This architecture bypasses mobile hardware limitations while leveraging Apple Silicon’s high-bandwidth memory for fast inference.

1. Architecture Design: Edge Control + Centralized Computing Power

We ultimately adopted a “phone as the control unit, computer as the brain for computation” distributed architecture. This design effectively bypassed the limitations of the Kirin 985’s insufficient computing power and the complexities of NPU invocation.

Control Node (Huawei Nova 7):
- Role: Runs OpenClaw (Node.js), responsible for Agent logic, online searching, task decomposition, and web UI display.
- Environment: Android (HarmonyOS) -> Termux -> Proot-Distro (Ubuntu).
Computing Node (Mac mini M4 Pro):
- Role: Runs Ollama, providing LLM (Llama 3 / Qwen 2.5) inference services.
- Advantage: Leverages the M4 Pro’s high-bandwidth memory for extremely fast token generation.

2. Deployment Process

Phase One: Basic Environment Setup (Termux & Huawei Configuration)

Termux Installation:
- Crucially, the F-Droid version must be used to circumvent signature and update restrictions of the Play Store version.
Huawei-Specific Keep-Alive (Critical):
- Acquire wakelock: Enable in Termux notification bar to prevent CPU from sleeping.
- System Settings -> App Launch Management -> Manual management: Allow background activity for Termux.
- Multi-tasking Interface -> Lock card: Prevent Termux from being cleared by one-key cleanup.
SSH Connectivity:
- Install openssh on the phone. This allows the Mac to remotely connect to the phone via terminal, eliminating the need for typing on the phone screen.

Phase Two: Runtime Environment (Proot-Distro & Node.js)

Introducing Proot-Distro:
- Principle: Android’s underlying Bionic Libc is incompatible with standard Linux software that relies on Glibc. Proot-Distro uses ptrace system calls to simulate a full Ubuntu filesystem on Android.
- Operation:
```
pkg install proot-distro
proot-distro install ubuntu
```
Node.js Version Pitfall:
- Problem: The default Node.js version in Ubuntu’s repository is too old (< v22), preventing OpenClaw from running.
- Solution: Uninstall the apt version, add the official NodeSource repository directly, and install Node.js v23.

Phase Three: OpenClaw Installation and Filesystem Fixes

NPM Installation Error (ENOENT):
- Principle: Proot’s simulated environment has imperfect support for atomic renames and symlinks in the filesystem.
- Solution: Use the --no-bin-links flag to skip symlink creation:
```
npm install -g openclaw@latest --no-bin-links
```
Manual Entry Point Fix:
- Since bin-links were skipped, the system cannot find the openclaw command.
- Solution: Manually create an Alias in .bashrc pointing to /usr/lib/node_modules/openclaw/dist/index.js.

Phase Four: Low-Level Compatibility Fix (The “Mock” Patch)

Network Interface Crash (Error 13 / uv_interface_addresses):
- Principle: Android’s restrictions (SELinux/permission sandbox) prevent non-root applications from accessing low-level network interface information (Netlink Socket). Node.js’s os.networkInterfaces() call is directly rejected, leading to a crash.
- Ingenious Solution: Wrote a fix-net.js script to hijack and mock the os.networkInterfaces method, returning a pseudo-local IP.
- Injection: Forced the patch to load during startup:
```
export NODE_OPTIONS="-r /root/fix-net.js"
```

Phase Five: Network Interconnection and Access

Mac Exposes Computing Power:
- Set OLLAMA_HOST=0.0.0.0 to make Ollama listen on the local area network, rather than only localhost.
Phone Connects to Brain:
- Configure OpenClaw’s baseUrl to point to the Mac’s LAN IP (e.g., http://192.168.x.x:11434).
Web UI Access (SSH Tunnel):
- Problem: OpenClaw on the phone listens on 127.0.0.1 inside the Proot environment, making it inaccessible externally.
- Solution: Establish an SSH tunnel from the Mac terminal. This maps the phone’s port back to the Mac’s local machine, allowing access via localhost:18789.
```
ssh -L 18789:127.0.0.1:18789 <phone_IP>
```

3. Encountered “Pits” and Technical Principle Summary

Phenomenon/Error	Technical Principle (Root Cause)	Solution
npm install Error `ENOENT`	Proot’s simulation layer has insufficient support for atomic `rename` operations, causing decompression/file movement failures.	Add `--no-bin-links` parameter to prevent symlink creation.
Command not found	Skipping bin link creation (as above) means no executable file is in `$PATH`.	Manually `alias openclaw='node /path/to/index.js'`.
SystemError: Unknown system error 13	Android’s SELinux/permission sandbox prohibits non-root apps from reading `/proc/net` or using Netlink to get network card info.	Write a JS script to Mock `os.networkInterfaces` and pre-load it with `-r`.
Ollama Connection Failed	Ollama defaults to binding only to Loopback (`127.0.0.1`); for security reasons, it rejects external connections.	Set environment variable `OLLAMA_HOST=0.0.0.0` on the Mac.
SSH Disconnect on Screen Lock	Huawei EMUI/HarmonyOS’s aggressive battery policy kills background processes or disconnects network upon screen lock.	1. Termux `Acquire Wakelock`. 2. System settings “Allow background activity”. 3. Use `tmux` to maintain the session.
Feishu Plugin Error	Some plugins depend on native C++ modules or specific environments, which fail to compile under Proot.	Directly delete the relevant plugin directory (`rm -rf extensions/feishu`).

4. Final Achievements and Significance

You now possess a highly geeky AI development environment:

Zero-cost Hardware Reuse: An idle Huawei mobile phone transforms into a 24/7 online Agent server.
High-Performance Assurance: Complex inference tasks are handled by the M4 Pro, guaranteeing fast response times.
Portability: The phone can be carried anywhere (as long as it’s on the same WiFi network), acting as a mobile “all-around assistant.”