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Don't Sleep On AI

Guide

What Is OpenClaw?

The open-source personal AI assistant formerly known as Clawdbot. It runs on your own machine and talks to you on the apps you already use.

How to install (5 minutes)

You need Node.js 22+ installed. Works on macOS, Linux, and Windows (via WSL2).

1. Install globally

npm install -g openclaw@latest

2. Run the setup wizard

openclaw onboard --install-daemon

3. Start the gateway

openclaw gateway --verbose

The wizard walks you through connecting an AI model (Claude or ChatGPT), setting up a workspace, and linking a messaging channel. The daemon option keeps it running in the background.

GitHub Repo →Official Docs

⚠️ A word of caution

OpenClaw is powerful software with minimal guardrails. It can execute shell commands, control your browser, read and send messages, manage files, and take real actions on your behalf. Security researchers have flagged risks including prompt injection attacks, exposed credentials from misconfiguration, and malicious third-party skills. Palo Alto Networks called it a “lethal trifecta” of private data access, untrusted content exposure, and external communication ability. This is not a toy — treat it like giving someone the keys to your computer. Understand what you're running before you run it.

The backstory

OpenClaw was created by Austrian developer Peter Steinberger and launched in January 2026. It started as Clawdbot — a nod to Anthropic's Claude AI — but an IP conflict with Anthropic led to a rapid rebrand to Moltbot on January 27, followed by the final name OpenClaw on January 30. Three names in four days.

It went viral almost immediately. Within weeks it had over 145,000 GitHub stars, coverage from CNBC, TechCrunch, ZDNet, and Mashable, and adoption from Silicon Valley to Beijing. CNBC called it “one of the most talked-about tools in the artificial intelligence space this year.”

The reason for the hype is simple: most AI chatbots just talk. OpenClaw does things. It runs on your machine, connects to your real messaging apps (WhatsApp, Telegram, Slack, Discord, iMessage, Signal, and more), and can take autonomous actions — browsing the web, managing email, scheduling, running code, and controlling your system. It has persistent memory across sessions, so it learns your preferences over time.

What it can do

  • 💬Multi-channel messaging — WhatsApp, Telegram, Slack, Discord, Signal, iMessage, Google Chat, Microsoft Teams, and more
  • 🌐Browser control — navigate websites, fill forms, take screenshots, automate web tasks
  • 🛠️Shell access — run terminal commands, manage files, execute scripts on your system
  • 🧠Persistent memory — remembers past conversations and adapts to your habits over weeks
  • ⏰Cron jobs & automation — schedule recurring tasks, reminders, and monitoring
  • 🎙️Voice & speech — voice wake, talk mode, and text-to-speech on macOS, iOS, and Android
  • 🔌Skills & plugins — extensible with community-built skills from ClawdHub
  • 🤖Multi-agent — run multiple AI agents with separate workspaces, personalities, and channel routing

Works with any major AI model

OpenClaw isn't locked to one provider. It works with Anthropic Claude (recommended — best for long context and prompt-injection resistance), OpenAI ChatGPT, Ollama (local models), Mistral, DeepSeek, and others. You bring your own subscription or API key — the software itself is free.

Resources

Level up your Clawdbot workflow

The Claw Loop →Claw Fix →AI Handoff Prompt →
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