other / agent
OpenClaw
An open-source AI assistant that runs on your own computer and connects to chat apps such as Discord, iMessage, Slack, Teams, Telegram and WhatsApp.
At a glance
- Purpose
- An open-source AI assistant that runs on your own computer and connects to chat apps such as Discord, iMessage, Slack, Teams, Telegram and WhatsApp.
- Runs in
- Local agent with shell, Web service
- Operating systems
- macOS, Linux, Windows
- Needs
- Runtime: Node.js 24.16+ or 26.1+; Needs internet: Not stated; Needs accounts or API keys beyond your agent: Not stated
- Files and data
- Reads files: Not stated; Writes files: Yes; Sends data to other services: Yes
- Tool type
- Agent
- Delivery
- From GitHub
- Version
- Latest on the main branch
- Access
- Code on GitHub
- Compatibility
- According to the README, the installer supports macOS, Linux and Windows, and the shell install script names WSL2. The README lists native apps for macOS, iOS, Android, Windows and Linux. It names channels including Discord, iMessage, Slack, Teams, Telegram, WhatsApp, Google Chat and Signal. It names Claude, Codex and local models as swappable plugins, and it points to the installation guide for Docker, Nix and other deployment paths.
- External costs
- According to the README, OpenClaw has no paid tier, hosted service or token. The README says OpenClaw works with hosted and local model providers that you configure. Your coding agent or model provider may charge for usage.
- Permissions
- The README's shell and PowerShell installation routes download and execute remote scripts and can provision Node.js. The npm route installs a global package and, on the specified npm versions, permits OpenClaw's lifecycle scripts. The README's direct-package onboarding command requests a daemon and creates a workspace and Gateway configuration. According to the README, main-session tools run on the host unless sandboxing is configured. The README describes connections to messaging platforms and model providers, plus companion-app access to voice, Canvas, camera, screen and device-local actions. The README says unknown direct-message senders use pairing by default and tells users to treat inbound messages as untrusted input.
- Usage terms
- MIT License, as stated in the repository. See its LICENSE file for the exact terms. The README points to THIRD_PARTY_NOTICES.md for incorporated or adapted code.
Code on GitHub
openclaw/openclaw
MITThe AI that really does things. Any OS. Any Platform. The lobster way. 🦞
Topics: ai assistant crustacean molty openclaw own-your-data personal
Public GitHub data fetched · 0 days old
View on GitHub ↗What it does
OpenClaw is an open-source AI assistant. According to the README, it runs on the user's computer and connects to channels including Discord, iMessage, Slack, Teams, Telegram and WhatsApp. The README lists native apps for macOS, iOS, Android, Windows and Linux and describes personal and shared-team Gateway deployments.The README describes the Gateway as the control plane for sessions, tools, events and channel connections, with a Control UI, CLI and TUI. The README says companion apps and nodes add voice, Canvas, camera, screen and device-local actions on supported platforms.
The README describes hosted and local model providers, swappable model and harness plugins including Claude and Codex, and extensions through tools, skills and plugins.
Who it is for
People who want an AI assistant that runs on their own computer, for personal use or as a shared team deployment, and that they reach through chat apps.Example tasks
Install OpenClaw and complete the onboarding wizard.Open the Control UI and send the assistant a message.
Connect the assistant to a messaging channel such as Telegram, Slack or Discord.
Approve a pairing request from an unknown sender.
Add a tool, skill or plugin to extend what the assistant can do.
Getting started
The README gives a shell install script for macOS, Linux and WSL2 and a PowerShell install script for Windows. It says the installer scripts start onboarding automatically.If you already manage Node.js, the README gives this command for npm 12 or npm 11.16+:
npm install -g openclaw@latest --allow-scripts=openclaw
On npm 11.15 and earlier, the README says to omit --allow-scripts=openclaw.
If you installed the package directly with npm, pnpm or Bun, the README says to run:
openclaw onboard --install-daemon
After onboarding, the README gives:
openclaw gateway status
openclaw dashboard
The README says the last command opens the Control UI, where you send a message to confirm the assistant is working.
The README has the exact commands.
Limitations
The README says the installer supports macOS, Linux and Windows and provisions a supported Node.js runtime when needed. The README says the npm package route needs Node 24.16+ or 26.1+, with Node 26 recommended. The README describes configured model providers and says onboarding includes a model access check.The README says tools run on the host for the main session unless you configure sandboxing. It tells readers to treat inbound messages as untrusted input, and to read the security guide, the exposure runbook and the sandboxing guide before connecting other users or exposing the Gateway remotely.
For development, the README says the repository is a pnpm workspace and that plain npm install at the repository root is not supported.
The repository can change at any time; check its README before you install.