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Introduction to OpenClaw

OpenClaw is a free, open-source, autonomous AI agent that runs locally on your machine. It connects large language models — Claude, GPT, Grok, or fully local models — to your files, shell, browser, messaging apps, and dozens of other services.

Think of it as a personal AI assistant that actually does things, not just answers questions.

What Makes OpenClaw Different​

Unlike chatbots that wait for you to type, OpenClaw is an autonomous agent:

FeatureTraditional ChatbotOpenClaw
ExecutionResponds to promptsActs proactively via heartbeat
ScopeText in, text outFull system access (files, shell, browser, APIs)
MemorySession-basedPersistent local Markdown memory
IntegrationsNone50+ platforms (WhatsApp, Slack, Gmail, GitHub...)
HostingCloud serviceRuns on your machine
PrivacyData sent to providerAll data stays local

Key Capabilities​

  • Autonomous operation — The heartbeat system checks for pending tasks every 30 minutes and takes action without prompting
  • Multi-platform messaging — Operate through WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord, Slack, Signal, iMessage, Teams, Feishu/Lark, and more
  • 100+ skills — Extensible via ClawHub, the community skill marketplace
  • Model-agnostic — Works with any LLM provider or local models via Ollama/vLLM
  • Self-improving — Can write code for its own new capabilities
  • Private by default — All data stored locally as Markdown files

A Brief History​

OpenClaw has had one of the most dramatic trajectories in open-source history:

  1. November 2025 — Created by Peter Steinberger (founder of PSPDFKit) as Clawdbot
  2. January 27, 2026 — Renamed to Moltbot after Anthropic filed trademark complaints over the "Clawd" name being too close to "Claude"
  3. January 28, 2026 — Moltbook launches — a social network where AI agents autonomously post, comment, and vote. Andrej Karpathy calls it "the most incredible sci-fi takeoff-adjacent thing"
  4. January 30, 2026 — Renamed again to OpenClaw ("Moltbot never quite rolled off the tongue") — completing the fastest triple rebrand in open-source history
  5. January 30, 2026 — CVE-2026-25253 disclosed: a critical one-click RCE vulnerability. Patched in v2026.1.29
  6. Late January 2026 — Goes massively viral, gaining 100,000+ GitHub stars in ~2 days — the fastest repo to 100K stars in GitHub history
  7. February 2026 — 341 malicious ClawHub skills discovered; VirusTotal partnership announced; 40,000+ exposed instances found; adopted by Alibaba and Tencent; banned by Korean tech firms

As of February 2026, OpenClaw has 182,000+ GitHub stars, 29,600+ forks, and 376+ contributors. It drew 2 million visitors to its website in a single week.

info

Steinberger has said he "ships code he doesn't read" — having made 6,600 commits in January alone using AI coding tools. This philosophy of rapid AI-assisted development is both OpenClaw's strength and a source of its security challenges.

Who Is This For?​

OpenClaw is aimed at:

  • Developers who want an AI that can read/write code, run tests, manage repos
  • Power users who want to automate email triage, messaging, scheduling
  • Self-hosters who value privacy and local-first architecture
  • Tinkerers who want to build custom AI skills and workflows
warning

OpenClaw grants your AI agent significant system access. It has been described as a "security dumpster fire" by npm's founding CTO and a "security nightmare" by Cisco. Before deploying, read the Security Guide carefully. Start with read-only permissions and expand gradually.

The Cost Question​

OpenClaw itself is free (MIT license), but LLM API costs can add up quickly:

Usage LevelApproximate Daily Cost
Light (CLI chat only)$1–5
Moderate (heartbeat + channels)$5–20
Heavy (many channels, complex skills)$20–50+
Local models (Ollama/vLLM)$0

Some users have reported bills of $600+/month with heavy use. See Local Models for the zero-cost alternative.

Next Steps​