OpenClaw: Your Personal AI Assistant

1. Introduction

Imagine texting an assistant on WhatsApp or Telegram — the same apps you already use every day — and having it actually do things for you. Not just answer trivia questions, but check your email, send messages to your friends, research a topic, remind you about appointments, and even run tasks while you sleep.

That's OpenClaw. It's a free, open-source AI assistant that runs on your own computer and connects to the messaging apps you already use. Think of it as having a super-smart personal assistant that lives in your phone — except instead of just chatting, it can take real actions in the real world.^[1]

OpenClaw has exploded in popularity since launching in late 2025. It's earned over 200,000 stars on GitHub (that's like "likes" from developers), been covered by Wired, The Guardian, Forbes, and PCMag, and has a passionate community of people building all kinds of creative setups.^[2][3][4]

In this guide, we'll explain everything in plain English — no coding experience needed. By the end, you'll understand what OpenClaw is, why people are so excited about it, and whether it might be useful for you.

2. What Is OpenClaw?

At its core, OpenClaw is a personal AI assistant that you run on your own computer — whether that's a Mac, a Windows PC, a Linux machine, or even a tiny Raspberry Pi. It was created by Peter Steinberger, an Austrian developer, and launched in November 2025 under the name "Clawdbot" (a play on Anthropic's AI model "Claude" and... lobsters 🦞).^[5]

Here's the key thing that makes OpenClaw special: it doesn't just answer questions — it takes actions.

You talk to it through messaging apps you already have — like Telegram, WhatsApp, Discord, Signal, Slack, or even iMessage. You send it a message like you'd text a friend, and it can:

• Send messages to other people on your behalf
• Check and summarize your emails
• Browse websites and research topics for you
• Manage files on your computer
• Set reminders and follow up with you later
• Run scheduled tasks automatically (even while you sleep!)
• Control smart home devices
• Write, edit, and brainstorm with you

A Brief Timeline

• November 2025 — Launches as "Clawdbot" by Peter Steinberger
• January 27, 2026 — Renamed to "Moltbot" after Anthropic's trademark concerns
• January 30, 2026 — Renamed again to "OpenClaw" (the name that stuck!)^[5]
• Late January 2026 — Goes viral. 200,000+ GitHub stars in weeks^[2]
• February 4, 2026 — First ClawCon conference in San Francisco^[5]
• February 14, 2026 — Creator Peter Steinberger joins OpenAI; project moves to an open-source foundation^[5]

3. How It's Different from ChatGPT, Siri & Alexa

You might be thinking: "I already have ChatGPT. I already have Siri. Why do I need this?" Great question. Here's the difference:

🤖 ChatGPT: Answers Questions

ChatGPT is brilliant at answering questions, writing text, and having conversations. But it lives in a browser tab. It can't send a message to your friend on WhatsApp. It can't check your email. It can't set a reminder that actually follows up. ChatGPT talks. OpenClaw does.

📱 Siri & Alexa: Limited Actions

Siri and Alexa can do some things — set timers, play music, check the weather. But they're locked into Apple's or Amazon's ecosystem. They can't browse the web for you, write a detailed research summary, or manage complex multi-step tasks. And they definitely don't remember what you were working on yesterday.

🦞 OpenClaw: The Best of Both Worlds

OpenClaw combines the intelligence of ChatGPT with the action-taking ability of a real assistant. Here's what sets it apart:

4. Real Use Cases for Regular People

You don't need to be a developer to get value from OpenClaw. Here are real things people use it for every single day:

☀️ Good Morning Briefing

Imagine waking up and texting your AI assistant "good morning." It responds with today's weather, your calendar appointments, a summary of important emails, and top news headlines — all in one message. That's a real OpenClaw workflow that takes about 5 minutes to set up.

📧 Email Management

Ask OpenClaw to check your inbox, summarize the important emails, flag anything urgent, and draft replies. You review and approve — it handles the tedious sorting.

💬 Send Messages on Your Behalf

Running late? Tell OpenClaw "let Sarah know I'll be 10 minutes late" and it sends the message through WhatsApp or Telegram. It can also send scheduled messages — birthday wishes, reminders to friends, follow-ups with clients.

🔍 Research Anything

Ask OpenClaw to research a topic and it will browse the web, read multiple sources, and come back with a clear summary. Planning a vacation? It can compare flights, find hotel reviews, and build an itinerary.

⏰ Reminders That Actually Follow Up

Unlike basic reminders, OpenClaw can nag you until you respond. Set a reminder to take your medication, and it won't just beep once — it'll check in with you until you confirm you took it.

📱 Social Media Management

Some people use OpenClaw to draft social media posts, schedule content, and even respond to comments. It can research trending topics and suggest post ideas based on your niche.

✍️ Writing & Brainstorming

Use it as a writing partner — brainstorm ideas, outline blog posts, edit drafts, even write code if you're learning programming. Since it remembers your previous conversations, it builds on context over time.

🏠 Home Automation

Connect OpenClaw to smart home devices through its "paired nodes" feature. Control lights, check security cameras, or get notified when something happens at home — all through your messaging app.

5. How It Works (The Simple Version)

Don't worry — you don't need to understand the technical details to use OpenClaw. But here's a plain-English explanation of how it all fits together:

Step 1: It Runs on Your Computer

OpenClaw installs as a program on your computer (Mac, PC, or Linux). It runs in the background — kind of like how Spotify runs in the background playing music. You don't need to keep a window open. It just... works, 24/7.

Step 2: You Connect Your Messaging Apps

You link OpenClaw to one or more messaging apps — Telegram is the easiest to set up, but WhatsApp, Discord, Slack, Signal, and even iMessage all work. This is how you'll talk to your assistant.

Step 3: You Talk to It Like a Friend

Open your messaging app and start chatting. "What's on my calendar today?" "Summarize my emails." "Research the best restaurants in Lisbon." It understands natural language — no special commands needed.

Step 4: It Learns Your Preferences

OpenClaw has a memory system. It remembers your name, your preferences, your ongoing projects, and context from previous conversations. The more you use it, the better it gets at helping you. This memory is stored in simple text files on YOUR computer — not on some company's server.^[7]

Step 5: Add "Skills" for Extra Powers

Think of skills like apps for your AI assistant. Want it to check the weather? There's a skill for that. Want it to manage your calendar? There's a skill for that. Want it to generate images? Skill for that too. You can browse and install skills from ClawHub — it's like an app store for AI abilities.^[8]

6. How People Use It on X (Twitter)

OpenClaw has one of the most active and enthusiastic communities on X (formerly Twitter). Here's what people are saying:

🔥 Viral Testimonials

• "It's running my company." — @therno, in what became one of the most retweeted OpenClaw posts^[6]
• "When you experience OpenClaw it gives the same kick as when we first saw the power of ChatGPT." — @abhi__katiyar^[6]
• "At this point I don't even know what to call OpenClaw. It is something new." — Dave Morin (@davemorin), tech investor and former Facebook executive^[6]
• "OpenClaw is the first 'software' in ages for which I constantly check for new releases on GitHub." — @cnakazawa^[6]
• "Just shipped my first personal AI assistant. On WhatsApp. Builds my second brain while I chat." — @christinetyip^[6]

🛠️ Creative Setups People Share

• Running it on a Mac Mini as a 24/7 assistant — Several users set up dedicated cheap Mac Minis that run OpenClaw around the clock, accessible from their phone anywhere in the world
• Family assistants — Some people set up OpenClaw for their whole family, with different "personalities" for different family members
• Business operations — Small business owners using it to handle customer inquiries, schedule appointments, and manage social media
• Developer workflows — Programmers having OpenClaw review code, run tests, fix bugs, and even open pull requests on GitHub automatically

💡 Community Tips

• Start with Telegram — It's the easiest messaging platform to connect and has the best feature support
• Give your AI a name and personality — People find it more natural to interact with an assistant that has a personality defined in SOUL.md
• Use the onboarding wizard — Run openclaw onboard and let it guide you step-by-step
• Join the Discord — The community is incredibly helpful for troubleshooting and sharing creative setups

7. Getting Started

Ready to try it? Here's what you need and how to get going:

What You Need

• A computer — Mac, Windows (with WSL2), or Linux. Even a Raspberry Pi works!
• Node.js — A free program that runs JavaScript. Version 22 or newer. Download it from nodejs.org
• An AI subscription — You'll need access to an AI model. The recommended option is an Anthropic Claude Pro or Max subscription ($20-$100/month), or an OpenAI API key
• A messaging app — Telegram is the easiest to start with (it's free)

Installation (3 Steps)

Step 1: Open your terminal (on Mac, search for "Terminal" in Spotlight) and type:

npm install -g openclaw@latest

Step 2: Run the onboarding wizard — it walks you through everything:

openclaw onboard --install-daemon

Step 3: The wizard will ask you to:

• Choose your AI model (Claude recommended)
• Connect your messaging app (Telegram is easiest)
• Name your assistant and give it a personality
• Install the background service so it runs 24/7

Your First Conversations

Here are some great things to try first:

• "What's the weather like today?" — Test basic functionality
• "Remember that my favorite color is blue" — Test the memory system
• "What's my favorite color?" — Verify it remembered!
• "Search the web for the best restaurants in [your city]" — Test web browsing
• "Set a reminder to call Mom at 6 PM" — Test reminders

8. Pricing

Here's the great news: OpenClaw itself is completely free. It's open-source software released under the MIT license — you can download it, use it, modify it, and share it without paying a cent.^[1]

The only cost is the AI model that powers the brain. OpenClaw doesn't have its own AI — it connects to existing AI models (like Claude or GPT-4) and uses them to understand and respond to you. Here's what that costs:

9. Pros & Cons (Honest Assessment)

✅ Pros

• Actually does things — Not just a chatbot. Sends messages, manages files, browses the web, runs scheduled tasks
• Your data stays yours — Everything runs on your computer. No company is reading your conversations^[9]
• Works in your existing apps — WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord, Signal, Slack, iMessage — no new app to learn
• Persistent memory — Remembers who you are, your preferences, and ongoing projects across sessions
• Free and open source — No subscription fee for OpenClaw itself. Huge community contributing improvements
• Customizable — Give it any personality, add skills, create custom workflows
• Runs 24/7 — Background tasks, scheduled reminders, cron jobs — it works while you sleep
• Multi-platform — Mac, Windows, Linux, Raspberry Pi — runs everywhere
• Growing ecosystem — Active Discord community, ClawHub skills marketplace, frequent updates

❌ Cons

• Setup requires some technical comfort — You need to use a terminal and install Node.js. The onboarding wizard helps, but it's not as simple as downloading an iPhone app^[10]
• AI costs money — While OpenClaw is free, the AI model it uses costs $20-200/month depending on usage
• Security requires caution — Because OpenClaw has access to your computer and accounts, misconfiguration can create risks. Keep it updated and use the built-in security features^[11]
• AI can make mistakes — Like any AI, it can hallucinate or misunderstand instructions. Always review important actions before they're sent
• Needs a computer running — Your computer (or a server) needs to be on for OpenClaw to work. If your laptop sleeps, so does your assistant
• Community plugins need vetting — Third-party skills may have bugs or security issues. Stick to trusted sources
• Ongoing maintenance — Updates, security patches, and occasional troubleshooting are part of the deal

10. The Community

One of the best things about OpenClaw is its community. Here's where to find your people:

💬 Discord

The OpenClaw Discord server is the main community hub. Thousands of members sharing setups, troubleshooting issues, and showing off creative workflows. The #show-and-tell channel is particularly inspiring.

🛒 ClawHub

ClawHub is the skills marketplace — like an app store for OpenClaw abilities. Browse community-created skills for weather, calendars, email management, social media, coding assistance, and much more. Install any skill with a single command.^[8]

🐙 GitHub

The OpenClaw GitHub repository is where the code lives. With 200,000+ stars and 35,000+ forks, it's one of the fastest-growing open-source projects in history. You can report bugs, request features, or even contribute code.^[1]

📖 Documentation

The official docs at docs.openclaw.ai cover everything from basic setup to advanced configurations. The getting-started guide is beginner-friendly and well-maintained.

🌐 Growing Ecosystem

The OpenClaw ecosystem is growing fast. Third-party tools, YouTube tutorials, blog posts, and even a conference (ClawCon) have sprung up around it. As of February 2026, the creator Peter Steinberger joined OpenAI, and the project is moving to an open-source foundation — ensuring it stays community-driven.^[5]