What is OpenClaw? The AI Assistant That Actually Does Things

The Short Answer

OpenClaw is an open-source AI assistant that you chat with through apps you already use (WhatsApp, Telegram, iMessage, Discord, Slack) and it can actually do things on your computer — not just chat.

Think of it as Siri, but smarter, more capable, and running on your own hardware. It remembers your conversations, sends proactive reminders, automates tasks, and integrates with the tools you use daily. All while keeping your data under your control.

Why OpenClaw Blew Up

In late January 2025, OpenClaw (originally called Clawdbot, then briefly Moltbot) went viral on tech Twitter. It hit 9,000 GitHub stars in 24 hours and rocketed past 60,000 stars in one week.

Why? Because it solves the problem that every AI chatbot has ignored: actually doing things.

Most AI tools make you:

• Open a website or app
• Type your question
• Wait for a response
• Copy the answer
• Paste it somewhere else
• Manually execute any actions

OpenClaw lives inside your existing workflow. You're already in WhatsApp, Telegram, or iMessage. Just text it like you'd text a coworker, and it handles the rest.

How OpenClaw Actually Works

OpenClaw is a self-hosted AI assistant framework. Here's the architecture:

1. You Run It On Your Own Machine

Unlike ChatGPT or Claude, OpenClaw runs on your computer (Mac, Linux, Raspberry Pi, cloud server). This means:

• Your data stays with you — no company sees your conversations
• You control everything — what it can access, what it can't
• It's always available — 24/7 if you keep the machine running

2. It Connects to Your Chat Apps

OpenClaw integrates with messaging platforms you already use:

• WhatsApp
• Telegram
• iMessage
• Discord
• Slack
• Signal

You just text it like any other contact. No new app to learn.

3. It Uses AI Models You Choose

OpenClaw itself is a framework — the actual AI work happens via:

• Claude (Anthropic) — Popular choice, great reasoning
• ChatGPT (OpenAI) — GPT-4, GPT-4o
• Gemini (Google)
• Local models — Run fully offline if you want

You bring your own API keys, or run local models. Your choice.

4. It Actually Does Things

This is where OpenClaw differs from chatbots. It can:

• Read and send emails
• Add calendar events
• Search your files
• Run shell commands
• Control smart home devices
• Generate and deploy code
• Schedule recurring tasks (cron jobs)
• Take screenshots
• Automate workflows

Real example from users: People have set up OpenClaw to check them in for flights automatically, organize their inbox overnight, and even control air purifiers based on biomarker data.

The Three Killer Features

1. Persistent Memory

OpenClaw remembers everything you tell it. Not just in one conversation — across all conversations, forever (until you delete it).

Tell it once that you prefer Python over JavaScript, and it'll remember. Tell it your work schedule, your project deadlines, your preferences — it builds a profile of you over time.

2. Proactive Notifications

Unlike chatbots that wait for you to ask, OpenClaw can message you first.

Set up:

• Daily briefings — Wake up to your priorities
• Deadline reminders — Never miss a due date
• Email triage — "You got 3 important emails overnight"
• Custom alerts — Weather, stock prices, GitHub PRs

3. Real Automation (Skills)

OpenClaw uses a "skills" system — modular plugins that add capabilities.

Best part? You can ask OpenClaw to write its own skills. Seriously.

Users have created skills for:

• Todoist task automation
• GitHub PR notifications
• Notion database queries
• Flight price tracking
• Custom meditation generators
• University assignment tracking

Who Created OpenClaw?

Peter Steinberger (@steipete) — Austrian developer who sold his company PSPDFKit for around $119 million, then got bored and built this.

He wanted what Siri should have been: an actual assistant that learns, remembers, and gets things done.

The project launched in early January 2025 and exploded in popularity. It's fully open source and has a growing community building skills and integrations.

Is OpenClaw Safe to Use?

Honest answer: It's powerful, which means it's also risky if configured wrong.

OpenClaw can:

• Access your emails, files, and credentials
• Run commands on your machine
• Send messages on your behalf
• Make API calls to services you've authorized

Security considerations:

• Don't expose it to the internet — Keep authentication tight
• Review what you give it access to — Start minimal, expand slowly
• Use a dedicated machine if possible — Spare laptop, Raspberry Pi, or cloud VM
• Keep it updated — Security patches come fast

For a full security guide, see: How to Set Up OpenClaw Safely

Hardware Requirements

Minimum: Any modern computer (Mac, Linux, Windows via WSL)

Popular setups:

• Mac Mini M4 — Powerful, always-on, energy efficient
• Raspberry Pi 5 — Budget option, good for basic tasks
• Cloud VM — DigitalOcean, Hetzner (lockdown security!)
• Your daily laptop — Works fine, just runs when machine is on

If you use cloud-based AI models (Claude API, ChatGPT API), hardware doesn't matter much. Local models need more power.

What OpenClaw Costs

OpenClaw itself: Free (open source)

Costs you'll have:

• AI Model API — Claude: $20/mo (Pro) or pay-per-use, ChatGPT: $20/mo, or use free tier
• Hardware — $0 (use existing laptop) to $600 (Mac Mini) to $5-20/mo (cloud VM)
• Optional services — Email API, calendar API, etc. (many have free tiers)

Realistic monthly cost: $20-40 for most users (AI API + maybe a cloud VM)

Real Examples From Users

How OpenClaw Compares to Alternatives

For a detailed comparison: OpenClaw vs ChatGPT, Claude & Siri

Should You Use OpenClaw?

Use OpenClaw if you:

• Want an AI assistant that actually does things, not just chats
• Value privacy and self-hosting
• Like tinkering and customization
• Need persistent memory across conversations
• Want proactive notifications and automation

Skip OpenClaw if you:

• Want something that "just works" with zero setup
• Don't want to manage your own infrastructure
• Aren't comfortable with cybersecurity considerations
• Just need a chatbot for quick questions

Getting Started

Official documentation: openclaw.ai

Step-by-step guides:

• How to Set Up OpenClaw Safely
• The Story Behind OpenClaw's Wild Rebrand

Community: Join the Discord to see what people are building and get help.

The Bottom Line

OpenClaw is what personal AI assistants should have been all along: persistent, proactive, and powerful.

It's not for everyone — it requires setup, understanding, and responsibility. But if you want an AI that remembers you, helps you proactively, and automates real work... this is it.

As one user put it: "Using OpenClaw feels like early AGI. The gap between what I can imagine and what actually works has never been smaller."