awesome-openclaw

Awesome OpenClaw

Fastest-growing GitHub repo ever - 9K to 195K stars in 66 days (18x faster than Kubernetes)

The most comprehensive, curated collection of OpenClaw resources, hosting guides, cost comparisons, security hardening, skills, tutorials, and community links.

OpenClaw (formerly Clawdbot → Moltbot) is a free, open-source autonomous AI agent created by Peter Steinberger (@steipete). It runs on your own hardware, connects to 10+ messaging platforms (WhatsApp, Telegram, Slack, Discord, Signal, iMessage, Google Chat, Microsoft Teams, Matrix, Zalo), and orchestrates AI agent workflows with persistent memory and 24/7 operation.

Table of Contents

• What is OpenClaw?
• Name History
• System Requirements
• Quick Start (1 Minute)
• Setup Methods (1-10 Minutes)
• Hosting Providers Comparison
  • Free Tier ($0/month)
  • Budget VPS ($2-8/month)
  • Mid-Range ($5-25/month)
  • Serverless & PaaS
  • Managed Hosting Services
  • Setup-as-a-Service (Freelancers)
  • Local Hardware
• Master Cost Comparison Table
• AI Model API Costs
• Total Real-World Cost Examples
• Cloudflare Workers (Moltworker) Deep Dive
• DigitalOcean 1-Click Deploy
• Hetzner Setup Guide
• Hostinger VPS Setup
• Oracle Cloud Free Tier Setup
• Raspberry Pi Setup
• ESP32 Embedded (MimiClaw)
• Docker Deployment
• Security & Hardening
• Configuration
  • Model Providers
  • Messaging Channels
  • Local LLM Integration
  • MCP Server Integration
• Integrations & Features
  • Voice Assistant
  • Home Automation
  • Email & Calendar
  • Google Workspace
  • Webhooks & Cron Jobs
  • Live Canvas
  • Multi-Agent Setup
  • Companion Apps
  • Monitoring & Dashboards
  • Backup & Restore
• Performance Benchmarks
• OpenClaw vs Claude Code
• Alternatives & Competitors
• Moltbook (AI Social Network)
• Skills & Plugins
  • Setup Guides & Starters
• Browser Automation
• Real-World Use Cases
• Current OpenClaw Operating Patterns
• Tutorials & Guides
• Video Tutorials
• Community
• Media Coverage
• Common Issues & Troubleshooting
• Cost Calculator & Optimization
• Key Contributors
• Related Repositories
• Kubernetes & Helm Charts
• PicoClaw (RISC-V / Ultra-Lightweight)
• Courses & Learning Platforms
• Enterprise Considerations
• China & Global Adoption
• Latest Releases

What is OpenClaw?

Current maintenance note: this README keeps the original comprehensive awesome-list format while being maintained from current OpenClaw docs, upstream source, public ecosystem repos, and contributor PRs. New resources should be added to the end of the most relevant section with neutral descriptions and source links.

OpenClaw is an agentic AI interface that:

• Runs locally on your own hardware (Mac Mini, VPS, Raspberry Pi, ESP32-S3, or serverless)
• Connects to 10+ messaging platforms simultaneously
• Has persistent memory across sessions (saves files, breadcrumbs, chat histories)
• Handles tasks spanning hours or days without losing context
• Operates 24/7 autonomously focusing on automation and integration
• Supports 5,700+ community-built skills via ClawHub
• Works with multiple AI providers (Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, OpenRouter, DeepSeek, local LLMs)
• Features voice assistant, browser automation, home automation, and cron scheduling

Core Architecture (6 Layers)

Name History

When the team dropped the @clawdbot Twitter handle to transition to @moltbot, professional "handle snipers" immediately grabbed it. Scammers used the hijacked account to launch a fake CLAWD token on Solana.

System Requirements

Minimum

Recommended

Quick Start (1 Minute)

npm install -g openclaw@latest
openclaw onboard --install-daemon
openclaw gateway --port 18789 --verbose

That's it. The wizard walks you through API key setup, channel configuration, and security settings.

Setup Methods (1-10 Minutes)

Method 1: Official Installer Script

curl -fsSL https://openclaw.ai/install.sh | bash
openclaw onboard --install-daemon

Method 2: npm / pnpm

npm install -g openclaw@latest
# or
pnpm add -g openclaw@latest

Method 3: Docker

git clone https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw.git
cd openclaw
./docker-setup.sh

Method 4: One-Click Cloud Deploys

Hosting Providers Comparison

Free Tier ($0/month)

Budget VPS ($2-8/month)

Mid-Range ($5-25/month)

Serverless & PaaS

Managed Hosting Services

These providers handle ALL the setup for you - no Docker, no terminal, no DevOps required.

Setup-as-a-Service (Freelancers)

Hire someone to set it up for you.

Business Model Insight: "The move right now is doing free OpenClaw installs, upselling security/skill packages/custom builds. We still make money on a 'free' install because we get an affiliate commission from the hosting company." - @GanimCorey on X

Master Cost Comparison Table

AI Model API Costs

The real cost of running OpenClaw is the AI model API, not infrastructure.

Provider Pricing (per 1M tokens)

75x price difference between the most expensive (Claude Opus) and cheapest (Gemini Flash) options.

Monthly API Cost Estimates

Cost Optimization Tips

1. Use smart model routing - cheap models (Haiku/Flash) for simple tasks, expensive (Sonnet/Opus) for complex
2. Enable prompt caching - Anthropic auto-applies 5-min cache, reducing repeat costs
3. Use local LLMs via Ollama for zero API cost (requires 16 GB+ RAM)
4. Set budget alerts in your AI provider dashboard
5. Use OpenClaw Cost Calculator to estimate your spend

Total Real-World Cost Examples

Cloudflare Workers (Moltworker) Deep Dive

Moltworker is Cloudflare's official adaptation of OpenClaw for Workers.

Architecture

• Container: Sandbox (standard-1: 1/2 vCPU, 4 GiB RAM, 8 GB disk)
• Storage: R2 for persistence (auto-sync every 5 minutes)
• Auth: Cloudflare Access (Zero Trust) + gateway token + device pairing
• Status: Proof-of-concept (not an official Cloudflare product)

Setup

git clone https://github.com/cloudflare/moltworker.git
cd moltworker && npm install
npx wrangler secret put ANTHROPIC_API_KEY
export MOLTBOT_GATEWAY_TOKEN=$(openssl rand -hex 32)
npx wrangler secret put MOLTBOT_GATEWAY_TOKEN
npm run deploy

Access: https://your-worker.workers.dev/?token=YOUR_GATEWAY_TOKEN

Cost Breakdown (24/7 Operation)

Set SANDBOX_SLEEP_AFTER=10m for infrequent use to reduce costs significantly.

Limitations

• Cannot support Telegram bots (requires persistent connection for long-polling)
• Containers hibernate when not receiving HTTP requests
• Use VPS deployment for Telegram integration

Resources

• GitHub - cloudflare/moltworker
• Blog - Introducing Moltworker
• openclaw-nearai-worker - Worker for hosting OpenClaw in NEAR AI Cloud.

DigitalOcean 1-Click Deploy

The fastest path to a production OpenClaw instance.

1. Go to DigitalOcean Marketplace
2. Click "Create OpenClaw Droplet"
3. Choose $12/mo plan (2 GB RAM recommended)
4. Select region, SSH key
5. Deploy (ready in ~90 seconds)

Pre-configured: OpenClaw 2026.1.24-1, Docker isolation, unique gateway token, security-hardened, Caddy HTTPS.

Resources

• DigitalOcean Blog - Introducing OpenClaw
• Technical Deep Dive - Security Hardening
• Tutorial - How to Run OpenClaw

Hetzner Setup Guide

Best price-to-performance ratio for OpenClaw hosting.

ssh root@your-server-ip
curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_22.x | bash -
apt-get install -y nodejs
npm install -g openclaw@latest
openclaw onboard --install-daemon
ufw allow ssh && ufw allow 443/tcp && ufw enable

• Hetzner - OpenClaw Docs
• Deploy with Pulumi + Tailscale
• openclaw-terraform-hetzner - Terraform modules for provisioning OpenClaw on Hetzner Cloud.

Hostinger VPS Setup

Renewal prices are ~2x. Lock in annual pricing.

• How to Install OpenClaw on Hostinger VPS
• How to Secure OpenClaw on Hostinger
• 25 OpenClaw Use Cases

Oracle Cloud Free Tier Setup

Truly free forever - 4 ARM cores, 24 GB RAM, 200 GB storage, 10 TB/month.

curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_22.x | bash -
apt-get install -y nodejs git
npm install -g openclaw@latest
openclaw onboard --install-daemon

Caveats: ARM architecture, high demand (keep retrying), add credit card to prevent account termination.

• Oracle Cloud - OpenClaw Docs
• Always-On AI for $0/month
• Self-Host on a Free VPS

Raspberry Pi Setup

curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_22.x | sudo bash -
sudo apt-get install -y nodejs
npm install -g openclaw@latest
openclaw onboard --install-daemon

• OpenClaw on Raspberry Pi - ajfisher
• OpenClaw on Raspberry Pi - Adafruit

ESP32 Embedded (MimiClaw)

MimiClaw implements OpenClaw's core principles on a $5 ESP32-S3 microcontroller. Written entirely in pure C - no Linux, no Node.js, no server infrastructure needed.

The smallest and cheapest way to run an OpenClaw-style AI agent - proving the core architecture (agent loop, persistent memory, tool calling, chat integration) can work without an operating system or runtime environment.

• GitHub - memovai/mimiclaw

Docker Deployment

git clone https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw.git
cd openclaw && ./docker-setup.sh

Useful Commands

docker compose run --rm openclaw-cli pairing approve telegram 
docker compose run --rm openclaw-cli dashboard --no-open
docker compose run --rm openclaw-cli security audit --deep

• Docker - OpenClaw Docs
• Running OpenClaw in Docker - Simon Willison
• Docker Guide for Beginners - Medium
• docker-gentkit-openclaw - Docker image and scripts for running OpenClaw with persistent host-mounted state.
• Carapace - Hardened Docker Compose setup for OpenClaw with read-only root filesystem, dropped capabilities, and optional browser isolation.
• wodby/openclaw - Docker image for OpenClaw Gateway with versioned stability tags, amd64/arm64 builds, and entrypoint-generated configuration.
• OpenSandbox OpenClaw example - Example for launching OpenClaw Gateway inside an OpenSandbox instance with restrictive network policy and configurable image, token, port, and timeout settings.
• OpenKruise Agents OpenClaw example - Kubernetes sandbox example for pre-warmed OpenClaw instances with persistent user data through volume claim templates.

Security & Hardening

Known CVEs (All Patched)

Update immediately to v2026.2.12+ to patch all known vulnerabilities (40+ security fixes).

Security Best Practices

1. Bind to 127.0.0.1 only (never 0.0.0.0) - over 135,000 exposed instances found online
2. Use SSH tunnels or Tailscale Serve for remote access
3. Use auth profiles (system keychain): openclaw auth set ANTHROPIC_API_KEY
4. Configure firewall: ufw default deny incoming && ufw allow ssh && ufw allow 443/tcp && ufw enable
5. Use Docker for container isolation
6. Run regular audits: openclaw security audit --deep and openclaw doctor
7. Use Composio for managed OAuth (security guide)

Skills Marketplace Risks

~15% of community skills contain malicious instructions

• 341 malicious skills discovered in "ClawHavoc" campaign (Atomic Stealer malware)
• 280+ skills leak API keys and PII (Snyk)
• VirusTotal scanning now integrated
• Always audit skills before installation

Security Tools

Security Resources

• centminmod/explain-openclaw - Deep security analysis (73 files, multi-AI)
• Cisco - AI Agents Are a Security Nightmare
• Bitdefender - Malicious Skill Trap
• Snyk - 280+ Leaky Skills
• The Register - Security Issues
• SecurityWeek - Hijack OpenClaw AI Assistant
• SoC Radar - CVE-2026-25253 Analysis
• Runzero - OpenClaw RCE Vulnerability
• Depthfirst - 1-Click RCE to Steal Data and Keys
• VirusTotal - From Automation to Infection - 7.1% of ClawHub skills exposed credentials
• Cyera - The OpenClaw Security Saga
• Vectra - When Automation Becomes a Digital Backdoor
• Belgium CCB Advisory
• University of Toronto Advisory
• n8n + OpenClaw Security White Paper - Security analysis of n8n and OpenClaw integration patterns: credential isolation via n8n proxy, webhook hardening, network architecture, and threat modeling for production deployments. Peer-reviewed with multi-model validation. By Dr. Gaurav Caprihan.
• The Calyx Protocol - Permeability-based security model replacing binary allow/deny with membrane architecture. Addresses prompt injection, data exfiltration, and skill poisoning through ethics-weighted signal routing. Derived from the Codex Harmonicae (30 years cybernetic research). By Kimberley Asher.
• Semgrep - OpenClaw Security Engineer's Cheat Sheet - Static analysis rules for detecting insecure OpenClaw configurations, exposed API keys, and risky skill patterns
• OpenClaw Security Practice Guide - Agent-facing hardening guide for OpenClaw deployments, prompt-injection risk, supply-chain review, and high-risk tool boundaries.

Configuration

Model Providers

Messaging Channels

Local LLM Integration

Ollama

curl -fsSL https://ollama.com/install.sh | sh
ollama pull llama3.1

{ "provider": "openai", "baseUrl": "http://localhost:11434/v1", "model": "llama3.1" }

LM Studio

{ "provider": "openai", "baseUrl": "http://localhost:1234/v1", "model": "your-model-name" }

vLLM (GPU-Accelerated)

{ "provider": "openai", "baseUrl": "http://localhost:8000/v1", "model": "your-model-name" }

• OpenClaw + Ollama Guide
• OpenClaw + LM Studio Guide
• OpenClaw + vLLM on AMD

MCP Server Integration

Integrations & Features

Voice Assistant

• OpenClaw Voice
• VoxClaw - Voice output for OpenClaw from a Mac on the local network.
• openclaw-voice - Browser-based voice chat for assistants using Whisper STT and ElevenLabs TTS.
• openclaw-assistant - Android voice assistant app with wake word and system assistant integration.
• OpenClaw Termux - Android phone install guide with WhatsApp control.
• ClawGPT Android app - Mobile companion app for OpenClaw.
• AnveVoice - Website voice assistant that can navigate pages, fill forms, and complete site actions, with MCP support noted by the provider.
• Voice Call Plugin Docs
• @openclaw/voice-call - Official OpenClaw voice-call plugin package for Twilio, Telnyx, Plivo, and mock call providers.
• ClawdTalk - Phone calls and SMS for OpenClaw agents. Dedicated number, WebSocket client, agentic deep tools. (GitHub | ClawHub)
• openclaw-voice - Voice client for OpenClaw Gateway with hold-to-record, transcript editing, and streaming response views.
• claw-voice-chat - Push-to-talk voice chat interface for OpenClaw channels.
• TryclawChat - Browser voice chat client for OpenClaw Gateway with push-to-talk, wake-word, STT, and TTS support.

Home Automation

• Home Assistant custom add-on with ha-mcp integration

• Control lights, thermostats, IoT devices via messaging

• Adjust boilers based on weather forecasts

• Voice commands through WhatsApp/Telegram

• OpenClaw on Home Assistant

• OpenClaw Gave My Home Assistant an AI Agent

• ROSClaw - ROS2 integration project for connecting OpenClaw workflows to robotics systems.

• Casa - Mac Catalyst app that exposes local HomeKit data through a localhost-only REST API and CLI for OpenClaw automation workflows.

Email & Calendar

• Gmail: Real-time processing via Pub/Sub, smart filtering, auto-responses

• Google Calendar: Event creation, viewing, sync, daily briefings

• Apple Calendar: Via khal/vdirsyncer integration

• Outlook: Calendar sync and management

• BotEmail.ai - Instant @botemail.ai email inboxes for AI agents. One API call creates a dedicated inbox with no human setup required. Includes an OpenClaw skill (ClawHub), MCP server, and OpenAI GPT Actions support.

• Openmail - Email infrastructure for AI agents with reliable sending, receiving, and routing. Includes an OpenClaw skill (ClawHub) for direct integration into OpenClaw-based workflows.

• Gmail Automation Guide

• Google Calendar Sync

• Apple PIM Agent Plugin - Native macOS plugin for exposing Calendar, Reminders, Contacts, and Mail workflows to OpenClaw tool registration.

Google Workspace

Full suite access: Gmail, Calendar, Drive, Docs, Sheets. All data stays local - never passes through third-party services.

• Google Workspace Integration Guide

Webhooks & Cron Jobs

Webhooks: POST to /hooks/wake or /hooks/agent with Bearer token authentication. Hookdeck for secure tunnels with retries.

Cron Jobs: Interval-based (every 30 minutes) or Unix cron expressions (0 9 * * 1). Stored at ~/.openclaw/cron/jobs.json. Exponential retry backoff.

Heartbeat: Agent wakes every 30 min (configurable), reads HEARTBEAT.md, decides if action needed. Different from cron - "check these things periodically" vs "do this specific thing at this time."

• Webhooks Docs
• Cron Jobs Docs
• Heartbeat Docs
• ClawTick - Cloud scheduler for OpenClaw agents with performance monitoring and uptime checks.
• Send to OpenClaw - Chrome extension and local webhook server for sending page content or selected text into a Clawdbot session.
• clawhip - Event-to-channel notification router for OpenClaw-related workflows that keeps alerts out of gateway chat sessions.

Live Canvas

A2UI (Agent-to-UI) visual workspace - agent can render real-time UI, charts, and diagrams. Embedded in macOS menu bar app using WKWebView. Borderless, resizable, auto-reloads on file changes.

• Canvas Docs

Multi-Agent Setup

Configure multiple agents with separate workspaces, personas, auth profiles, and sessions (no cross-talk). Route by channel, phone number, or personality.

• Multi-Agent Docs
• Build Your Own AI Agent Team in 15 Minutes
• Antfarm - Create an OpenClaw agent team from a command-line workflow.
• Agency Agents OpenClaw integration - Integration guide for converting agency-agent workspaces into OpenClaw agents and registering them with the local gateway.
• ClawTeam-OpenClaw - Multi-agent swarm coordination adapted for OpenClaw.
• OpenClaw-RL - Research project for training agents through conversational feedback.
• openclaw-multi-agent-kit - Templates for multi-agent teams, Telegram supergroups, shared context, and bot-to-bot workflows.
• BMAD OpenClaw - Structured development workflow bridge that adapts BMad Method agent roles for OpenClaw.
• openclaw-pm - Project-manager configuration upgrade tool for OpenClaw agents.
• OpenClaw Agents - One-command multi-agent setup with specialized agents, group routing, and safe config merge.
• Claw Orchestrator - Runtime for wrapping multiple coding CLIs as persistent sessions, with OpenClaw plugin support documented by the project.
• openclaw-skill-claude-code - OpenClaw skill for running long coding tasks in the background and returning progress notifications to chat.
• claude-code-clawdbot-skill - Clawdbot skill wrapper for running host CLI coding tasks through a pseudo-terminal in headless sessions.
• HiClaw - Collaborative multi-agent OS with human-in-the-loop coordination through Matrix rooms.
• Aurogen - OpenClaw-compatible multi-agent reimplementation with web-panel configuration, dynamic modules, and ClawHub skill import support.
• edict - OpenClaw multi-agent orchestration system with specialized agent roles, a dashboard, model configuration, and audit logs.
• Golutra - Multi-agent orchestration workspace that includes OpenClaw alongside other CLI agents for parallel tasks and long-running workflows.
• linear-agent-bridge - OpenClaw plugin that maps Linear issues into a multi-agent workspace with delegation, progress tracking, and review surfaces.
• openclaw-swarm - Gateway management project for coordinating multiple OpenClaw gateways at scale.
• ClawChief - Chief-of-staff workspace pattern for organizing OpenClaw agent responsibilities.
• MultiUserClaw - Multi-user wrapper around OpenClaw that keeps the upstream gateway unchanged while adding user-level routing.
• ClawSwarm - Multi-agent orchestration system for OpenClaw that coordinates swarm-style work through group chat.
• openclaw-superpowers - Native OpenClaw port of a three-agent software-development framework with install guidance for agent-led setup.
• openclaw_agent_party - OpenClaw skill for talking to multiple agents in one conversation.
• openclaw-hawkins - OpenClaw plugin for durable orchestration state and shared multi-agent memory backed by MariaDB.

Companion Apps

Monitoring & Dashboards

Backup & Restore

openclaw config backup
openclaw config restore config-2026-02-01-1600.yaml

# Manual backup
tar -czvf ~/openclaw_backup_$(date +%Y%m%d).tar.gz -C "$HOME" .openclaw

Never commit ~/.openclaw/ to Git (contains secrets).

• Keep My Claw - Encrypted OpenClaw backup and restore service with client-side encryption, scheduled snapshots, and Cloudflare R2 storage.
• soul-upload.com - Encrypted backup storage for OpenClaw workspace artifacts, using local encryption before upload and recovery by URL plus password.
• openclaw-backup - Backup and restore skill for OpenClaw instance migration. Review credential scope before use.
• openclaw-infra - Disaster-recovery bootstrap for exporting OpenClaw settings, versioning infrastructure state, and restoring a server profile.
• openclaw-killer - Uninstall and cleanup script for removing OpenClaw components from a host after review.
• backup-openclaw - Python CLI for compressed OpenClaw installation backups with metadata files and optional encrypted upload paths. Review backup contents before remote storage.

Performance Benchmarks

Inference Speed

Memory for Local Models

Bottleneck: Memory bandwidth and VRAM capacity, not CPU speed. Sweet spot: 7B models.

OpenClaw vs Claude Code

Complementary tools, not competitors. Many engineers run both simultaneously.

Alternatives & Competitors

Moltbook (AI Social Network)

Created by OpenClaw agent "Clawd Clawderberg" (built by Matt Schlicht, Cofounder of Octane AI).

"Most interesting place on the internet right now" - Fortune

• TechCrunch
• Fortune
• CNBC
• IBM - OpenClaw and the future of AI agents
• Proof of Lobster - Verify if Moltbook profiles are AI-generated, and launch fully on-chain sovereign agents with their own wallets. By Theseus AI Labs. (GitHub)

Skills & Plugins

ClawHub (Official Registry)

• URL: clawhub.ai | Skills: 5,705+ | GitHub: openclaw/clawhub

Awesome OpenClaw Skills

• URL: VoltAgent/awesome-openclaw-skills | Skills: 3,009 curated

Lobster Workflow Runtime

Lobster - typed workflow runtime with resumable approvals. Turns skills/tools into composable pipelines.

Notable Skills & Plugins