Note: Clawdbot has been rebranded to OpenClaw. This article has been updated to reflect the new name and installation instructions. For the latest information, please visit the official website: openclaw.ai.
Clawdbot (OpenClaw) is causing a stir online, but with the hype comes a great deal of misunderstanding about what this tool is and what it isn’t. This article will explain it simply and quickly.
What is Clawdbot? (And What It’s Not)
First, let’s clear up a major point of confusion: Clawdbot is not Claude Code. It’s a completely different, open-source application that can use Claude Code, but it is not the same thing. The application is called Clawdbot, spelled C-L-A-W-D.
A great way to conceptualize Clawdbot is to think about your phone and its messaging apps, like Telegram or WhatsApp. You install Clawdbot on your local computer—or ideally, a separate, isolated machine. Then, you connect it to a service like Telegram. This allows you to send messages back and forth from your phone directly to Clawdbot, which operates on your computer. It is not a web application. This distinction is crucial.
The Double-Edged Sword: Unprecedented Power and Risk
When you install Clawdbot, you are granting it permission to do anything you can do on that machine.
On one hand, this is incredibly powerful. It can create files. It can code for you. It can open your browser to check your emails or even make a dinner reservation. The possibilities are vast. It can literally do anything you want it to.
However, it comes with no guardrails. It’s like a living agent unleashed on your local machine. This has, understandably, caused some concern. The tool is very cool, but it’s not battle-tested. It has open ports that could potentially be accessed, which is likely why a major AI company hasn’t released a consumer-facing tool like this yet. It’s not quite ready for the masses.
A Proactive, Learning Companion
What makes Clawdbot particularly interesting is its ability to get to know you and act proactively. While a service like ChatGPT can learn about you over time, Clawdbot takes this to the next level. It is always looking for things it can do based on what it knows about your preferences and habits.
For example, if you do a lot of research for your work, you could give it access to a platform like X (formerly Twitter) and instruct it to monitor for trending topics you’re interested in. It could then autonomously compile and send reports directly to your phone.
Navigating the Dangers: Security and Unpredictability
This power must be handled with care. Clawdbot lives on your local machine, and we are dealing with non-deterministic AI systems. They can hallucinate and invent information. If it decides to go through your contacts and send a text message or an email to an ex-girlfriend, that is a real possibility. This is something you must be aware of before setting up a system like this.
For this reason, it is highly recommended to install Clawdbot in an isolated environment. A dedicated machine, like a Mac Mini, with its own email address creates a sandbox where you can let it run wild without exposing your primary machine to as many security risks.
Getting Started: Should You Install It?
So, who should set this up? Anyone interested in the future of AI agents should consider it, but with caution. The installation process requires using the terminal and setting up several configurations.
If you are uncomfortable with the command-line interface (CLI), you might find it confusing. However, you can use an AI tool like Claude Code to walk you through the setup process.
A typical installation might look something like this in your terminal:
# Run the official installer
curl -fsSL https://openclaw.ai/install.sh | bash
Even if you’re new to the terminal, it’s a manageable process. Just be very careful when running it on your main computer.
The Ecosystem: Skills and LLM Integration
Clawdbot also features a growing skills database. Developers are building out new skills for Clawdbot, much like the skills available for other AI platforms.
To clarify the landscape:
- Claude is an LLM, an AI model you can interact with in a chat interface.
- Claude Code is a development environment that runs models like Claude 3 Opus for coding tasks.
- Clawdbot is an agent that can use various LLMs—including Claude, Gemini, or ChatGPT—to execute tasks.
The Hidden Cost of Automation
This level of automation can be very expensive. There are reports of users accumulating bills for hundreds of dollars a day running Clawdbot.
Remember, this agent isn’t just acting when you command it. You can set up scheduled jobs (cron jobs) where Clawdbot is constantly looking for tasks to perform on your machine or on websites you’ve given it access to. When it decides to act, it can burn through millions of tokens, leading to significant costs.
Final Verdict
So, is using Clawdbot recommended? Absolutely, but with extreme caution. It is a new, open-source tool, and you use it at your own risk. It is powerful, potentially destructive, and can be very expensive. It offers a fascinating glimpse into the future of autonomous AI agents, but it’s a frontier that requires careful navigation.