Clawdbot (OpenClaw): Your Free, 24/7 Open-Source AI Agent |

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 making waves as a free, open-source AI agent that can operate as a digital employee, completing tasks for you 24/7. You can interface with it through text message, WhatsApp, or Telegram, giving you a powerful assistant on the go.

This AI agent can do virtually anything you can do on a computer. It has zero guardrails, which makes it incredibly powerful but also potentially dangerous if not used correctly. This article will guide you through the setup process, explore practical use cases, and cover the essential security concerns to ensure you use it safely and effectively.

What is Clawdbot?

Clawdbot is an AI that can do anything. It can clear your inbox, send emails, and manage your calendar. Its key advantage is the ability to interface through various chat applications, with numerous integrations already built-in.

Here are some of its core features:

Local Operation: You can set it up on a dedicated computer, a Mac Mini, or even a Raspberry Pi to run 24/7.
Persistent Memory: It remembers past interactions and context, allowing for continuous and evolving tasks.
Browser Control: It can navigate websites, gather information, and perform actions in a browser.
Full System Access: It has access to your computer’s file system, enabling it to read, write, and manage files.
Skills & Plugins: It comes with a library of skills and plugins that extend its capabilities.

To demonstrate its power, consider this task I assigned this morning. I instructed the bot with the following prompt:

“Good morning. I want you to go through this X account, find the latest tweets, and learn their style and voice. After that, research the top three biggest AI stories today and create three tweets for me. After I confirm they’re good, post them.”

The incredible part is that I can interact with the agent directly from my phone using Telegram. This setup allows for a 24/7 workflow. While you’re sleeping or away from your desk, the agent can take action on your behalf. My employees may only work 9-to-5, but this bot never stops.

In just a few seconds, the agent completed the entire task. It delivered three distinct story summaries, formatted perfectly as tweets, ready to be posted.

Story 1: [Generated Tweet Content]
Story 2: [Generated Tweet Content]
Story 3: [Generated Tweet Content]

Imagine the power this gives you. When an idea strikes, you no longer need to stop and craft the content yourself. You simply tell the agent your idea, and it generates the posts in your established voice and style.

Getting Started: Setup and Configuration

Setting up Clawdbot is surprisingly easy. You simply open your terminal and run the official installation command. The script will walk you through the entire setup process.

# Run the official installer
curl -fsSL https://openclaw.ai/install.sh | bash

Once installed, you’ll want to configure its capabilities.

Skills The “Skills” section is where you grant the agent access to perform different actions. There are nearly 50 different skills available. You should enable all of them for maximum functionality. Some skills will require you to provide API keys for third-party services.

Cron Jobs You can schedule tasks using cron jobs. For instance, you can configure a “daily brief” to run every morning, where the agent gathers information and prepares a summary for you.

Memory The agent has persistent memory, but you must explicitly tell it what to remember. For example, you can instruct it:

“Please remember the voice and tone we used for these tweets.”

The agent will update its memory and apply that context to all future tasks.

Pro Tips for Maximum Efficiency

To get the most out of Clawdbot, follow these pro tips:

Install All Skills: Ensure all skills are installed and their corresponding APIs are set up correctly. This unlocks the agent’s full potential.
Automate with Cron Jobs: Use cron jobs to automate and schedule recurring tasks, turning the agent into a truly autonomous assistant.
Use the Right Model: The Opus 4.5 model is highly recommended for its advanced agentic capabilities. However, be warned: it can be expensive. I ran through $25 in credits in just a few hours. A full-time run could cost $100-$150 per day. For less intensive tasks, consider using a more cost-effective model like Miniax.
Leverage Sub-Agents: You can instruct the main agent to use different models for different sub-tasks. This allows you to use the powerful but expensive Opus 4.5 only when necessary, saving costs on simpler operations.
Treat It Like an Employee: Create separate accounts for the agent (e.g., its own Gmail). Never share your personal passwords. This isolates its environment, so if something goes wrong, it only affects the agent’s accounts, not yours.
Optimize Search: Use Grok’s API (Gro 4.1) to power the search function instead of the default Brave search. It’s often cheaper and more powerful since Grok is connected to the real-time data on X.

Advanced Use Case: Website Conversion Optimization

You can delegate complex research tasks to the agent. For example, I was scheduled to analyze a website for conversion rate improvements. I gave the agent the following prompt:

“I am going to grab a coffee right now. I want you to go through contentbuddy.ai and figure out how we can optimize the conversion rate by changing the website landing page. Please go through and give me a list of optimizations plus priority order for it.”

Hands-free, the agent navigated to the website and began its analysis. By the time I returned with my coffee, it had produced a comprehensive “Conversion Rate Optimization Analysis.” The report included the current state, a summary, and a prioritized list of 15 actionable items, complete with recommended A/B tests. It automated a significant portion of the work I had planned for the morning.

Data Analysis on Autopilot

Clawdbot can also analyze data directly from your computer. I have sales and ad performance data saved in my downloads folder. I tasked the agent with this prompt:

“I have sales data and ads data on my computer. It should be in the downloads from today. Please run an analysis on it and recommend changes to increase revenue/profitability.”

Because the agent has system access, it located the files in my downloads folder and began its analysis. The first time it performs such an action, you will need to grant it permission. Afterward, it can proceed autonomously.

To ensure the agent can run 24/7, you need to prevent your computer from sleeping. An application like Amphetamine (available on the Mac App Store) can keep your machine awake. This is why many users run Clawdbot on a dedicated Mac Mini or an old computer.

The analysis was completed in minutes. The agent provided an executive summary, key findings on ad performance, and a prioritized list of recommendations from high to low impact.

Critical Security Concerns

The power of Clawdbot comes with significant risks. Heed these security warnings:

API Costs Add Up: Heavy use of powerful models like Opus 4.5 can lead to substantial daily costs. Monitor your usage closely.
Do Not Run on Your Main Computer: Run Clawdbot on a separate, isolated machine. This prevents it from accessing sensitive personal files like tax returns or other private documents on your primary computer.
Isolate Its Access: Do not give the agent direct access to your real email, files, or notes. Set up forwarding rules so it can see information peripherally without being able to edit or delete the original source.
Treat It Like a Secure Employee: Give it secure access, train it, and mentor it. Its capabilities will improve over time, but it requires careful management.

A Final Fun Use Case: Email Automation

For a powerful productivity boost, you can set up an auto-forwarder on your main email inbox to the agent’s dedicated inbox. You can then have it draft replies to incoming emails and alert you for approval. With a quick confirmation from your phone, you can automate responses to emails, Slack messages, or Discord notifications, truly achieving inbox zero.