# OpenClaw

> A persistent assistant gateway connecting your devices, tools, models, and chat channels.

- **Maker:** OpenClaw Foundation
- **Catalogue type:** Self-hosted runtime
- **Website:** https://openclaw.ai
- **Source code:** https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw
- **Also known as:** unknown — no other names recorded
- **Evidence:** 15 sources, checked 2026-10-21 to 2026-10-21
- **Profile:** https://agentlist.wiki/agent/openclaw/
- **This record:** https://agentlist.wiki/agents/openclaw.md

## Key facts

| Field | Value | Status | Sources |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Availability & access | Available | documented | 1 |
| Price & usage costs | Free; you pay models | documented | 1 |
| Included in another plan | No OpenClaw paid tier; provider accounts are separate | documented | 1 |
| Where it runs | Self-hosted | documented | 1 |
| Open source & license | MIT | documented | 1 |
| Controls your computer | Yes · Mac | documented | 4 |
| Its own computer | unknown | unknown | — |
| Works while your computer is off | Partly | limited | 1 |
| If the vendor stops | Keeps working | documented | 1 |
| Remote shut-off | Not possible | documented | 1 |
| What you keep | Partial | documented | 1 |
| Company type | Independent project | documented | 15 |
| Launch date | Nov 2025 | documented | 14 |

Status marks — `documented`: Supported by official documentation; not independently tested. `limited`: Only partial or conditional support established. `unknown`: Not established by reviewed sources; does not mean unsupported.

## Company & launch

*Who makes it and when it arrived. Company type and funding are context, not a quality score: an open-source project and a public company carry different risks, not better or worse ones.*

- **Company type** `documented` — Independent project [15]
- **Company stage** `documented` — Nonprofit foundation [15]
- **Disclosed funding** `unknown` — Not specified — no reviewed source answers this, which is a gap in the catalogue rather than a "no".
- **Launch date** `documented` — Nov 2025 · Open-source release · Originally Clawd [14]

**Launch history**

- 2025-11 · Open-source release · Originally Clawd [14]
- 2026-01-29 · Major update · Renamed OpenClaw [14]

## What it can do

*What this agent can actually operate — a machine of its own, yours, or neither. Computer control is three separate questions, and most products answer only some of them.*

- **What stands out** `documented` — One persistent gateway connects messaging, device companions, and swappable model or coding-agent backends. [1, 8]
- **Computer use** `documented` — Controls local/paired Mac desktops and cloud desktops; Windows/Linux driver support is experimental. [4]
- **Controls your computer** `documented` — Drives a local or paired Mac desktop; Windows and Linux driver support is experimental. [4]
- **Its own computer** `unknown` — Not specified — no reviewed source answers this, which is a gap in the catalogue rather than a "no".
- **Works while your computer is off** `limited` (partial or conditional only) — Depends on the deployment: a self-hosted install on your own computer stops with it, while a server install keeps running. [1]
- **Browser control** `documented` — Dedicated agent browser, existing signed-in Chrome, or a remote browser connection. [5]
- **Voice & ambient listening** `documented` — Continuous Talk conversations on macOS/iOS/Android and the web, with realtime voice options. [12]
- **Background work & triggers** `documented` — Persistent scheduler with channel and webhook delivery. [3]

## Apps & access

*Where you reach it and on what. A messaging integration is not a native app, so the two are tracked apart; an app listed here is a real first-party client.*

- **Native desktop apps** `documented` — macOS menu-bar app, Windows Hub, and Linux companion apps. [8]
- **iPhone & Android apps** `documented` — Official iOS and Android companion apps; both connect to your running Gateway. [9, 10]
- **Web & messaging** `documented` — Telegram, WhatsApp, Discord, Slack, Teams, iMessage, and others. [1]
- **Messaging services** `documented` — iMessage, WhatsApp, Telegram, Slack, Discord, Microsoft Teams [1]
- **Native hardware** `unknown` — Not specified — no reviewed source answers this, which is a gap in the catalogue rather than a "no".
- **Developer API** `documented` — Self-hosted OpenAI-compatible Chat Completions and Responses APIs; enable them in Gateway settings. [11]

## Models & plans

*What you pay and what runs underneath. Where an agent is bundled into a larger subscription, the price shown is that subscription's — there is no separate fee for the agent.*

- **Models & providers** `documented` — Swappable hosted models, local models, and harness plugins. [1]
- **Bring your own model** `documented` — Swappable hosted/local model providers and agent harnesses, using your own credentials. [1]
- **Included in another plan** `documented` — OpenClaw has no paid tier; model and hosting accounts are separate. [1]
- **Price & usage costs** `documented` — No paid software tier; model and hosting costs depend on deployment. [1]

## Vendor lock-in

*How hard it is to leave, and what survives if the company does. Almost no hosted vendor publishes a shutdown commitment, so an answer here is usually read from the architecture rather than from a promise.*

- **If the vendor stops** `documented` — Open-source software you run yourself, so it keeps running if the project stops; it still depends on whichever model provider you point it at. [1]
- **Remote shut-off** `documented` — Runs on hardware you control, with no vendor activation or licence check described. [1]
- **What you keep** `documented` — State lives on hardware you control, but a documented full export and restore path is not established. [1]

## Ownership & control

*What it asks before acting, what it remembers, and who else can see it. These are the questions that decide whether you would hand it your inbox.*

- **Open source & license** `documented` — MIT [1]
- **Where it runs** `documented` — Self-hosted: local computer or server. [1]
- **Passwords & credentials** `limited` (partial or conditional only) — Opt-in 1Password and HashiCorp Vault integrations; 1Password agent reads can reveal selected secrets to the model. [6, 7]
- **Approval before actions** `documented` — Configurable command approvals and allowlists; full-permission modes can bypass prompts. [13]
- **What it remembers** `documented` — Editable Markdown workspace files and searchable memory. [2]
- **Edit & export your data** `limited` (partial or conditional only) — State and credentials remain on operator hardware. Full state export / restore not verified. [1]
- **Privacy & isolation** `documented` — Sender pairing; main-session tools use host unless sandboxing is configured. [1]
- **Availability & access** `documented` — Available for self-hosting. [1]

## Plans

| Plan | Price | Billing | Includes | Limits | Sources |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Self-hosted | Free software | Model access and hosting are supplied separately. | MIT open-source license; Swappable hosted/local model providers and agent harnesses, using your own credentials. | Usage limits and running costs depend on your chosen provider and deployment. | 1 |

## Native apps and web access

*Messaging services are channels, not native apps, and are listed separately below.*

| Platform | Status | Detail | Sources |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| macOS | Available | macOS menu-bar app, Windows Hub, and Linux companion apps. | 8 |
| Windows | Available | macOS menu-bar app, Windows Hub, and Linux companion apps. | 8 |
| Linux | Available | macOS menu-bar app, Windows Hub, and Linux companion apps. | 8 |
| iOS | Available | Official iOS and Android companion apps; both connect to your running Gateway. | 9, 10 |
| Android | Available | Official iOS and Android companion apps; both connect to your running Gateway. | 9, 10 |

## Messaging services

| Service | Status | Detail | Sources |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| iMessage | Available | Telegram, WhatsApp, Discord, Slack, Teams, iMessage, and others. | 1 |
| WhatsApp | Available | Telegram, WhatsApp, Discord, Slack, Teams, iMessage, and others. | 1 |
| Telegram | Available | Telegram, WhatsApp, Discord, Slack, Teams, iMessage, and others. | 1 |
| Slack | Available | Telegram, WhatsApp, Discord, Slack, Teams, iMessage, and others. | 1 |
| Discord | Available | Telegram, WhatsApp, Discord, Slack, Teams, iMessage, and others. | 1 |
| Microsoft Teams | Available | Telegram, WhatsApp, Discord, Slack, Teams, iMessage, and others. | 1 |

## Hardware

`unknown` — no dedicated hardware is established by the reviewed sources.

## Data reach

*What personal data this agent can reach, and whether anyone else could reach the same source.*

unknown — no first-party or exclusive data reach is recorded for this agent.

## Discussion

| Date | Thread | Platform | Kind | Sentiment | Summary |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2026-02-05 | [A week running OpenClaw on a Mac mini](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46895546) | Hacker News | community | mixed | A business owner reports useful overnight research and integrations, alongside invented claims, brittle browser automation and continuing review work. |
| 2026-04-10 | [Users question OpenClaw's memory reliability](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47721955) | Hacker News | community | critical | Participants describe inconsistent recurring workflows and update regressions, and discuss more deterministic tools and simpler agent setups. |
| 2026-04-15 | [Who is still using OpenClaw?](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47783940) | Hacker News | community | mixed | Users share editable Obsidian memory, reminders and family-history workflows. Replies debate everyday usefulness, maintenance and consent. |

## Feedback snapshot

Provider: Feedback Bench (https://feedbackbench.com/); data: https://feedbackbench.com/data/personal.json. Window 2026-08-31 to 2026-10-18; checked 2026-10-21.
Sample: 39195 posts, 3099 positive and 3808 negative rated user-weeks — 44.9% positive.
That percentage is the raw positive share of rated user-weeks, not the provider's composite score or ranking.
Channels: App Store, Play Store, Reddit, X, YouTube. Build 1.1, built 2026-10-19.

| Area | Praise | Complaint | Positive share | Area method |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Dealing with the vendor | 295 | 1071 | 21.6% | https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/vendor.md |
| Getting tasks done | 686 | 489 | 58.4% | https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/act.md |
| Running on its own | 744 | 409 | 64.5% | https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/auto.md |
| Getting access and set up | 201 | 756 | 21% | https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/access.md |
| Staying in control | 577 | 330 | 63.6% | https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/control.md |
| Talking to the agent | 311 | 349 | 47.1% | https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/ask.md |
| Paying for the agent | 174 | 441 | 28.3% | https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/billing.md |
| Connecting accounts, sites and devices | 274 | 239 | 53.4% | https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/connect.md |
| Trusting it with data and safety | 140 | 235 | 37.3% | https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/trust.md |

## Updates

**Where updates come from:** unknown — no update source has been recorded for this agent.

- 2026-10-22 · Release · [OpenClaw 2026.10.6 requires a patched Node runtime](https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/releases/tag/v2026.10.6) · OpenClaw Foundation — Now requires Node 24.22.1 or 26.12.1 and later, which reject TLS chains signed with the certificate keys compromised in the October 2026 Node.js security releases. Docker images and installers ship the patched runtime.
- 2026-10-18 · Release · [OpenClaw publishes v2026.10.5](https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/releases/tag/v2026.10.5) — The GitHub release publishes the stable version and links its full changelog. The publication date differs from the version string.

## Ecosystem

- Built on: OpenClaw → Kimi Claw — Kimi documents deploying OpenClaw in its cloud and connecting existing OpenClaw installations. (https://www.kimi.com/en/help/kimi-claw/overview)
- Built on: OpenClaw → MaxClaw — MiniMax hosts OpenClaw as MaxClaw, with managed setup, model access, and a cloud workspace. (https://agent.minimax.io/activity/max-claw)

## Sources

1. [OpenClaw README](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/openclaw/openclaw/main/README.md) — checked 2026-10-21
2. [Memory overview](https://docs.openclaw.ai/concepts/memory) — checked 2026-10-21
3. [Automations](https://docs.openclaw.ai/automation/cron-jobs) — checked 2026-10-21
4. [OpenClaw computer use](https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/blob/main/docs/nodes/computer-use.md) — checked 2026-10-21
5. [OpenClaw browser automation](https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/blob/main/docs/tools/browser.md) — checked 2026-10-21
6. [OpenClaw 1Password plugin](https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/blob/main/docs/plugins/onepassword.md) — checked 2026-10-21
7. [OpenClaw HashiCorp Vault integration](https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/blob/main/docs/plugins/vault.md) — checked 2026-10-21
8. [OpenClaw platform apps](https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/blob/main/docs/platforms/index.md) — checked 2026-10-21
9. [OpenClaw iOS app](https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/blob/main/docs/platforms/ios.md) — checked 2026-10-21
10. [OpenClaw Android app](https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/blob/main/docs/platforms/android.md) — checked 2026-10-21
11. [OpenClaw HTTP API](https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/blob/main/docs/gateway/openai-http-api.md) — checked 2026-10-21
12. [OpenClaw Talk mode](https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/blob/main/docs/nodes/talk.md) — checked 2026-10-21
13. [OpenClaw command approvals](https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/blob/main/docs/tools/exec-approvals.md) — checked 2026-10-21
14. [OpenClaw: original launch and naming history](https://openclaw.ai/blog/introducing-openclaw) — checked 2026-10-21
15. [OpenClaw blog: formation of the independent foundation](https://openclaw.ai/blog) — checked 2026-10-21