What is OpenClaw? (Formerly Clawdbot / Moltbot)
OpenClaw is an open-source personal AI assistant that runs locally on your own hardware. Unlike cloud-based AI assistants, OpenClaw operates on a Mac Mini in your home or office, giving you full control over your data and capabilities.
The project has had three names: It launched as Clawdbot in late 2025, was briefly renamed to Moltbot due to a trademark conflict, and finally settled on OpenClaw as its official name in January 2026. All three names refer to the same software.
OpenClaw can:
- Send and receive messages through WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord, and iMessage
- Execute commands on your Mac (file management, app control, automations)
- Connect to 50+ integrations (calendars, email, smart home, APIs)
- Process natural language requests and take action on your behalf
As of January 2026, OpenClaw has 123,000+ GitHub stars and has been described as one of the fastest-growing open-source projects in GitHub history. The project attracted over 2 million visitors in its first week after going viral.