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NanoClaw is an AI assistant you run on your own computer. You can talk to it in the terminal or connect a messaging app such as Telegram, WhatsApp, Discord, or Slack. Ask for help in ordinary language: plan a meal, research a topic, or remember a preference. You can start with a general assistant or choose a prebuilt one for a particular job.

You

Help me plan three dinners for this week. I’d like to keep the cooking simple.

Your assistant

Let’s start with how many people you’re cooking for. How many should the meals serve?

Example conversation, shown as an illustration. Your assistant's replies will vary.

What can it do?

Start with a task that would make your day easier:
  • Research a topic. Ask for sources and a short summary. Claude agents have web search and page-reading tools available.
  • Remember preferences. Tell your assistant how you like answers or what you are working on. Each agent has its own memory.
  • Handle recurring work. Ask for a reminder or a regular update. Connect a messaging app to receive notifications on your phone; see Scheduled tasks.
  • Work with files. Give the assistant a task involving files it can access. Its working files live in a separate workspace; see Customization for sharing folders and setting instructions.
The tools and connections you choose affect what your assistant can do. Some tasks need access to another account or service. You can add more capabilities later, including a team of assistants.

What does running it involve?

NanoClaw runs on a computer you manage. This is what self-hosted means: you install it and keep that computer running when you want the assistant to respond. You’ll need a supported Mac or Linux computer, an internet connection, and an AI account. Windows users first set up WSL, which lets Windows run Linux. The quickstart explains the requirements and walks through opening Terminal, installing the software, and signing in. Claude is the default AI option. Setup also offers Codex; the provider guide covers other options. Your AI account is separate from NanoClaw. Cloud providers still process the AI requests you send them.

Choose where to begin

Meet your first assistant

Follow the guided setup and get your first reply. Start here if you’re new to NanoClaw.

Start with a prebuilt assistant

Choose an assistant for a job such as household planning, competitor research, or sales support.
Coming from NanoClaw v1 or OpenClaw? Use the migration guide before starting a new installation.

Under the hood, briefly

Each assistant, called an agent, has a working folder and runs in a separate environment called a sandbox. Its access depends on the folders, tools, and services configured for it. A sandbox is one part of the security model, not a guarantee that every action is safe.
  • Agent: an AI assistant with its own instructions and memory.
  • Channel: a way to message an assistant, such as Telegram or the terminal.
  • Provider: the AI service or runtime an agent uses.
  • Template: a prebuilt starting point for an assistant, with instructions and tools for a particular job.
For the technical details of how messages reach agents and how their workspaces run, see Architecture. To add tools or other integrations, see Extensions.

Source and community

NanoClaw is open source. Explore the source repository, or visit Discord to ask for help and share what you’re building.
Last modified on September 5, 2026