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AI agents

NanoClaw

A small, personal AI assistant you message on WhatsApp, Telegram or Slack, with each agent kept in its own sealed box.

Fast-rising

What it does

NanoClaw is a personal AI assistant you talk to through messaging apps like WhatsApp, Telegram, Slack and Discord. It has memory, can run scheduled jobs, and uses Anthropic's Claude.

Its maker describes it as a lighter alternative to the larger OpenClaw project, with a codebase small enough to read and understand. Each agent runs in its own container, a sealed-off space on your computer, so it can only reach the files it's given.

A setup script installs what's needed, connects your Anthropic account and pairs your first messaging app.

Who it's for

People comfortable with a terminal who want their own AI assistant in their chat apps, with tight control over what it can access.

Can I use it without coding?

With some setup. Setup runs from a terminal script that installs Docker and other tools. New to this? Start here.

Can I run it?

Cost
Free, but needs an AI accountThe software is free, but it uses an online AI service (like OpenAI or Anthropic), which usually charges for use.
Runs on
Mac, Linux, Windows
Computer
An ordinary computer is fine
Privacy
Your choice: run it on your device or use an online service
API key
Needed. An API key is a password-like code from an online AI service. What's that?

Try it

  1. Run the included setup script, which installs anything missing and builds the agent's sealed container.
  2. Connect your Anthropic account and pair a chat app such as Slack, Telegram or WhatsApp.
  3. Message your assistant using its trigger word, which is Andy by default.

Using Claude Code, Cursor or another AI coding assistant? Paste the prompt and it will walk you through the setup.New to this?

Before you install

  • Only download from the official GitHub page. Copies with similar names exist for many popular projects.
  • License (MIT): Very permissive: free to use, change and share, including for business.
  • Keep your API key private. Never paste it into websites or share it, and set a spending limit with the AI service.
  • More on staying safe

Where people are talking about it