Update (January 30, 2026): As of January 30, 2026, ClawdBot has been renamed to OpenClaw, replacing MoltBot. The reason prompting this change is that the first name was too similar to Anthropic’s Claude AI, forcing OpenClaw to change its name.
What is Clawdbot (or OpenClaw)?
Clawdbot is an open-source AI agent that can autonomously perform a variety of tasks. It runs locally on your computer or VPS server. Its agentic capabilities allow it to work around the clock, 24/7, and take action for you all by itself. Also, you can connect it with any of your preferred messaging platforms, like WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord, iMessage, or Slack, and give instructions from there.
Key Features and Capabilities of OpenClaw
Here are some other key aspects that separate Clawdbot from the rest of the chatbots from big tech.
Persistent memory: Clawdbot has persistent memory, which allows it to remember what you said yesterday or last week. This helps the AI tailor its responses according to previous interactions with you. Proactive responses: Unlike ChatGPT or Gemini, Clawdbot doesn’t wait for your prompt to respond. It reaches out to you on its own, sending summaries, briefings, reminders, and alerts. Can take actions: If Clawdbot has access to the right permissions, it can carry out most tasks you assign to it on its own. Whether it’s summarizing your emails, updating calendars, or creating another app from scratch. Runs locally: The AI agent runs natively on your machine, so all the information stays in your system. Since it is self-hosted, no data is sent over to the cloud for processing.
Why is Clawdbot (OpenClaw) Going Viral? What’s So Special About It?
Over the past couple of days, Clawdbot has exploded on the internet, especially among tech and AI enthusiasts. Posts and videos of the AI agent, praising its capabilities, started going viral on platforms like X, TikTok, and Reddit. In turn, spreading a good word of mouth for the recently released Clawdbot. But what’s the reason behind it? Well, it’s all thanks to its capabilities like persistent memory, agentic behavior, proactive response, and the fact that you can run 24/7, like an AI employee working for you. From creating other AI agents and managing them, to building an app from scratch, or offering the basic stuff like daily reminders and morning briefings, Clawdbot is making the impossible possible today. Engineers and AI heads are just loving everything that Clawdbot has to offer, going gaga over its potential. My X feed is filled with articles talking about all different sorts of projects people have been able to come up with Clawdbot. Some people are already calling it the closest thing to AGI (Artificial General Intelligence). One founder shared a post, asking Clawdbot to make a dinner reservation, and when it couldn’t complete the task, it used ElevenLabs to call the restaurant and book the table. People are even ordering the Mac Mini (2024) as a dedicated system to run Clawdbot. Some people are already trying to profit from Clawdbot by asking the AI agent to trade for them. And its cute lobster logo, which is inspired by the “little monster” that appears when you restart Claude Code, has also garnered a lot of love from the AI and tech community.
Who Made Clawdbot (OpenClaw)?
Peter Steinberger (@steipete) is the brains behind Clawdbot. He is an Austrian developer and founder who actively blogs about his work. Peter stepped down from his previously founded PSPDFKit project to work on Clawdbot. His vision behind making Clawdbot was around the question: “Why don’t I have an agent that can look over my agents?” as mentioned in the Insecure Agents podcast.
Do You Need a Mac Mini to Run Clawdbot (OpenClaw)?
No, you don’t need a Mac Mini to run Claudbot. You can even set up OpenClaw on Windows and Linux devices as well. You can even rent a VPS server and run it from there. No need to run it on your primary system at all. Don’t go out of your way to purchase a Mac Mini. So what does Apple’s Mac Mini have to do with Clawdbot and its virality? Well, the answer is pretty simple. Clawdbot works best on dedicated hardware. And it is pretty straightforward to install Clawdbot on a Mac Mini and use it as a standalone system to run the agent. Plus, it is the cheapest and most capable Mac you can get. It features Apple’s M4 chipset, which is quite powerful, even going into 2026, 16GB of unified memory, and a 256GB SSD, all of it for as low as $499. This is why it is becoming a popular choice among the tech and AI heads to run Clawdbot. Name Email ID
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