Clawdbot is an open-source personal AI assistant that radically transforms how we interact with artificial intelligence. Unlike ChatGPT or Claude web, Clawdbot lives inside your everyday messaging apps — WhatsApp, Telegram, Slack, Discord — and can proactively message you, remember conversations from weeks ago, and execute tasks on your computer.
The Problem Clawdbot Solves
For over a decade, big tech companies promised us intelligent assistants that would transform our productivity. Siri arrived in 2011. Google Assistant in 2016. Alexa conquered millions of homes. And yet, in 2026, most users remain frustrated with these tools.
The fundamental problem is that these traditional assistants:
- Wait passively for you to speak to them
- Forget everything when the session closes
- Can't execute complex tasks
- Live in closed ecosystems that limit their utility
- Prioritize data collection over real functionality
Clawdbot represents a paradigm shift. It's what Siri should have been and never was.
Clawdbot vs Siri vs Google Assistant vs Alexa: 2026 Comparison
| Feature | Clawdbot | Siri | Google Assistant | Alexa |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Proactivity | Writes to you when there's news | Only responds | Limited to routines | Only basic notifications |
| Persistent memory | Remembers weeks/months | Forgets on close | Very limited | Session only |
| Executes PC tasks | Terminal, browser, files | No | No | No |
| Open source | MIT License, auditable | Closed | Closed | Closed |
| Your data on your machine | Local-first | Apple servers | Google servers | Amazon servers |
| WhatsApp integration | Native | No | No | No |
| Monthly cost | ~$27 (VPS+Claude) | Free (with iPhone) | Free | Free (with Echo) |
Verdict: Clawdbot is the only assistant that combines real proactivity, persistent memory, and total user control. The trade-off is it requires initial technical setup.
What is Clawdbot and Why Does It Matter
Clawdbot is an open-source personal AI assistant that runs locally on your machine and responds through the messaging apps you already use: WhatsApp, Telegram, Slack, Discord, Signal, iMessage, and 50+ additional integrations.
The fundamental difference with ChatGPT or Claude web is that Clawdbot lives inside your messaging apps. You don't go to a website. You message it like any other contact. And it can:
- Proactively send you messages
- Remember past conversations
- Execute tasks on your computer
- Run 24/7
The Local-First Philosophy
One of the most relevant aspects of Clawdbot is its local-first architecture:
- Your data stays on your machine by default
- No dependency on external servers (except the AI model you choose)
- You can audit all the code since it's open-source
- You have total control over what it can and cannot do
The Creator: Peter Steinberger
Peter Steinberger (@steipete) is the creator of Clawdbot. He's not an anonymous developer or a weekend project funded by VCs promising to revolutionize the world.
His profile:
- Ex-founder of PSPDFKit, a PDF software company with global presence
- 13+ years of experience in native iOS development
- Based in Vienna and London
- Builds in public, sharing both successes and failures
Technical Architecture
Clawdbot uses a hub-and-spoke architecture with a centralized Gateway that acts as the control plane. The Gateway manages:
- Session routing and isolation: Each conversation stays separate
- Channel connections and events: WhatsApp, Telegram, Slack, etc.
- Tool execution and streaming: Real-time responses
- Canvas/A2UI hosting: Visual interface when needed
- Device node orchestration: Multiple synchronized devices
Supported AI Models
Clawdbot isn't tied to a single provider:
| Provider | Models | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Anthropic | Claude Pro/Max | Recommended: Claude Opus 4.5 |
| OpenAI | ChatGPT/Codex | GPT-4 available |
| Local | Ollama, LM Studio | For maximum privacy |
Installation and Requirements
System Requirements
| Component | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Node.js | >= 22 |
| Package Manager | npm, pnpm (preferred), or bun |
| Operating System | macOS, Linux, Windows (via WSL2) |
| Minimum RAM | 2GB (4GB for web automation) |
| Optional | Docker (for sandboxing) |
Quick Installation
npm install -g clawdbot@latest
clawdbot onboard --install-daemon
clawdbot gateway --port 18789 --verbose
Or the one-liner:
curl -fsSL https://clawd.bot/install.sh | bash
Estimated setup time: 30 minutes for basic configuration. 2-4 hours for complete customization with skills.
Differentiating Features
1. Persistent Memory
Unlike traditional chatbots that forget everything when the session closes, Clawdbot maintains continuous 24/7 context, learned user preferences, history of past conversations, and structured memory files. The workspace can be a Git repository — if the bot "learns" something incorrect, you can git revert and return to a previous state.
2. Real Proactivity
This is perhaps the most differentiating feature. Clawdbot doesn't wait passively:
- Morning briefings: Summary of emails, calendar, relevant news
- Contextual alerts: "Your meeting starts in 20 minutes"
- Topic tracking: "That project you mentioned has updates"
- Smart reminders: Based on usage patterns
3. System Control
Clawdbot can interact with your computer:
- Browser: Automation with Chrome/Chromium (CDP)
- Files: Reading and writing
- Terminal: Shell command execution
- Scripts: On-the-fly creation and execution
4. Extensibility
The skills system allows extending capabilities. Most interesting: Clawdbot can write its own plugins to gain new capabilities.
Real-World Use Cases
Personal Productivity
- Automatic Inbox Zero — Email cleanup, mass unsubscription, organization
- Smart Calendar — Contextual reminders based on location/time
- Flight Check-in — Complete automation without intervention
- Morning Briefings — Personalized daily summary
Advanced Automation
WhatsApp Memory Vault — A user automatically transcribed over 1000 voice messages with integrated semantic search.
Grocery Autopilot — From recipe photo to completed shopping cart in under 5 minutes.
Complete Website Migration — @thekitze: "Rebuilt my entire site via Telegram while watching Netflix in bed. Notion to Astro, 18 posts migrated, DNS moved to Cloudflare. Never opened my laptop."
Community Testimonials
"I got up and running today with @clawdbot and it's been nothing short of an iPhone moment for me." — @dajaset
"Using @clawdbot for a week and it genuinely feels like early AGI." — @davekiss
"Not enterprise. Not hosted. Infrastructure you control. This is what personal AI should feel like." — @karpathy
Real Costs
| Component | Cost |
|---|---|
| Basic VPS | ~5 EUR/month (Hetzner, 2GB RAM) |
| Recommended VPS | ~10 EUR/month (4GB RAM) |
| Claude Pro | $20/month |
| Claude Max | $100-200/month |
Minimum functional configuration: ~$27/month (VPS + Claude Pro)
Clawdbot software is 100% free and open-source under MIT license.
Security and Privacy
Clawdbot follows a local-first architecture: your data stays on your machine by default. Being open-source, you can audit all the code. However, the agent has broad access to your system (files, terminal, browser), so you should carefully configure permissions and use Docker containers to limit access in group contexts.
Security Recommendations
- Use restrictive pairing
- SSH tunneling for remote access
- Dedicated number for WhatsApp (ban risk)
- Carefully evaluate skill permissions
- Run
clawdbot doctorregularly
Who is Clawdbot For
Ideal Profiles
- Developers — Infinite extensibility, hackable
- Technical Power Users — Total control, privacy
- Founders/CEOs — 24/7 automation
- Content Creators — Multi-platform, community management
Who Should NOT Use It (Yet)
- Non-technical users — Requires terminal, VPS knowledge
- Companies with strict compliance — Unaudited security
- Error intolerant users — Still early stage software
Conclusions
Clawdbot represents a milestone in the evolution of personal AI assistants. It's not perfect — onboarding is still rough, there are occasional bugs, and it requires technical knowledge — but it's genuinely useful in ways Siri never achieved.
For developers and technical power users, it's a transformative tool. For the average user, it's probably better to wait for more polished versions.
What's clear is that the model of "assistant that lives in your infrastructure and contacts you proactively" is the future. Big Tech will eventually arrive. The open-source community got there first.
GitHub: github.com/clawdbot/clawdbot
Analysis by ZOOPA Research | 498AS Innovation Lab | January 2026
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