Clawdbot explained: what it is, what it does, and why everyone is talking about it

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New Delhi: A new open-source AI project called Clawdbot has suddenly become one of the most talked-about names across developer forums, Discord servers, and social media timelines. Over the past two days, the personal AI assistant has been trending in Silicon Valley circles and beyond, with users sharing screenshots, setup guides, and unusual use cases.

Early adopters are calling it a shift in how people interact with AI. Creator Buddy founder and CEO Alex Finn described it as, “It is the greatest AI application to date, like having a 24/7 dedicated AI employee at your service.” Another line from Alex is being widely quoted online, “Vibe Coding is dead, and Vibe Orchestration is here.”

The project is open-source and already has more than 53.8k stars on GitHub, signalling fast-growing interest.

What exactly is Clawdbot

Clawdbot is not a normal chatbot. It is a personal AI agent that runs in the background and stays online.

You talk to it through chat apps like WhatsApp, Telegram, Slack, Discord, Signal, iMessage, Microsoft Teams, and others. It replies inside the same chat, just like a colleague.

Behind the scenes, Clawdbot routes your messages to AI models such as Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, and others. It can also trigger actions on the machine where it runs.

Founder Peter Steinberger explained how the idea started. “When I first came back, I really wanted a ‘life assistant.’” He said early experiments involved WhatsApp and Claude Code, glued together in a simple way. Over time, it grew into a larger system.

The name itself came from Claude. Peter said, “Claude suggested the name ClawdBot, and that’s how it was decided.”

Why Clawdbot is going viral

People are excited for three main reasons.

First, persistent memory. Clawdbot remembers past chats and preferences. It gets better the more you use it.

Second, proactive behaviour. It can message you first with reminders, summaries, or alerts.

Third, automation. It can perform tasks like checking calendars, summarising emails, generating files, or running scripts.

Alex shared an example where Clawdbot tried to book a restaurant table online. When OpenTable failed, it used ElevenLabs voice technology to call the restaurant and complete the booking.

That kind of real-world action is what has grabbed attention.

Clawdbot is almost fully written by AI

Another unusual part is how the project is built.

Most of the code is generated by AI. Even non-coders can submit pull requests by describing problems.

Peter has kept one tiny file called “soul”, which he says is both a secret asset and a security target. So far, it has not been stolen.

Do you need a Mac mini to run Clawdbot?

Social media is full of photos showing people buying Mac minis to run Clawdbot.

Some users even claim they bought dozens.

But Alex says, “There’s no need to spend $600 on a Mac mini.” He adds that a cheap VPS server works fine for most people. Buying a Mac mini is more about personal preference than technical need.

How to get started with Clawdbot

Getting started is simple for basic users.

  • Choose where it will run. Local computer or VPS
  • Run the installer
  • Follow the setup wizard
  • Connect one chat app and one AI model first

Many users recommend starting small before adding complex automations.

Security concerns remain, though

Clawdbot has very open permissions. That worries some users.

There are more than 500 security issues listed on GitHub. Many early adopters suggest running it in an isolated environment and not on a main computer at first.

Peter has said security is now his top priority.