What it does

OpenClaw is an open-source AI assistant that runs on your own machine instead of a hosted service. You message it from chat apps you already use, such as WhatsApp or Telegram, and it carries out tasks like sorting your inbox, sending emails, managing your calendar and checking you in for flights. The site says it can be used by one person or shared with a team, and that your memories, skills, models, machines and data stay yours. It states there is no subscription, no hosted tier and no token, and that the project is looked after by an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit. You can install it with a one-line shell command, through npm, or from source, then run an onboarding command. Desktop apps for macOS, Windows and Linux bundle the gateway, chat and setup for you, and the Windows install tab is labelled beta.

Capabilities

Runs on your own computer and is open source
Takes requests from chat apps such as WhatsApp and Telegram
Handles inbox, email, calendar and flight check-in tasks
Can be used by one person or shared with a team
Desktop apps for macOS, Windows and Linux, plus a shell installer and an npm package

When to use it

You want an assistant that acts on email and calendar tasks from a chat app
You want your data, memory and model choice to stay on machines you control
You want to share one assistant across a team
You want an open-source option with no subscription