GSH

OpenClaw

Self-hosted AI assistant gateway that meets you in the chat apps you already use.

AI

OpenClaw is a personal AI assistant that runs on your own machine or server: a single long-lived Gateway process connects models, tools and messaging channels such as WhatsApp, Telegram, Slack, Discord, Signal and iMessage, and the assistant can run shell commands, read and write files and drive a browser on that host. It is developed in the open by the OpenClaw Foundation, a non-profit, and published under MIT with no paid tier and no hosted edition, so there is a single self-hosted build. Model access is not included: you need an API key from a provider you choose, or you point it at a local model.

Key features

Self-hosted editions

Self-hostedFree self-hosted
LicenceOpen source · MITDeploymentSelf-hosted
Limits, notes & source

Self-hosted

Limits
One MIT-licensed build: the vendor states there is no enterprise edition and no paid version, and the docs state there is no paid tier. No user limit is published; the project instead documents one trust boundary per Gateway, recommending one host or operating-system user per person and one Gateway per tenant for mutually untrusted users.
Notes
No hosted or cloud edition exists: the site states there is no subscription, no hosted tier and no paid version. Licence confirmed in the repository LICENSE file (MIT, Copyright (c) 2026 OpenClaw Foundation) and in package.json. Model usage is not included. The canonical sources disagree on the Node.js floor — package.json and SECURITY.md require 24.16+ or 26.1+ and mark 22, 23 and 25 unsupported, while the install page still lists 22.22.3+, 24.15+ or 25.9+; the stricter figures are recorded here and the conflict is left visible rather than smoothed over.
Source
openclaw.ai ↗

Pros & cons

Strengths

  • MIT licensed with no enterprise edition and no paid version, under a non-profit foundation. Source
  • Sends only a daily version check by default; feature statistics are opt-in. Source
  • An official Docker Compose file with gateway and CLI services ships in the repository. Source

Trade-offs

  • Requires Node.js 24.16+ or 26.1+; versions 22, 23 and 25 are unsupported. Source
  • Tools run on the host by default — sandbox mode defaults to off. Source
  • Needs a host that stays on to run the gateway. Source
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  • No model is included: you need an API key from a provider you pay. Source

OpenClaw replaces

Products this app is built to take over from, with the vendor's own evidence.

Moving your content across: Documented per product: what you do on the side you are leaving, what this app does with the result, and what does not survive the trip. Every step links to the page that documents it.

  • Claude CodeThe docs ship a migration path importing Claude Code state, including CLAUDE.md, MCP servers, skills and project commands.Source
    • ExportOpenClaw reads the Claude side itself: without --from it inspects the ~/.claude home and the ~/.claude.json state file; --from <project root> limits the import to one project.Source
    • Importopenclaw migrate claude --dry-run prints the plan, then openclaw migrate apply claude --yes applies it over a verified backup, merging CLAUDE.md, MCP servers, skills and project commands.Source
    • CaveatHooks, permissions and broad allowlists, CLAUDE.local.md, .claude/rules/, subagents and Claude's caches stay archive-only, and commands land as skills with disable-model-invocation: true.Source
  • Claude DesktopThe same documented migration path imports Claude Desktop state alongside Claude Code state.Source
    • ImportThe same provider imports Claude Desktop's claude_desktop_config.json MCP servers; when auto-detection misses the file, point --from at that file's directory.Source
    • CaveatClaude Desktop extensions and OS-stored credentials are copied into the migration report for manual review only — OpenClaw refuses to decode or trust that credential state.Source
  • Hermes AgentThe docs ship a migration path importing Hermes config, providers, MCP servers, memory, skills and supported environment keys.Source
    • Importopenclaw migrate hermes --dry-run previews, then openclaw migrate apply hermes --yes imports model and providers, mcp_servers, SOUL.md/AGENTS.md, memory (appended) and skills, following HERMES_HOME.Source
    • Caveatplugins/, sessions/, logs/, cron/, plans/, workspace/, pairing/ and the state databases stay archive-only, so gateway routing and conversation history are not carried over.Source
    • CaveatAuth credentials are prompted for interactively, --yes runs need --include-secrets, and only supported .env keys are recognised — after importing Hermes OAuth, reauthenticate one side.Source

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Hermes Agent

AI

Self-hostable AI agent with persistent memory, agent-written skills and a gateway to 20+ chat platforms.

Free self-hosted★ 244,900Source ↗