OpenClawOS is an OS-like architecture for AI assistants. It provides a kernel-based design with process-isolated applications, enabling reliable multi-channel AI assistant infrastructure.
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ OpenClawOS │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ ┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ KERNEL │ │
│ │ ┌─────────┐ ┌──────────┐ ┌─────────┐ ┌──────────────────┐ │ │
│ │ │ Gateway │ │ Agent │ │ Memory │ │ Sessions │ │ │
│ │ │ Server │ │ Runtime │ │ (Embed) │ │ │ │ │
│ │ └─────────┘ └──────────┘ └─────────┘ └──────────────────┘ │ │
│ │ │ │ │
│ │ IPC Server │ │
│ └───────────────────────────┼───────────────────────────────────┘ │
│ │ │
│ Unix Socket (JSONL) │
│ │ │
│ ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ APPS (Process Isolated) │ │
│ │ ┌──────────┐ ┌──────────┐ ┌──────────┐ ┌──────────┐ │ │
│ │ │ Telegram │ │ Discord │ │ Slack │ │ WhatsApp │ ... │ │
│ │ └──────────┘ └──────────┘ └──────────┘ └──────────┘ │ │
│ └──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
| Component | Description |
|---|---|
| Kernel | Core gateway: routing, sessions, agent runtime, memory |
| Apps | Process-isolated channels and plugins (IPC communication) |
| Skills | In-process agent tools (coding, canvas, memory) |
| Extensions | Kernel enhancements (auth providers, hooks) |
# Install
npm install -g openclaw@latest
# Run onboarding wizard
openclaw onboard --install-daemon
# Start the gateway
openclaw gateway| Type | Isolation | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Apps | Process | @openclawos/telegram, @openclawos/discord, @openclawos/slack |
| Skills | In-process | coding-agent, canvas, memory |
| Agents | Config | agent-coder, agent-writer |
| Extensions | In-process | auth providers, gateway methods |
- Telegram - Bot API integration
- Discord - Full guild and thread support
- Slack - Bolt framework
- WhatsApp - Business API
- Signal - via signal-cli
- iMessage - macOS native
- Google Chat - Workspace API
- Microsoft Teams - Bot Framework
- Matrix - Self-hosted, federated
- IRC, LINE, Twitch, Nostr, and more
OpenClawOS supports multiple LLM providers:
- Anthropic - Claude (recommended: Claude Opus 4.6)
- OpenAI - GPT-4, Codex
- Google - Gemini
- Custom - Any OpenAI-compatible API
git clone https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw.git
cd openclaw
pnpm install
pnpm build
pnpm openclaw gatewayimport { ChannelApp } from "@openclawos/sdk/app";
class MyChannelApp extends ChannelApp {
protected channelId = "mychannel";
manifest = { ... };
protected async setupChannel(): Promise<void> {
// Initialize channel connection
}
protected async handleInbound(event): Promise<void> {
await this.dispatchInbound(event.from, event.content);
}
protected async sendMessage(params): Promise<void> {
// Send via platform API
}
}
new MyChannelApp().start();See Developing Apps for the full guide.
Comprehensive documentation is available in the documentation/ directory:
cd documentation
pip install mkdocs-material
mkdocs serveopenclaw/
├── packages/
│ ├── kernel/ # Supervisor, IPC server
│ ├── protocol/ # IPC message types, manifest schema
│ └── sdk/ # App SDK (ChannelApp, KernelClient)
├── apps/ # Process-isolated channel apps
│ ├── telegram/
│ ├── discord/
│ ├── slack/
│ └── ...
├── src/ # Kernel source
│ ├── gateway/ # HTTP/WS server
│ ├── agent/ # Agent runtime
│ ├── memory/ # Vector memory
│ └── sessions/ # Session management
├── extensions/ # Kernel enhancements
├── documentation/ # MkDocs documentation
└── ui/ # Web UI
MIT License - see LICENSE for details.