ZeroClaw is a free, open-source AI agent that runs as a single Rust binary on your own machine. It connects to the model provider you choose, listens on the channels you use (Discord, Telegram, email, webhooks and 30+ more), and takes actions through tools, asking you first before anything risky.
ZeroClaw at a glance
Price | Free (MIT or Apache 2.0, your choice). Bring your own model keys. |
|---|---|
Platforms | Linux, macOS, Windows, FreeBSD, NixOS, Docker |
Models | Anthropic, OpenAI, Ollama and ~20 others, plus any OpenAI-compatible endpoint |
Channels | 30+, including Discord, Telegram, Matrix, email, webhooks and CLI |
Default safety | Supervised: medium-risk actions need approval, high-risk ones are blocked |
What ZeroClaw does
ZeroClaw is a runtime for a personal or team agent that you own end to end. You configure it, point it at a model, and talk to it wherever you already chat. It comes with a web dashboard for chat, memory, config, scheduled jobs and tool inspection, an event-driven procedure engine (triggered by webhooks, cron, MQTT or hardware events) with approval gates, and editor integration over ACP. It can even drive hardware over GPIO, I2C, SPI and USB on boards like Raspberry Pi, Arduino and ESP32.
What you can do with it
Run a private assistant on Telegram or Discord that uses your own API keys.
Schedule recurring jobs that pause for your sign-off before they act.
Use a local model through Ollama so nothing leaves your machine.
Build hardware projects where the agent reads sensors and controls devices.
How to get started
On Mac or Linux, run the project's install.sh script, then zeroclaw quickstart. Windows has a prebuilt PowerShell installer. Start a chat with zeroclaw agent, or run it in the background with zeroclaw service install and zeroclaw service start.
What to know
The software is free, but commercial models bill you through your own API key.
It's a self-hosted tool, so you're responsible for keeping the machine and keys secure.
Our take
Most "personal agent" products run on someone else's servers. ZeroClaw is the opposite: one binary, your machine, your keys, supervised by default. That makes it a strong pick for developers who want an always-on assistant without handing over their data, and the sane safety defaults matter more than the long feature list.
ZeroClaw alternatives
Nod: n8n Labs' free desktop agent for errands across your apps and websites.
OpenSandbox: isolated sandboxes for agents that run code.
llama.cpp: run open models locally to pair with a self-hosted agent.
Frequently asked questions
Is ZeroClaw free?
Yes. It's open source under MIT or Apache 2.0, and you pay only for any commercial model you connect.
Can I use it with a local model?
Yes. Ollama is supported, along with any OpenAI-compatible endpoint.
As featured in World of AI
Google's new API scores answers instead of writing them (Nov 11, 2026)
Facts checked against the official ZeroClaw repository on November 13, 2026.
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