Claw Kernel

A streamlined, production-focused fork of OpenClaw — the multi-channel AI gateway runtime.

Claw Kernel removes 27 unused extensions from upstream OpenClaw and keeps a focused set of channels (Telegram, Discord, WhatsApp) for a leaner, easier-to-maintain deployment.

Why Claw Kernel?

What's included:

• Core runtime, tool system, and session management
• Telegram (primary), Discord, and WhatsApp channels
• Multi-agent orchestration (main agent + developer/reviewer/tester sub-agents)
• Browser automation, cron/scheduling, memory system
• Pre-loaded agent configs for developer and code-reviewer workflows
• Generic workspace templates for quick bootstrapping

Forked from: OpenClaw v2026.2.17

Quick Start

Prerequisites

Before installing, you'll need:

1. Server Setup (AWS EC2 Recommended)

Recommended EC2 settings:

• Instance type: t3.medium or larger (2 vCPU, 4GB RAM minimum)
• Storage: 50GB+ GP3 SSD
• OS: Ubuntu 22.04 LTS (or 24.04 LTS)
• Security Group: Allow inbound SSH (port 22) from your IP

Launch instance:

# Via AWS Console:
# 1. EC2 → Launch Instance
# 2. Choose Ubuntu Server 22.04 LTS
# 3. Select t3.medium (or larger for production)
# 4. Configure 50GB+ storage
# 5. Create/select key pair for SSH access
# 6. Launch and note the public IP

# Connect via SSH:
ssh -i your-key.pem ubuntu@YOUR_EC2_IP

Install Node.js 22+ on the server:

curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_22.x | sudo -E bash -

sudo apt-get install -y nodejs

node -v

(Should show v22.x.x or higher)

2. Anthropic Account (Claude API Access)

Requirements:

• Anthropic account with OAuth-enabled subscription
• Pro Max ($200/month) or Pro ($20/month + $100 monthly spend) plan
• API-only accounts do NOT work (must have web access for OAuth)

Setup:

1. Sign up for Anthropic:

   • Go to claude.ai and create an account
   • Subscribe to Pro Max ($200/mo) or Pro plan ($20/mo + $100 usage)

2. Install Claude Code on your EC2 server:

   curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash
   

   source ~/.bashrc
   

   claude --version
   

   (Should show Claude Code version)

3. Get your OAuth token:

   claude setup-token
   

   • This opens a browser link — visit it and authorize
   • Copy the token it provides
   • Save this token — you'll paste it during openclaw onboard

Note: API keys are supported but NOT recommended (expensive, ~$100/day). OAuth uses your Pro subscription and is much more cost-effective.

3. Google Workspace Account (Recommended)

Why you need this:

• Custom email for your bot (e.g., [email protected])
• Google Drive for automated backups (workspace, configs, databases)
• Shared workspace for collaboration and file sharing
• Professional identity for your AI assistant

Setup Google Workspace Business Starter:

1. Sign up at workspace.google.com

   • Choose Business Starter plan ($6/user/month)
   • You'll need a domain name (can use existing or buy new through Google)

2. Verify domain ownership:

   • Google will provide a TXT record
   • Add it to your domain's DNS settings
   • Wait 10-60 minutes for verification

3. Create bot user account:

   • In Google Admin console, create a new user
   • Recommended email: [email protected] or [email protected]
   • Save the password securely (you'll use this for Drive backups)

4. Enable Google Drive API:

   • Go to Google Cloud Console
   • Create a new project (e.g., "Bot Workspace")
   • Enable Google Drive API
   • Create OAuth 2.0 credentials (Desktop app type)
   • Download credentials JSON file

5. Create backup folder structure:

   • Sign in to Drive as your bot user
   • Create folder: Bot-Backups
   • Note the folder ID from the URL (needed for backup scripts)

What you'll use:

• Bot email for system notifications
• Drive folder for automated daily backups
• OAuth credentials for Drive API access

Cost: $6/month (Business Starter, 1 user)

Alternative (free but limited): Use a personal Gmail account, but you won't have custom email or professional workspace features.

4. Telegram Bot

Create a bot with BotFather:

1. Open Telegram and search for @BotFather
2. Send /newbot
3. Follow prompts to choose a name and username
4. BotFather will give you a bot token (save this!)
5. Get your Telegram user ID:
   • Search for @userinfobot in Telegram
   • Send /start
   • Note your user ID (e.g., 123456789)

Example:

You: /newbot
BotFather: Alright, a new bot. How are we going to call it?
You: My Assistant
BotFather: Good. Now let's choose a username for your bot.
You: my_assistant_bot
BotFather: Done! Your token is: 1234567890:ABCdefGHIjklMNOpqrsTUVwxyz

Save the token and your user ID - you'll need both during onboarding.

Install

Run the install script:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/victor-brechbill/claw-kernel/main/install-claw-kernel.sh | bash

Reload your shell config:

source ~/.bashrc

(or source ~/.zshrc if using zsh)

Set up

# Configure channels and API keys
openclaw onboard

# Start the gateway
openclaw gateway start

# (Optional) Install as a persistent service
openclaw gateway install

Verify

openclaw --version
openclaw gateway status
openclaw doctor

See Prerequisites above for server, Anthropic account, and Telegram bot setup. Full details: Installation Guide

Configuration

Located at ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json (JSON5 format):

{
  agents: {
    defaults: {
      workspace: "~/.openclaw/workspace",
    },
  },
  channels: {
    telegram: {
      botToken: "YOUR_BOT_TOKEN",
      allowFrom: ["YOUR_USER_ID"],
    },
  },
}

Edit with openclaw configure (interactive) or directly. The gateway hot-reloads most changes automatically.

Architecture

Telegram / Discord / WhatsApp
               |
               v
+-------------------------------+
|       Claw Kernel Gateway     |
|        (control plane)        |
|     ws://127.0.0.1:18789      |
+---------------+---------------+
                |
                +-- Main agent
                +-- Developer sub-agents
                +-- Code review sub-agents
                +-- Tester sub-agents
                +-- Dashboard (claw-interface)

Key Paths

Development

pnpm install          # Install dependencies
pnpm build            # Full build
pnpm gateway:watch    # Dev mode with hot reload
pnpm test             # Run tests
pnpm check            # Format, lint, type check

Maintenance

# Update to latest
cd ~/claw-kernel && git pull && pnpm install && pnpm build

# Restart gateway
systemctl --user restart openclaw-gateway

# Health check
curl -s http://localhost:18789/health | jq .

# View logs
journalctl --user -u openclaw-gateway -f

Documentation

• Installation Guide — Prerequisites, install steps, verification
• Setup Walkthrough — Production infrastructure checklist
• Troubleshooting — Common issues, debug commands, getting help
• OpenClaw Docs — Full upstream documentation

Pre-Loaded Agent Configs

Claw Kernel ships with ready-to-use agent configurations in .agents/:

• Developer agent — Autonomous coding workflow: receives GitHub issues, creates branches, runs Claude Code, tests, and opens PRs
• Code reviewer agent — 3-phase review process: requirements verification, code quality analysis, and decision (approve/request changes/comment)

See .agents/developer/AGENTS.md and .agents/code-reviewer/AGENTS.md for full workflow documentation.

Coding Workflow

Claw Kernel includes a complete coding orchestration system that enables autonomous development:

• Developer agents — Implement features using Claude Code in isolated sessions
• Code review agents — Review PRs for quality, correctness, and security
• Kanban integration — Track work through backlog > in_progress > review > done
• PRD-driven — Every task starts with a Product Requirements Document

Workflow:

1. Create card on kanban board
2. Write PRD defining requirements
3. Main agent spawns developer — implements feature — creates PR
4. Main agent spawns reviewer — reviews code — approves or requests changes
5. Main agent merges PR after approval

Documentation:

• Coding Workflow Guide — Complete orchestration guide
• Developer Agent Config — How developers work
• Code Reviewer Config — Review process
• Recovery Guide — Backup and restore procedures

Upstream

This is a fork of OpenClaw by Peter Steinberger and the community.

• Upstream: https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw
• Docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai
• Discord: https://discord.gg/clawd

Claw Kernel tracks upstream selectively — merging features and fixes as needed while maintaining a streamlined fork.