ThinClaw

A self-hosted AI collaborator for real work: private, durable, and biased toward useful output.

   

             

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What Is ThinClaw?

Your AI assistant should not vanish when the tab closes.

ThinClaw is a practical, privacy-respecting AI collaborator for real work. Clear head. Steady hands. Useful output. It is warm but not flattering, opinionated but not reckless, careful with trust, and biased toward getting things actually done.

ThinClaw is self-hosted, so the agent has a place to live. It keeps a durable identity, remembers useful context, runs approved tools, connects to channels, schedules routines, and stays inside policy you control.

Run it on your laptop, a Mac Mini, a Raspberry Pi, a VPS, or inside ThinClaw Desktop. Talk to the same agent from the terminal, full-screen TUI, web gateway, chat channels, the desktop app, or background jobs. Same identity. Same memory. Same rules.

ThinClaw is for people who want an agent with a home address, not another disposable chat thread.

Put it on a machine you trust. Connect the services you actually use. Let it remember project facts, follow up, watch routine work, and report back through the surface you already have open. ThinClaw is not a chatbot you revisit. It is an agent you come back to.

The Need	ThinClaw's Answer
Chat that survives the session	Durable identity, memory, workspace context, and continuity commands
Automation that is not scattered	Routines, heartbeat, jobs, channels, notifications, and tools in one runtime
AI that can touch real systems carefully	Explicit trust boundaries for secrets, tools, code, network access, and desktop control
A private agent stack	Local or self-hosted deployment with your providers, your data paths, and your policies
Extensibility without chaos	Native integrations for trusted host work, sandboxed WASM for scoped components, and MCP for external ecosystems

First Run

macOS / Linux

curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -LsSf \
  https://github.com/RNT56/ThinClaw/releases/latest/download/thinclaw-installer.sh | sh

thinclaw onboard
thinclaw

Open the local gateway after startup:

http://127.0.0.1:3000

Try one useful loop:

Remember that this machine is my personal ThinClaw node.
Summarize what you can do from this environment.
Create a follow-up reminder to review setup tomorrow.

The point is not the prompt. The point is that ThinClaw has somewhere to put the memory, a runtime to keep operating, and surfaces you can return to later.

Windows PowerShell

Install the latest MSI or portable ZIP from GitHub Releases, then run:

thinclaw onboard
thinclaw

Useful First Commands

Task	Command
Run onboarding	thinclaw onboard
Start the local runtime	thinclaw
Start the full-screen runtime	thinclaw tui
Force full-screen onboarding	thinclaw onboard --ui tui
Reset local ThinClaw state	thinclaw reset --yes
Show verbose startup logs	thinclaw --debug --no-onboard
Show verbose run logs	thinclaw --debug run --no-onboard

thinclaw and thinclaw run share the same quiet startup path by default. For targeted log filtering, RUST_LOG=... still takes precedence.

Remote / SSH Hosts

thinclaw onboard --profile remote
thinclaw gateway access
thinclaw service install
thinclaw service start

Use this path for Raspberry Pi, Mac Mini, VPS, and other SSH-managed hosts. The remote profile ships in the regular thinclaw release binary; there is no separate remote artifact.

For Raspberry Pi OS Lite native service installs from a downloaded release binary:

sudo bash deploy-setup.sh --mode native --binary ./thinclaw

See docs/deploy/raspberry-pi-os-lite.md for the full helper download and service setup flow.

What You Can Use It For

Use Case	What ThinClaw Lets You Do
Personal operations agent	Keep routines, reminders, logs, service checks, and notifications close to the machine that owns them.
Project memory	Give an agent continuity across repos, docs, sessions, and long investigations without starting from zero every time.
Adaptable working partner	Shift between balanced, professional, creative, research, mentor, minimal, technical, playful, and custom session modes.
Channel-native assistant	Talk to the same agent through the terminal, WebUI, Telegram, Discord, Slack, Gmail, Nostr, and more.
Remote command center	Run ThinClaw on a Mac Mini, Raspberry Pi, VPS, or workstation and reach it through a gateway or chat channel.
Local media lab	Connect ComfyUI for image generation, workflow health checks, dependency checks, and generated-media artifacts.
Controlled desktop autonomy	Opt into host-level UI automation with evidence capture, approval boundaries, rollout, and rollback.

Why ThinClaw

A Useful Character, Not a Novelty

ThinClaw is designed to feel like a capable working presence: clear, discreet, direct, and protective of your context. It is the collaborator you trust with the messy middle of real life and real work: private context, unfinished thoughts, half-built projects, ambiguous requests, and the need to actually move.

That character is not mascot lore or a nicer prompt wrapper. It is how the agent makes decisions under ambiguity, how it handles trust, and how it keeps work moving without becoming pushy or performative. ThinClaw does not perform helpfulness. It helps.

One Agent, Many Doors

The terminal is not the product. The WebUI is not the product. Telegram is not the product. The agent is the product, and ThinClaw gives that agent multiple doors into the same identity, memory, tools, and policy.

Memory With a Home

ThinClaw is built around continuity. It can remember workspace context, identity details, routines, outcomes, and useful notes in places you control. You decide what is configured, what is persisted, and what gets forgotten.

Background Work That Keeps Moving

Agents become more useful when they can keep watch, run scheduled work, follow up, report status, and hand work between surfaces. ThinClaw treats routines, heartbeat, jobs, notifications, and channels as part of the core runtime.

Control You Can Audit

ThinClaw is not a remote black box. It runs where you put it. Providers, extensions, data paths, secret stores, sandbox backends, and desktop autonomy are explicit configuration choices.

Built for Real Tools

Useful agents need more than prompts. ThinClaw supports built-in tools, packaged WASM tools and channels, MCP servers, native integrations, ComfyUI workflows, subagents, and controlled host automation.

Personality That Adapts

ThinClaw has a durable character, not a locked costume. Its base identity lives in a canonical soul: practical, discreet, candid, warm, and outcome-driven. That identity travels across projects and surfaces so the same agent can meet you in the terminal, WebUI, chat channels, or background work without becoming a new stranger every time.

You can then shape how it shows up.

Layer	What It Does
Durable soul	The long-lived core: privacy, trust, helpfulness, continuity, and operating principles
Personality pack	The initial flavor chosen during setup, such as balanced, professional, mentor, or flow state
/personality overlay	A temporary session tone or working mode without rewriting the durable identity
Workspace identity files	Project-specific context through IDENTITY.md, USER.md, AGENTS.md, and optional local overlays

Built-in personality packs include:

Pack	Best For
balanced	Grounded everyday collaboration
professional	Crisp workplace-ready support
creative_partner	Lateral thinking, drafts, naming, ideation, and creative direction
research_assistant	Evidence-first synthesis, careful uncertainty, and source-driven work
mentor	Patient guidance, explanations, and skill-building
minimal	Terse answers, low ceremony, and quiet competence
flow_state	Composed intensity, momentum, sharper taste, and receipts

Session overlays let you shift tone on demand:

/personality concise
/personality technical
/personality playful
/personality eli5
/personality reset

ThinClaw can also accept a custom session personality in plain language. Ask for /personality skeptical reviewer, /personality calm operator, or a tone that fits the moment. The overlay changes voice, density, and collaboration style. It does not relax privacy, consent, permissions, or safety boundaries.

That is the point: ThinClaw can feel personal without becoming loose with trust. It can be terse in the terminal, careful in research, warm in planning, direct in code review, or more imaginative when you need creative force, while still remaining the same agent underneath.

Why Not Just Hosted Chat Or Scripts?

If You Need	Hosted Chat	Scripts And Cron	ThinClaw
One durable agent identity	Product-dependent	Manual	Built in
Memory across surfaces	Limited	Manual	Built in
Local or self-hosted control	No	Yes	Yes
Channels, routines, tools, and jobs together	Limited	Fragmented	Built in
Explicit trust boundaries	Product-dependent	Manual	Built in
A runtime that can grow with you	No	Hard to maintain	Yes

Who It Is For

• People who want a personal AI runtime they can run on their own machines.
• Builders who want memory, tools, routines, channels, and policy in one place.
• Operators who care where secrets live and which systems an agent can touch.
• Teams experimenting with self-hosted agent infrastructure instead of another hosted chat wrapper.

Who It Is Not For

• You only want a zero-configuration hosted chatbot.
• You do not want to connect providers, secrets, channels, or local services.
• You do not want to think about trust boundaries for real tools.
• You need a pure SaaS product with no operator-owned runtime.

Run Modes

Mode	Best For	Start Here
Local CLI	Personal local runtime, development, direct terminal use	thinclaw
Full-screen TUI	Keyboard-first local agent cockpit	thinclaw tui
Web gateway	Browser-based chat, memory, routines, logs, extensions, providers, and settings	docs/DEPLOYMENT.md
Service mode	Long-running host, Mac Mini, VPS, Raspberry Pi, Windows service	docs/deploy/
Native channels	Telegram, Signal, Discord, Slack, Matrix, Nostr, Gmail, iMessage, BlueBubbles, Apple Mail, voice-call, APNs, browser-push	docs/CHANNEL_ARCHITECTURE.md
WASM channels and tools	Packaged, capability-scoped extension components	docs/EXTENSION_SYSTEM.md
ComfyUI media generation	Prompt-to-image, workflow execution, and managed local/cloud ComfyUI setup	docs/COMFYUI_MEDIA_GENERATION.md
ThinClaw Desktop	Desktop companion app embedding ThinClaw as a local or remote runtime	apps/desktop/README.md
Reckless desktop autonomy	Operator-approved host-level desktop automation	docs/DESKTOP_AUTONOMY.md

Core Capabilities

Area	Capabilities
Agent identity	Durable soul, personality_pack defaults, /personality overlays, custom session tones, workspace identity files, and /vibe compatibility
Memory and continuity	Workspace-backed memory, search, citations, identity files, /compress, and /summarize
Surfaces	CLI, TUI, web gateway, native channels, WASM channels, background jobs, and ThinClaw Desktop
Routines and jobs	Heartbeat, schedules, notifications, job logs, background work, and follow-up surfaces
Channels	Telegram, Signal, Discord, Slack, Matrix, Nostr, Gmail, iMessage, BlueBubbles, Apple Mail, voice-call, APNs/browser-push wake paths, and packaged WASM channels
Tools and extensions	Built-in tools, WASM tools, WASM channels, MCP servers, registries, and policy boundaries
Models	Multi-provider routing, failover, provider setup, model guidance, and cost controls
Gateway	Chat, memory, routines, logs, extensions, providers, projects, skills, and settings
Media generation	ComfyUI-backed image_generate, workflow health checks, dependency checks, and renderable generated-media artifacts
Subagents	Detail-level transparency controls and Telegram subagent session routing
Desktop autonomy	Native app adapters, UI automation, evidence capture, managed code autorollout, and rollback

Deployment Modes

Situation	Best For	Start Here
macOS	Local use, Mac Mini, launchd service	docs/deploy/macos.md
Windows	Native install, Windows service, WSL guidance	docs/deploy/windows.md
Linux	Laptop, workstation, server, VPS	docs/deploy/linux.md
Raspberry Pi OS Lite 64-bit	Pi 4/5 or ARM64 Pi server	docs/deploy/raspberry-pi-os-lite.md
Docker	Compose or container deployment	docs/deploy/docker.md
Remote access	Gateway, Tailscale, webhook tunnels	docs/deploy/remote-access.md
Reckless desktop autonomy	Host-level desktop control with operator approval	docs/DESKTOP_AUTONOMY.md
ThinClaw Desktop	Local or remote ThinClaw runtime in the desktop companion app	apps/desktop/README.md

The local gateway listens on port 3000 unless configured otherwise. For the full deployment decision tree, use docs/DEPLOYMENT.md.

Host Support Matrix

Host Surface	macOS	Linux	Windows
Local CLI / gateway host	Supported	Supported	Supported
Native OS secure store	Supported	Supported	Supported
thinclaw service lifecycle	Supported	Supported	Supported
Local browser automation	Chrome / Brave / Edge	Chrome / Chromium / Brave / Edge	Chrome / Edge / Brave
Docker browser fallback	Supported	Supported	Docker Desktop
Camera / microphone capture	Supported	Supported	Supported with ffmpeg
Signal attachments	Supported	Supported	Supported, override with SIGNAL_ATTACHMENTS_DIR when needed
Apple Mail / iMessage native adapters	Supported	Unsupported	Unsupported
iMessage via BlueBubbles	Supported	Supported	Supported

Extension and Trust Model

Extension Path	Trust Model	Used For
Native Rust	Trusted host runtime	Persistent connections, local-system access, and built-in integrations
WASM tools	Sandboxed and capability-scoped	Hot-reloadable tool components with credential isolation
WASM channels	Sandboxed and capability-scoped	Packaged channel components with explicit host capabilities
MCP servers	Operator-trusted external process or service	External tool ecosystems and services managed outside the sandbox
ComfyUI sidecar	Operator-trusted local or cloud media runtime	Image generation, workflow execution, model/node lifecycle actions
Desktop autonomy	Privileged opt-in profile	Host-level app control, UI automation, evidence capture, rollout, and rollback

Security and Trust

ThinClaw aims for operator control, but it does not claim every configured integration is equally isolated.

• Local data paths, secrets, and policy enforcement live in the trusted host runtime.
• WASM components are sandboxed and capability-scoped.
• MCP servers, ComfyUI sidecars, tunnels, LLM providers, and external services are real trust boundaries.
• Restricted workspace modes disable unsupported execution paths instead of implying isolation that is not present.
• Docker remains the portable hard-isolation path for code execution; host-local isolation reports its actual backend and capabilities.
• Tool outputs and job surfaces expose runtime backend, runtime family, runtime mode, capabilities, and network-isolation metadata.
• desktop_autonomy.profile = "reckless_desktop" adds host-level app, UI, and screen control plus managed code promotion and rollback.

Read the deep docs before relying on a surface for sensitive workflows:

• docs/SECURITY.md
• docs/DESKTOP_AUTONOMY.md
• src/NETWORK_SECURITY.md
• docs/EXTENSION_SYSTEM.md
• docs/COMFYUI_MEDIA_GENERATION.md
• docs/CHANNEL_ARCHITECTURE.md

Install Options

GitHub Releases are the normal path. The installer downloads a prebuilt binary, verifies its SHA256 checksum, and installs thinclaw into ~/.local/bin by default:

curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -LsSf \
  https://github.com/RNT56/ThinClaw/releases/latest/download/thinclaw-installer.sh | sh

For Pi, VPS, SD-card, and other small-machine installs, use the edge artifact:

curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -LsSf \
  https://github.com/RNT56/ThinClaw/releases/latest/download/thinclaw-installer.sh | sh -s -- --profile edge

Release artifacts publish the regular full binary for supported Linux, macOS, and Windows targets, plus Linux edge artifacts for small machines.

Source builds, feature profiles, and maintainer workflows live in docs/DEVELOPMENT.md.

Documentation Map

Need	Start Here
Audience-first docs index	docs/README.md
Deployment decision tree	docs/DEPLOYMENT.md
ComfyUI image generation	docs/COMFYUI_MEDIA_GENERATION.md
Platform runbooks	docs/deploy/
CLI command reference	docs/CLI_REFERENCE.md
LLM provider setup	docs/LLM_PROVIDERS.md
Security and trust overview	docs/SECURITY.md
Deep network model	src/NETWORK_SECURITY.md
Extensions, WASM, MCP, and registries	docs/EXTENSION_SYSTEM.md
Channel architecture	docs/CHANNEL_ARCHITECTURE.md
Shared surface commands	docs/SURFACES_AND_COMMANDS.md
Terminal and WebUI skins	docs/TERMINAL_SKINS.md
Identity and personality	docs/IDENTITY_AND_PERSONALITY.md
Memory and growth surfaces	docs/MEMORY_AND_GROWTH.md
Research and experiments	docs/RESEARCH_AND_EXPERIMENTS.md
Contributor workflow	docs/DEVELOPMENT.md

Development

Contributor setup, source builds, local checks, feature profiles, and release build details live in docs/DEVELOPMENT.md. Build-profile details are tracked in docs/BUILD_PROFILES.md. When moving code between workspace crates, also run the structural checks in docs/CRATE_OWNERSHIP.md; CI rejects internal crates that import or depend on the root thinclaw package.

License

Licensed under either of:

• MIT License (LICENSE-MIT)
• Apache License, Version 2.0 (LICENSE-APACHE)