NanoClaw — Lightweight Personal AI Assistant

What it is

NanoClaw is a lightweight personal AI assistant that runs Claude agents in isolated Docker containers and connects them to messaging platforms. It supports WhatsApp, Telegram, Slack, Discord, and Gmail as communication channels. The entire codebase is roughly 500 lines of TypeScript, making it easy to understand and modify.

Individuals who want a personal AI assistant accessible across their messaging apps and developers looking for a minimal, self-hosted alternative to heavier AI assistant frameworks will find NanoClaw practical. It is designed as a simpler alternative to OpenClaw.

How it saves time or tokens

Setting up an AI assistant that works across multiple messaging platforms typically requires building separate integrations for each service. NanoClaw provides pre-built connectors for five platforms in a single project. Running in Docker containers provides isolation and reproducibility. The minimal codebase means you can customize behavior without navigating a large framework.

How to use

1. Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/qwibitai/nanoclaw.git
cd nanoclaw

1. Run Claude Code in the project directory:

claude

1. Inside the Claude session, run the setup skill:

/setup

1. Claude Code reads the project CLAUDE.md and walks you through configuring messaging platform credentials and environment variables.

Example

# Clone and set up
git clone https://github.com/qwibitai/nanoclaw.git
cd nanoclaw

# Configure environment
cp .env.example .env
# Edit .env with your API keys:
# ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=your-key
# TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN=your-token
# SLACK_BOT_TOKEN=xoxb-your-token

# Build and run
docker compose up -d

# The assistant is now reachable on your configured platforms

Related on TokRepo

• AI Agent Tools -- explore AI agent frameworks and assistants
• Self-Hosted Tools -- discover self-hosted AI tools you can run on your own server

Common pitfalls

• Each messaging platform requires its own API credentials. Set up bot tokens for Telegram, app tokens for Slack, and OAuth for Gmail before starting the service.
• Docker is required for container isolation. NanoClaw does not run natively without containerization.
• The assistant uses Claude as its LLM backend, so you need a valid Anthropic API key. Token costs depend on conversation volume across all connected platforms.