ClaudeClaw: Free Claude Code Plugin for Persistent AI Agents on Messaging Platforms

ClaudeClaw is a free, open-source Claude Code plugin that runs Claude as a persistent agent on messaging channels like Slack, WhatsApp, and Telegram. It's not a hosted service—you clone and run it locally, bringing your own Anthropic API key.

Key Details

The project is a fork of NanoClaw rebuilt as a plugin, with sandbox runtime, webhook triggers, memory system, cost tracking, and extension system added in 2 days. It's written in TypeScript (~8K lines) with 355 tests.

Installation and Setup

Installation requires:

• macOS or Linux
• Node.js 20+
• Claude Code (free)
• Your own Anthropic API key

Install with:

git clone https://github.com/sbusso/claudeclaw
cd claudeclaw && claude
# type: /setup

Features

• 100% free and open source (MIT license)
• Claude Code plugin (not standalone—leverages Claude Code's tools, skills, hooks)
• OS-level sandbox isolation via Anthropic's sandbox-runtime (<10ms cold starts)
• Composable extension system—/install-extension slack to add Slack
• Structured memory (daily logs, topic files, searchable archive)
• Per-group agent config (model, effort, tools, cost limits)
• Self-hosted—runs on your machine, your data stays local

What It Does

ClaudeClaw listens to Slack/WhatsApp/Telegram, routes messages to Claude agents running in OS-level sandboxes, manages memory across conversations, and handles scheduled tasks and webhooks. The developer built it because they needed Claude answering support questions in their Slack 24/7, not just when they had a terminal open. They found existing frameworks like OpenClaw too large to audit and wanted something small enough to read end-to-end.