What is NanoClaw?
NanoClaw is a minimalist personal Claude assistant—a single Node.js process with minimal core files and zero complexity. It brings the full power of Claude to your local environment: chat via WhatsApp, interact via CLI, or call it through a REST API—it supports it all.
NanoClaw's design philosophy is "simple is secure." No microservices, no message queues, no distributed architecture. You clone the repo, run one command, and Claude Code automatically handles dependencies, authentication, containerization, and service configuration. The entire setup is AI-native—Claude configures everything for you.
Why do you need a local AI assistant?
Data Privacy. Your code, business data, and personal conversations stay local. NanoClaw doesn't upload anything to third-party servers—it simply calls the Anthropic API from your own machine.
Configure once, use everywhere. With WhatsApp integration, you can chat with Claude from your phone. Use the CLI on your computer. Call the REST API in your applications. One assistant, multiple entry points.
Full Control. MIT open-source license. You can fork it, modify it, and embed it into your workflow. No vendor lock-in.
Core Features at a Glance
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| 🔒 Container Isolation | Each agent runs in an isolated Linux container with a sandboxed file system |
| 📱 WhatsApp Integration | Chat with Claude via WhatsApp groups, with independent context for each group |
| 🧠 Group Memory | SQLite-backed message storage with individual CLAUDE.md files per group |
| ⏰ Scheduled Tasks | Built-in task scheduler for automated reports, reminders, and data collection |
| 🚀 Agent Clustering | Multi-agent collaboration to handle complex tasks by coordinating multiple Claude instances |
| 🛠️ Claude Agent SDK | Streaming agent containers with full access to Claude's capabilities |
Quick Start
git clone https://github.com/gavrielc/nanoclaw.gitcd nanoclawclaude# In Claude Code, enter:/setupClaude Code will automatically handle all dependency installations, authentication, container setup, and service startup. The entire process takes less than five minutes.
Use Cases
Developers. Local code completion, debugging, and documentation generation. Keep proprietary code private while enjoying top-tier AI assistance.
Content Creators. AI-assisted writing for blogs, emails, and documents. All drafts and creative ideas stay on your device.
Data Analysts. Analyze sensitive business data locally. Data never leaves your infrastructure.
Team Collaborators. The WhatsApp group mode allows non-technical team members to leverage Claude.
Students and Researchers. Paper summaries, Q&A, and knowledge base management.
Hardware Requirements
NanoClaw has minimal hardware requirements:
- Node.js 20+
- 2 GB RAM
- Supports macOS, Linux, Windows (WSL2), Raspberry Pi, and Docker
Pricing
NanoClaw is MIT open-source software and completely free. You only pay for your Anthropic API usage based on actual token consumption—no monthly fees, no hidden costs.