OpenClaw

OpenClaw Overview

OpenClaw is Pi Agent’s multi-platform message gateway, connecting your AI agent with WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord, and iMessage so you can interact naturally with the agent through familiar instant messaging apps.

Core Capabilities

Multi-Platform Message Access

Lark (Feishu) - Enterprise collaboration platform with bot DMs and groups (WebSocket long connection)
WhatsApp - Connect via WhatsApp Web to chat with the agent from a personal or dedicated number
Telegram - Bot integration with DMs and groups
Discord - Server bot integration with channel messages
iMessage - Native messaging on macOS
Mattermost - Enterprise collaboration platform (plugin extension)

Agent Workspace

OpenClaw uses a workspace directory to manage the agent’s instructions and memory:

AGENTS.md - Agent behavior configuration
SOUL.md - Agent persona and personality
TOOLS.md - Available tools description
IDENTITY.md - Agent identity
USER.md - User preferences
HEARTBEAT.md - Scheduled task instructions (optional)

Default workspace path: ~/.openclaw/workspace

Session Management

Session isolation - Isolate sessions by sender (per-sender mode)
Context reset - Start a new session with /new or /reset
Context compaction - Use /compact to shorten long sessions and save tokens
Auto reset - Optional reset by time or idle duration

Heartbeat (Proactive Mode)

The agent can run periodic checks at a configured interval (default 30 minutes) and execute maintenance tasks defined in HEARTBEAT.md.

Typical Use Cases

Scenario	Description
Personal AI assistant	Use the Pi agent as a 24/7 personal assistant for questions anytime
Team support bot	Add the agent to Telegram/Discord groups to answer common questions
Automated tasks	Use heartbeat to check system status and send reports on a schedule
Remote control	Have the agent run commands on your machine via chat (requires tool setup)

Architecture Overview

Your phone (personal)              Second phone (assistant)
┌─────────────────┐           ┌─────────────────┐
│  Your WhatsApp  │  ──────▶  │  Assistant WA   │
│  +1-555-YOU     │  messages │  +1-555-ASSIST  │
└─────────────────┘           └────────┬────────┘
                                       │ QR code pairing
                                       ▼
                              ┌─────────────────┐
                              │ Your server/Mac │
                              │  (openclaw)     │
                              │   Pi Agent      │
                              └─────────────────┘

Security Recommendations

OpenClaw gives the agent the following capabilities; configure with care:

Run commands on your machine (depending on Pi tool configuration)
Read and write workspace files
Send messages via linked chat accounts

Recommended practices:

Always set channels.whatsapp.allowFrom to limit allowed numbers
Use a dedicated WhatsApp number for the assistant, not your personal number
Disable heartbeat on first deploy by setting the interval to "0m", then enable after you are familiar with the system

Common Commands

openclaw setup              # Initialize workspace
openclaw status             # View local status
openclaw status --all       # Full diagnostic info
openclaw dashboard          # Open web dashboard
openclaw channels login     # Log in to message channels
openclaw gateway            # Start gateway service