# OpenClaw

## Overview
OpenClaw is a mature TypeScript/Node.js AI assistant platform (~342k stars, ~24k commits). Local-first gateway control plane with plugin-SDK architecture. Monorepo with packages. Repo: https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw

## Architecture
- Local-first WebSocket gateway as central control plane
- Plugin-SDK architecture — features are installable packages, not inline code
- Monorepo: `src/` for core, `packages/` for SDKs

## Agent Runtime
- Pi agent runtime with RPC mode
- Tool streaming and block streaming
- Multi-agent routing
- Agent compaction for long conversations

## Providers
- Multiple AI providers via plugin-sdk
- OAuth subscription auth (OpenAI Codex, Claude Code)

## Channels
24+ messaging platforms via plugin-per-platform pattern with shared registry/helpers:
WhatsApp, Telegram, Slack, Discord, Signal, iMessage, Matrix, IRC, Teams, LINE, Nostr, WeChat, and more.
Each channel plugin: channel-specific auth, message normalization, allowlist-based access control.

## Memory
- memory-host-sdk package with three engines:
  - engine-embeddings (vector embedding computation/storage)
  - engine-foundation (core memory primitives)
  - engine-storage (pluggable storage backends)
- Pluggable vector DB support for semantic search

## Tools
Rich tool ecosystem:
- Browser: Managed Chromium via CDP
- Canvas: A2UI visual workspace
- Cron: Scheduled tasks
- Nodes: Device-local (camera, screen, notifications)
- Sessions: Session management tools
- Web Fetch: HTTP with SSRF guards and visibility rules
- PDF, TTS, Image tools

## Sessions
- JSON-persisted session store
- Pruning, capping, rotation, archiving
- Per-session sandbox policies
- Activation modes, group routing
- Session lifecycle events

## Security
- DM Pairing: 6-digit codes + per-channel allowlists
- Per-session Sandboxing: Docker/SSH backends
- Tool Allow/Deny Lists
- SSRF Guards on web fetch
- Web Fetch Visibility Rules

## Skills & Plugins
Full plugin lifecycle:
- Manifest Registry with capability declarations
- Install/enable/disable/uninstall lifecycle
- Workspace Skills via AGENTS.md and SKILL.md conventions
- Bundled plugins + external ClawHub package registry

## Voice & Apps
- Wake word detection, Talk Mode, TTS (ElevenLabs + system fallback)
- macOS menu bar app, iOS/Android nodes, WebChat browser client

***

## In-Depth Reference Pages

- [[Session Management]] — SessionEntry type, store maintenance (pruning/capping/rotation), atomic writes, lifecycle events
- [[Plugin Architecture]] — Plugin type system, 40+ provider hooks, tool factories, config schemas, channel handlers
- [[Channel System]] — Plugin-per-platform pattern, shared registry, message normalization, access control
- [[Security]] — DM/group access decisions, pairing, allowlists, per-session sandboxing, SSRF guards
- [[Memory SDK]] — Composable engine architecture (storage, embeddings, QMD), SQLite + sqlite-vec, 6 embedding providers
- [[Compaction Strategy]] — Token-budget gating, staged summarization, quality guards, identifier preservation, session truncation

***

## Relevance to Luna

### Patterns Worth Adopting
- **Session Management**: Pruning/capping/rotation is much more mature than Luna's basic SessionManager. Configurable max message counts, session lifecycle events, group routing. See [[Session Management]] for details. Link to [[Core]].
- **Plugin Architecture**: Manifest-based registry with install/enable/disable lifecycle is a good reference for Luna's [[Skills]] module. See [[Plugin Architecture]] for the hook system.
- **Channel Normalization**: Plugin-per-platform with shared registry validates Luna's [[Channels]] design. Key lesson: establish a rich normalized message type before adding the second channel. See [[Channel System]].
- **Security Layers**: DM pairing and per-session sandboxing are practical patterns Luna should adopt before exposing tool execution. See [[Security]] for the access decision system.
- **Compaction**: Token-budget driven summarization with quality guards and structured output sections. Far more sophisticated than Luna's basic LibrarianAgent compaction. See [[Compaction Strategy]].

### Key Differences from Luna
- OpenClaw is a platform for third-party plugin development; Luna is a standalone assistant
- TypeScript vs .NET/C#
- Features are installable packages vs compiled modules
- Mature multi-app distribution (macOS, iOS, Android, WebChat) vs CLI only