Skip to main content

Overview

PicoClaw’s ultra-lightweight design (< 10MB RAM, 1-second boot) makes it perfect for embedded devices. You can run a full AI assistant on hardware as cheap as $9.90!

Supported Devices

PicoClaw has been successfully deployed on:
DevicePriceArchitectureMemoryUse Case
LicheeRV-Nano E/W$9.90RISC-V64MB+Minimal Home Assistant
NanoKVM$30-50ARM512MB+Automated Server Maintenance
NanoKVM-Pro$100ARM1GB+Professional KVM with AI
MaixCAM$50ARM256MB+Smart Monitoring
MaixCAM2$100ARM512MB+4K AI Camera with Assistant

Hardware Requirements

Minimum Requirements

  • CPU: Any single-core 0.6GHz+ processor (ARM, ARM64, RISC-V, x86_64)
  • RAM: 10MB minimum, 64MB recommended
  • Storage: 50MB for binary + config
  • Network: WiFi or Ethernet
  • RAM: 128MB+ for better performance
  • Storage: 256MB+ for logs and conversation history
  • Network: Stable connection for API calls

Architecture Support

PicoClaw supports multiple architectures:
  • ARM (32-bit) - ARMv7 and later
  • ARM64 (64-bit) - ARMv8/AArch64
  • RISC-V - RV64GC and compatible
  • x86_64 - Standard x64 processors

LicheeRV-Nano Deployment

About LicheeRV-Nano

The LicheeRV-Nano is an ultra-affordable RISC-V development board:
  • Price: $9.90
  • CPU: RISC-V C906 @ 1GHz
  • RAM: 64MB DDR2
  • Variants: E (Ethernet) or W (WiFi 6)
  • Use Case: Minimal home assistant, IoT gateway

Installation

  1. Download the RISC-V binary:
wget https://github.com/sipeed/picoclaw/releases/download/v0.1.1/picoclaw-linux-riscv64
chmod +x picoclaw-linux-riscv64
  1. Transfer to device (via SCP or USB):
scp picoclaw-linux-riscv64 root@licheerv-nano:/usr/local/bin/picoclaw
  1. Initialize on device:
ssh root@licheerv-nano
picoclaw onboard
  1. Configure your API keys in ~/.picoclaw/config.json

Memory Optimization for 64MB RAM

For devices with only 64MB RAM, optimize your configuration:
{
  "agents": {
    "defaults": {
      "max_tokens": 2048,
      "temperature": 0.7,
      "max_tool_iterations": 10
    }
  },
  "heartbeat": {
    "enabled": false
  }
}

NanoKVM Deployment

About NanoKVM

NanoKVM is a cost-effective KVM-over-IP solution:
  • Price: $30-100 (Standard/Pro)
  • CPU: ARM Cortex-A7/A53
  • RAM: 512MB - 1GB
  • Use Case: Remote server management with AI assistance

Installation

  1. Download the ARM64 binary:
wget https://github.com/sipeed/picoclaw/releases/download/v0.1.1/picoclaw-linux-arm64
chmod +x picoclaw-linux-arm64
  1. Transfer to NanoKVM:
scp picoclaw-linux-arm64 root@nanokvm:/usr/local/bin/picoclaw
  1. Set up as a service (see systemd guide)

Use Cases for NanoKVM

  • Automated monitoring: AI agent monitors server status
  • Alert analysis: AI interprets error messages and suggests fixes
  • Remote assistance: Chat with your KVM via Telegram for server status

MaixCAM Deployment

About MaixCAM

MaixCAM is an AI-enabled camera platform:
  • Price: 50(MaixCAM)/50 (MaixCAM) / 100 (MaixCAM2)
  • CPU: ARM Cortex-A7 @ 1GHz+
  • RAM: 256MB - 512MB
  • Camera: Built-in with AI processing
  • Use Case: Smart monitoring, security, computer vision

Installation

  1. Download the appropriate binary:
# For 32-bit systems
wget https://github.com/sipeed/picoclaw/releases/download/v0.1.1/picoclaw-linux-arm

# For 64-bit systems
wget https://github.com/sipeed/picoclaw/releases/download/v0.1.1/picoclaw-linux-arm64
  1. Transfer to MaixCAM and install
  2. Configure for monitoring:
{
  "channels": {
    "telegram": {
      "enabled": true,
      "token": "YOUR_BOT_TOKEN"
    }
  }
}

Use Cases for MaixCAM

  • Smart security: AI analyzes camera feeds and sends alerts
  • Object detection: Notify when specific objects are detected
  • Event logging: Natural language logs of camera events

Building from Source for Embedded Devices

For custom architectures or latest features:
# Clone repository
git clone https://github.com/sipeed/picoclaw.git
cd picoclaw

# Install dependencies
make deps

# Build for specific architectures
make build-linux-arm      # 32-bit ARM
make build-linux-arm64    # 64-bit ARM
make build-linux-riscv64  # RISC-V 64-bit

# Build all platforms
make build-all
Binaries will be in the build/ directory.

Performance Benchmarks

Memory Usage by Device

DeviceRAM TotalPicoClaw UsageAvailable for OS
LicheeRV-Nano64MB~8MB56MB
NanoKVM512MB~8MB504MB
MaixCAM256MB~8MB248MB

Boot Time

On a 0.6GHz single-core processor:
  • Cold start: < 1 second
  • Gateway mode: < 2 seconds
  • Memory footprint: Stable at < 10MB

Network Configuration

Embedded devices often need special network setup:

Static IP Configuration

For devices without DHCP:
# Edit network config
nano /etc/network/interfaces

# Add static IP
auto eth0
iface eth0 inet static
    address 192.168.1.100
    netmask 255.255.255.0
    gateway 192.168.1.1

WiFi Setup (for W variants)

# Configure WiFi
wpa_passphrase "YOUR_SSID" "YOUR_PASSWORD" >> /etc/wpa_supplicant/wpa_supplicant.conf

# Restart networking
systemctl restart networking

Storage Management

Embedded devices often have limited storage:

Check Available Space

df -h

Clean Up Old Logs

# Limit session history
find ~/.picoclaw/workspace/sessions -type f -mtime +7 -delete

# Compress old logs
find ~/.picoclaw -name "*.log" -mtime +1 -exec gzip {} \;

Configure Log Rotation

Create /etc/logrotate.d/picoclaw:
/var/log/picoclaw/*.log {
    daily
    rotate 3
    compress
    missingok
    notifempty
}

Running as a Service

For always-on operation, see the systemd setup guide.

Troubleshooting

Out of Memory

  • Reduce max_tokens in config
  • Disable heartbeat for very low-memory devices
  • Enable swap if available

Slow Performance

  • Check network latency to API provider
  • Reduce max_tool_iterations
  • Use a faster LLM provider (e.g., Groq, Cerebras)

Device Reboots

  • Check power supply stability
  • Monitor temperature: cat /sys/class/thermal/thermal_zone0/temp
  • Ensure adequate cooling

Community Deployments

See PicoClaw running on embedded devices: Share your deployment on our Discord community!

Next Steps

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love