Zero overhead. Zero compromise. 100% Rust. 100% Agnostic.
ZeroClaw is the runtime framework for agentic workflows — infrastructure that abstracts models, tools, memory, and execution so agents can be built once and run anywhere.Ultra-Lightweight
Runs on any hardware with < 5MB RAM. That’s 99% less memory than TypeScript alternatives and 98% cheaper deployment.
Blazing Fast
< 10ms cold start on edge hardware (0.8GHz). Single-binary Rust runtime keeps startup near-instant.
Trait-Driven Architecture
Swap providers, channels, tools, memory backends, and runtime adapters without touching core code.
Multi-Platform
One binary workflow across ARM, x86, RISC-V. Deploy on cloud VMs, Raspberry Pi, microcontrollers, or bare metal.
Why Teams Choose ZeroClaw
Lean by Default
Lean by Default
Small Rust binary with fast startup and minimal memory footprint. Perfect for resource-constrained environments where every megabyte counts.
Secure by Design
Secure by Design
Built-in pairing, strict sandboxing, explicit allowlists, and workspace scoping. Security isn’t bolted on—it’s architectural.
Fully Swappable
Fully Swappable
Core systems are traits: providers, channels, tools, memory, tunnels. Extend without forking. No vendor lock-in.
OpenAI-Compatible
OpenAI-Compatible
Drop-in support for OpenAI-compatible endpoints plus pluggable custom providers. Use any model from any provider.
Hardware Support
ZeroClaw runs on an exceptionally wide range of hardware platforms:Microcontrollers
- STM32 Nucleo boards
- Arduino (via zeroclaw-arduino)
- ESP32 (with UI support)
Single-Board Computers
- Raspberry Pi (with GPIO support)
- Any ARM/ARM64 Linux board
- RISC-V development boards
Cloud & Desktop
- x86_64 Linux/macOS/Windows
- ARM64 cloud instances
- Docker/Podman containers
Performance Comparison
Local machine benchmark (macOS arm64, Feb 2026) normalized for 0.8GHz edge hardware:| Metric | OpenClaw | NanoBot | PicoClaw | ZeroClaw |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Language | TypeScript | Python | Go | Rust |
| RAM Usage | > 1GB | > 100MB | < 10MB | < 5MB |
| Startup (0.8GHz) | > 500s | > 30s | < 1s | < 10ms |
| Binary Size | ~28MB | N/A | ~8MB | ~8.8 MB |
| Min Hardware Cost | $599 (Mac mini) | ~$50 (SBC) | $10 (board) | Any |
ZeroClaw results measured on release builds using
/usr/bin/time -l. OpenClaw requires Node.js runtime (~390MB overhead).
RAM figures are runtime memory; build-time requirements are higher (~2GB RAM + 6GB disk for source builds).Architecture Highlights
Trait-Driven Design
Every major subsystem is defined by a trait interface:Research Phase
Proactive information gathering through tools before response generation—reduces hallucinations by fact-checking first.Secure Runtime
- Pairing-based gateway authentication with OTP support
- Workspace scoping prevents unauthorized file access
- Explicit allowlists for domains and commands
- Sandboxing support (Landlock on Linux, Bubblewrap)
- Secret encryption using ChaCha20-Poly1305
Supported Providers
Major Providers
- Anthropic (Claude)
- OpenAI (GPT-4, GPT-5)
- Google Gemini
- OpenRouter (multi-model gateway)
- Groq, DeepSeek, Mistral
Regional & Specialized
- GLM/Zhipu (China)
- Qwen/DashScope (Alibaba)
- Minimax, Moonshot (Kimi)
- Volcengine (Doubao)
- Venice, Together AI, Fireworks
Self-Hosted & Local
- Ollama (local models)
- llama.cpp (GGUF models)
- vLLM, SGLang (inference servers)
- Custom OpenAI-compatible endpoints
Supported Channels
Connect your agent to communication platforms:- Chat: Telegram, Discord, Slack, Matrix (E2EE), Mattermost
- Enterprise: Microsoft Teams, Lark/Feishu, DingTalk, Nextcloud Talk
- Mobile: WhatsApp, Signal, QQ, WeChat
- Email: IMAP/SMTP (async-imap, lettre)
- Gateway: Built-in HTTP webhook server with SSE streaming
Built-In Tools
System Tools
- Shell command execution
- File operations (read/write/search)
- Directory navigation
- Process management
Web & Network
- Web search (DuckDuckGo, Brave)
- HTTP requests
- Web page fetching (HTML to Markdown)
- Browser automation (Selenium/CDP)
Integrations
- GitHub API
- Composio tool hub
- Pushover notifications
- Custom WASM plugins
Hardware
- GPIO control (Raspberry Pi)
- Serial communication (STM32, Arduino)
- USB device enumeration
- Peripheral tool delegation
Memory Backends
- SQLite (default, embedded)
- PostgreSQL (distributed)
- Markdown (human-readable, git-friendly)
- Lucid (high-performance vector search)
- Embeddings (semantic similarity with configurable providers)
What’s Next?
Quick Start
Get your first agent running in under 5 minutes
Installation Guide
Detailed installation for all platforms
Configuration
Configure providers, channels, and runtime options
API Reference
Dive into traits, schemas, and advanced usage
Official Repository: github.com/zeroclaw-labs/zeroclawDual-Licensed: MIT OR Apache-2.0 for maximum openness and commercial compatibility.