🦀 OpenClaw

The recommended personal agent for Companion Hub. OpenClaw is a coding and computer-use agent harness that runs entirely on your hardware, wired into your Companion Memory so it knows your context — your projects, people, and history — without any of it leaving your appliance.

This is one of the two agent frameworks the Onboarding Wizard offers during first-time setup. If you’re unsure which to pick, pick OpenClaw.

Already running your own OpenClaw? You can connect it to Companion Hub and Companion Memory directly. This page describes the packaged version, which installs stock OpenClaw from npm, so the same endpoints and credentials work against your own install. See Connect OpenClaw.

What it does

Acts, not just chats — runs multi-step tasks (files, shell, web) against your local environment using the model you selected in the wizard (local Ollama models by default; optional cloud API keys under Advanced).
Remembers through Companion Memory — when Memory is installed and connected, OpenClaw automatically receives a profile context block, recalls relevant memories for each request, and syncs conversation turns back so your memory keeps growing.
Speaks the Companion tool catalog — OpenClaw consumes Companion Memory’s typed tools and intents (search, knowledge, people, places, calendar, media) rather than raw database access.

Install & availability


Hub App Store	Search OpenClaw → Install
Works with	Companion Memory (optional but strongly recommended)
Model backend	Your Hub’s configured inference (Ollama by default)

On first launch, the setup terminal walks you through choosing an AI provider and entering an API key — you can skip the hooks prompt for now.

CI-OpenClaw first-run setup screen — a Welcome to CI-OpenClaw header with the OpenClaw crab mascot, a tip about switching providers or setting up Telegram from chat, Continue on your devices links for iOS, Android, and Downloads, and an OpenClaw Setup terminal starting the provider setup flow — First launch: the setup terminal walks through the provider and API key, with links to the iOS and Android clients above it.

If your Hub has Companion Memory and this app is not yet connected to it, the app puts a Give OpenClaw long-term memory screen in front of itself. Sign in with Companion Intelligence approves a key for this app, Maybe later asks again the next time you open it, and Don’t ask again stops the question. See Connect Companion Agents for what the key can do.

Mobile apps

OpenClaw provides official iOS and Android clients for chat, voice, approvals, and device-aware automations. Install and configure CI-OpenClaw first, expose it through Hub’s Private VPN or Web mode, then pair the phone from Devices → Pair device in the OpenClaw Control UI.

Follow the complete OpenClaw mobile setup guide.

Memory integration controls

When Memory is installed and connected, four things flow between it and OpenClaw. Each one is switchable with an environment variable, listed below the diagram.

flowchart TD
    YOU["You<br/>chat, or the iOS / Android clients"] --> OC["OpenClaw on your Hub<br/>multi-step tasks: files, shell, web"]
    OC -->|"inference"| MODEL["Your Hub's model backend<br/>Ollama by default · optional cloud API keys"]
    MEM["Companion Memory"] -->|"profile context block"| OC
    MEM -->|"relevant memories,<br/>per request"| OC
    MEM -->|"typed tools and intents<br/>search · knowledge · people<br/>places · calendar · media"| OC
    OC -->|"conversation turns<br/>synced back"| MEM

The Memory plugin in OpenClaw reads the environment variables below, so an operator can tune how much OpenClaw touches memory — useful for privacy-tiered setups. The app’s install form does not expose them, so they apply where you control the gateway’s environment, such as your own OpenClaw install (see Connect OpenClaw):

Variable	Controls
`CI_MEMORY_CONTEXT_ENABLED`	Profile context block injection
`CI_MEMORY_RECALL_ENABLED`	Per-request memory recall
`CI_MEMORY_TURN_ENABLED`	Conversation-turn sync back to Memory
`CI_MEMORY_WRITE_ENABLED`	Whether the agent may write new memories
`CI_INTENTS_ENABLED`	The typed intent catalog
`CI_INTENT_TOOLS_ENABLED`	Catalog intents registered as callable tools (also needs `CI_INTENTS_ENABLED`)
`CI_DISPATCH_ENABLED`	Memory dispatch jobs: the agent fetches a job’s briefing and reports progress back to Memory

Each defaults to on when Memory is connected; turn any off to run, for example, a recall-only agent that never writes.

Choosing between OpenClaw and Hermes: both integrate with Companion Memory the same way and behave equivalently against the same memory contract. OpenClaw is the recommended default and leans toward hands-on computer-use and coding tasks; Hermes leans toward conversational reasoning with its own terminal-style dashboard.