OpenClaw Becomes One of the Fastest-Growing GitHub Projects Ever

What Happened

OpenClaw, the open-source AI personal assistant formerly known as Clawdbot and Moltbot, has surpassed 145,000 GitHub stars and 20,000 forks. This achievement puts it among the fastest-growing open-source projects in history.

The growth has been remarkable:

• Started as a weekend project by Austrian developer Peter Steinberger
• Went from 9,000 to over 60,000 stars in just a few days
• Crossed 100,000 stars within two months of release
• Attracted 2 million visitors in a single week

The project allows users to run a personal AI assistant locally that integrates with messaging platforms like WhatsApp, Telegram, Slack, Discord, Signal, and iMessage.

Why It Matters

The rapid adoption signals strong demand for open-source, privacy-focused AI assistants. Unlike cloud-based solutions, OpenClaw runs locally and allows users to bring their own API keys, giving them more control over their data.

Key features driving adoption:

• Self-hosted, privacy-first architecture
• Connects to 10+ messaging platforms
• Over 100 preconfigured AgentSkills
• MIT License for unrestricted use
• Low hosting costs ($3-5/month on basic VPS)

What To Do

• Check out the official repository if you haven't already
• Follow the official documentation at docs.openclaw.ai for installation
• Be cautious of unofficial forks or distributions claiming to be OpenClaw
• Verify packages come from official sources to avoid typosquatting attacks