autoclaw/README.md
2026-02-10 16:29:31 +08:00

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AutoClaw 🦞

The Engineering-First Headless Agent Framework: Stable, Scalable Automation for the Post-Vision Era.

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AutoClaw is a high-stability, open-source automation framework specifically engineered for headless systems.

Unlike "screen-seeing" agents (such as OpenClaw) that rely on visual interpretation, AutoClaw is built on a foundation of precise command-driven execution. This makes it significantly more stable, robust from an engineering perspective, and easier to scale across complex environments—whether it's a local server, a CI/CD pipeline, or thousands of containerized nodes.

Why AutoClaw?

  • 🐳 Docker Native: Built to run safely inside containers. Minimal footprint (Node.js/Alpine friendly).
  • 🚀 Better Engineering: Operates via precise system APIs and shell commands rather than unstable visual recognition, ensuring deterministic outcomes.
  • 🛡️ Superior Stability: Immune to issues like UI rendering, screen resolution, or network lag that plague vision-based agents.
  • 📈 Massive Scalability: Low resource consumption allows orchestrating thousands of instances (e.g., in K8s) for true automation swarms.
  • 🔌 Swarm Ready: Stateless design allows for easy orchestration via K8s, Docker Swarm, or simple shell loops.

Features

  • 📜 Headless Execution: No browsers, no GUIs. Pure terminal efficiency.
  • 🤖 Non-Interactive: Intelligent flag handling (-y) for zero-touch automation.
  • 📂 Universal Control: From simple file I/O to complex system administration and code refactoring.
  • 🧠 Context Aware: Detects OS and container environments to optimize command strategies.

Installation

npm install -g autoclaw

Updating

To update AutoClaw to the latest version:

npm update -g autoclaw

Quick Start

  1. Setup: Run the setup wizard to configure your API key.
    autoclaw setup
    
  2. Run: Start the agent.
    autoclaw
    

Usage Examples

  • "List all TypeScript files in the src folder."
  • "Create a new React component named Button in components/Button.tsx."
  • "Check my disk usage and tell me which folder is the largest."

Configuration

AutoClaw uses a hierarchical configuration system.

Priority Order (Highest to Lowest):

  1. CLI Arguments: (e.g., -m gpt-4o)
  2. Environment Variables: (OPENAI_API_KEY, .env file)
  3. Project Config: (./.autoclaw/setting.json in current directory)
  4. Global Config: (~/.autoclaw/setting.json)

Supported Configuration Keys (JSON)

  • apiKey: Your API Key.
  • baseUrl: Custom Base URL.
  • model: Default model to use.

Project-Level Config (Example)

Create a file at .autoclaw/setting.json:

{
  "model": "gpt-3.5-turbo",
  "baseUrl": "https://api.example.com/v1"
}

⚠️ Security Warning: If you store your apiKey in .autoclaw/setting.json, make sure to add .autoclaw/ to your .gitignore file to prevent leaking secrets!

License

MIT