I Built a Safer OpenClaw Alternative Using Claude Code

OpenClaw: The Rise and Security Concerns of a Personal AI Assistant

Overview of OpenClaw's Popularity

• OpenClaw has gained immense popularity, becoming a personal AI assistant that resonates with users due to its ability to understand individual preferences and build memory over time.

• It has achieved an impressive milestone of 185,000 stars on GitHub, surpassing other notable projects like N8N.

Security Issues with OpenClaw

• Despite its appeal, OpenClaw faces significant security vulnerabilities related to user control and the codebase itself.

• A critical vulnerability allows for one-click remote code execution, enabling attackers to steal sensitive data by tricking users into clicking malicious links.

Vulnerabilities in Claw Hub

• Claw Hub, a marketplace for skills enhancing OpenClaw's capabilities, contains numerous malicious packages that can compromise user credentials and API keys.

• Research indicates that it is alarmingly easy for attackers to hijack an OpenClaw instance within hours.

Future Prospects and Personal Solutions

• The creator of OpenClaw is actively addressing security issues; however, concerns remain about the overall safety due to the complexity of the codebase.

• Building a custom solution is advocated as it allows users greater control over their personal assistants while mitigating risks associated with using pre-built tools like OpenClaw.

Key Components of Building Your Own Assistant

• The speaker emphasizes replicating the effective features of OpenClaw while ensuring personalized control over functionality.

• Four essential components are identified as crucial for creating a magical experience similar to what OpenClaw offers.

OpenCloud: Core Components and Functionality

Overview of OpenCloud's Architecture

• OpenCloud consists of four core components: the memory system, heartbeat, channel adapters, and skills registry. These elements work cohesively to create an efficient AI agent.

• The memory system is markdown-driven, allowing for easy evolution of the agent's identity over time through files like soul.md and user.md, which store core memories and define agent behavior respectively.

Memory System and Data Management

• A lightweight SQLite database is integrated into the memory system for enhanced search capabilities, making it both elegant and simple.

• The heartbeat feature operates autonomously on a schedule, enabling proactive actions without explicit user requests. This allows OpenClaw to perform tasks that users appreciate.

User Interaction and Experience

• Users receive daily reports from OpenClaw detailing completed tasks such as drafted emails or pull requests in GitHub, enhancing user satisfaction with its functionality.

• Channel adapters facilitate communication across various platforms (WhatsApp, Telegram, Slack, Discord), supporting multiple concurrent conversations with the AI.

Skills Registry and Customization

• The skills registry allows users to add new capabilities easily via single files. This flexibility enables personalized enhancements like frontend development guides or PowerPoint generation.

Building a Personalized Second Brain

Implementation of Personal Features

• The speaker shares their experience building a second brain using similar principles as OpenClaw’s architecture. They cloned the repository to adapt it to their tech stack.

• By utilizing good examples from OpenClaw’s memory system design, they successfully created a tailored solution that thrives on simplicity and elegance.

Tech Stack Utilization

• Their setup includes Obsidian for storage, Markdown for the memory system, SQLite for local databases, and Postgres for remote deployment. This combination supports effective data management.

Cost-effective Solutions

• Using Claude Code with Anthropic subscriptions directly in their environment avoids high API costs while remaining compliant with terms of service.

Heartbeat Functionality in Personal Systems

Scheduled Tasks Management

• The heartbeat feature was implemented similarly to OpenClaw’s version but customized with personal integrations. It runs every 30 minutes to check recent emails and calendar events.

This structured approach provides clarity on how each component contributes to creating an ultra-personalized AI experience while also detailing practical implementations by the speaker in their own projects.

How to Build a Personalized Second Brain Using OpenClaw

Overview of the Personal Agent System

• The speaker discusses utilizing Claude's code wrapped in a script that runs every 30 minutes, creating an impression of a constantly active agent that assists with tasks like drafting emails.

• The speaker expresses satisfaction with using Slack as their primary interface for interacting with their second brain, emphasizing its simplicity and effectiveness over other platforms like Discord or Telegram.

• They mention having a terminal setup for Cloud Code on desktop/laptop, which complements their Slack adapter, allowing seamless interaction across devices.

Skills and Customization

• The integration of skills within the Cloud Agents SDK allows users to create specific functionalities, such as generating diagrams or assisting in content creation like YouTube scripts.

• A unique skill developed by the speaker enables them to create additional skills easily, enhancing the capabilities of their second brain through conversational interactions.

Security and Updates

• The speaker highlights the security benefits of building personal skills rather than downloading potentially harmful ones from public registries, ensuring a more personalized experience.

• They explain how updates from OpenClaw can be integrated into their system effortlessly by pulling changes from the repository and adapting them to their needs.

Building Process and Community Engagement

• A straightforward process is outlined: clone the OpenCloud repo (MIT licensed), customize it according to personal requirements, and iterate this process for various platform components.

• The speaker emphasizes that while they appreciate OpenClaw's offerings, building a tailored solution has proven more beneficial due to precise alignment with personal needs.

Future Content and Resources

• Plans are shared about producing more content related to building second brains and conducting workshops within the Dynamus community focused on AI coding assistants.

• A link will be provided in future content descriptions for viewers interested in joining workshops or accessing resources aimed at developing personalized agents.