What is Moltbot?
Moltbot is an open-source, self-hosted personal AI assistant that goes beyond conversation to execute real automation tasks. Unlike traditional AI chatbots that only respond to questions, moltbot can manage your emails, control smart home devices, schedule meetings, run code, and integrate with over 50 platforms—all while running locally on your device for maximum privacy.
We built moltbot for people who want an AI assistant that actually works for them, not just talks to them. An AI that respects your privacy, gives you complete control, and can be customized to fit your unique workflow. See moltbot use cases to discover what's possible.
The Name Change: From Clawdbot to Moltbot
If you've heard of us before, you might know us by our previous name: Clawdbot. In early 2026, we made the decision to rebrand the project to Moltbot. Here's why.
The original name "Clawdbot" was inspired by Claude, the AI model from Anthropic that powers much of moltbot's intelligence. However, Anthropic raised legitimate trademark concerns about the similarity. Rather than engage in a legal battle, we chose to evolve.
The name "molt" comes from what lobsters do when they outgrow their shell—they shed it and grow a new one. It's a natural process of transformation and renewal. Just like our mascot Molty the lobster, moltbot represents the same core project with a new identity: same soul, new shell.
This metaphor resonates deeply with our project's philosophy. Moltbot is constantly evolving, growing, and adapting—just like the creature that inspired its name. The rebrand wasn't just about avoiding legal issues; it was about embracing growth and transformation.
Our Mission: Privacy-First Automation for Everyone
At its core, moltbot exists to solve a fundamental problem: AI assistants today require you to trust big tech companies with your most private data. Every message, every document, every command flows through their servers. You have no control, no visibility, and no guarantee of privacy. Learn how moltbot compares to alternatives.
Moltbot takes a different approach. By running entirely on your local device, your data never leaves your machine unless you explicitly configure it to. You maintain complete sovereignty over your information. You can inspect the code, modify it, and know exactly what's happening behind the scenes. Read our moltbot security guide for details.
But privacy isn't our only goal. We also wanted to build an AI that could actually do things—not just answer questions, but execute real tasks, automate workflows, and integrate seamlessly into your existing tools. That's why moltbot supports over 50 integrations and 565+ community-built skills on ClawdHub following the open AgentSkills standard.
Meet the Creator
Moltbot was created by Peter Steinberger (@steipete), the former founder and CEO of PSPDFKit, a leading PDF technology company that served thousands of enterprise customers worldwide.
With over 15 years of experience building developer tools and enterprise software, Peter has a proven track record of creating reliable, production-ready applications that developers trust. Moltbot represents his vision for what AI automation should be: powerful, private, and genuinely useful.
⚠️ Important: Beware of Scams
During our rebranding, bad actors created fake cryptocurrency tokens claiming to be associated with Moltbot (and previously Clawdbot). Moltbot will never launch any cryptocurrency, token, or coin. Any such claims are scams. Moltbot is and will always remain a free, open-source project under the MIT License. Our only goal is to build great software, not to profit from speculation.
Moltbot By the Numbers
What's Next?
Moltbot is growing rapidly. We've gained 61,500+ GitHub stars, 7,400+ forks, and contributions from developers around the world. The community has built over 565 skills on ClawdHub, making moltbot incredibly versatile.
Our roadmap includes deeper integration with more AI models (Claude, GPT-4, Ollama, AWS Bedrock), expanded platform support, enhanced security features, and a growing marketplace of community-built skills. The project embraces AI-assisted contributions—we welcome AI/Vibe-Coded PRs with proper attribution. Learn how moltbot works under the hood.