The hardware deployment angle is worth thinking about here. A "claw" by definition needs to be persistent - always-on, always-connected. That changes the deployment target compared to a typical web app.
Most people run these on cloud VMs, which works but has a cost and privacy ceiling. The natural alternative is a low-power always-on device at home (think: the RPi homelab crowd, but for AI agents). 15W idle draws running 24/7 cost less than $20/year in electricity.
The naming actually clarifies the hardware requirement in a way "agent" didn't - an agent can be stateless and batch-triggered, but a claw needs to be persistently reachable. That's a different design constraint. Would be curious if anyone's run into issues with consumer ISPs blocking inbound connections for claw-style setups.
Incidentally, I built something for exactly this use case and just posted it as a Show HN: a mini PC that ships pre-loaded with OpenClaw (an open-source claw runtime) and runs at 15W for always-on deployment. The idea is to remove the friction of "set up a VM, install the framework, keep it running" for people who just want a persistent claw at home.
Most people run these on cloud VMs, which works but has a cost and privacy ceiling. The natural alternative is a low-power always-on device at home (think: the RPi homelab crowd, but for AI agents). 15W idle draws running 24/7 cost less than $20/year in electricity.
The naming actually clarifies the hardware requirement in a way "agent" didn't - an agent can be stateless and batch-triggered, but a claw needs to be persistently reachable. That's a different design constraint. Would be curious if anyone's run into issues with consumer ISPs blocking inbound connections for claw-style setups.