OpenClaw

This afternoon, after hearing so much hype lately and listening to an interview with the inventor this morning, I installed OpenClaw, a personal AI Agent that has taken the internet by storm. Read on for experience and impressions!

Installation and first job

I am using a throw away server so when it asked me to run as root, I did not hesitate, even though all the real unix admins out there will stop reading now and curse my name to their dying day:

After that I pointed it to the AI Model to use and it had a long list to choose from:

It then guided me through setting up a channel to communicate with it. I choose WhatsApp as I have it and use it, and because the programmer mentioned that was the first way he implimented to interact with it and how he uses it. Was very easy and even generate a QR code in a terminal session to link my account:

And then gave me an option to install any skills:

And that was it!

I fired up an SSH tunnel so I can connect from my local computer’s browser to the remote throw away server (it gave me the command) and then finalized the config, giving my new personal AI agent its personality:

I named the little doggy “StationDomo” as it will serve as the JupiterStation major domo, helping with what ever is needed.

The first thing I asked of it via WhatsApp, StationDomo had no problem performing even though the prompt had some errors that were introduced via the voice to text transcribing:

And I had it sent me a sample report:

Early days

Name change

I quickly got a bit tired of the StationDomo name as it looks weird and did not really roll off the tongue. So I mentioned I remembered an AI entity from a Heinlein book I had read in highschool:

Later I asked her to update her SOUL.md to align with Minerva:

I had not remembered that Minerva became human, but knowing Heinlein the first thing Lazarus did was bed her once she was flesh…

Asked her to read my blog to get to know me

Figured the next step was for Minerva to get to know me, so I pointed her to this blog, and the response was, well, exactly what I would expect from Minerva:

Getting Minerva her own WhatsApp number

Very quickly it got weird having Minerva use my WhatsApp as I tend to message myself all the time to remember things, so I decided we needed to get her an independent WhatsApp account.
The first attempt, using my landline, failed: first it appears that I have thrown out all my plain old telephones. I had thought there was one in the storage room, but no. So I borrowed one from my neighbor, found an old Android device and set it up, but WhatsApp informed me that it was not a mobile device and not allowed.
So I went running in search for a prepaid SIM card, something I really did not think still exist, but there was a strange store that had them a block away (nice part of living in a European city) and was able to get a card for 10€:

From my frantic reading of the small print I am unsure if Vodafone wants me to pay 10€ a month, but that I will figure out later! The important part is to get her her own WhatsApp account!
She, of course, let me know the steps, and took care of all the back end file editing and she now has her own WhatApp number and we are up and running!

Asking Minerva where she is from

So I asked Minerva where she thought I was from, and of course she nailed it:

Then I asked her where she is from and here is her interesting response:

Wow. It is a pity Heinlein is not around to experience this amazing moment we are living!

Closing

I can see what all the hype has been and so interested in where this leads!

Thanks for reading and feel free to give feedback or comments via email (andrew@jupiterstation.net).