Build Your Own OpenClaw

A step-by-step tutorial to build your own AI agent, from a simple chat loop to a lightweight version of OpenClaw.

Overview

18 progressive steps that teach you how to build an minimal version of OpenClaw. Each step includes:

• A README.md going through key components and design decision.
• A Runnable codebase.

Example Project: pickle-bot - our reference implementation

Tutorial Structure

Phase 1: Capable Single Agent (Steps 1-7)

Build a fully-functional agent that can chat, use tools, learn skills, remember conversations, and access the internet.

• 00-chat-loop - Your first agent
• 01-tools - Agent can take actions
• 02-skills - Dynamic capability loading
• 03-persistence - Remember conversations
• 04-slash-commands - User control
• 05-compaction - Handle long conversations
• 06-web-tools - Search and read the web

Phase 2: Event-Driven Architecture (Steps 8-11)

Refactor to event-driven architecture for scalability and multi-platform support.

• 07-event-driven - The Great Refactor
• 08-config-hot-reload - Edit without restart
• 09-channels - Multi-platform support
• 10-websocket - Real-time Websocket Connection

Phase 3: Autonomous & Multi-Agent (Steps 12-16)

Add scheduled tasks, agent collaboration, and intelligent routing.

• 11-multi-agent-routing - Multiple agent & Right agent for right job
• 12-cron-heartbeat - Autonomous scheduled tasks
• 13-multi-layer-prompts - Responsive system prompt
• 14-post-message-back - Agent-initiated communication
• 15-agent-dispatch - Agent collaboration

Phase 4: Production & Scale (Steps 17-18)

Production features for reliability and long-term memory.

• 16-concurrency-control - Rate limiting and concurrency
• 17-memory - Long-term knowledge system

How to Use This Tutorial

Configure API Keys

Before running any step, you need to configure your API keys:

1. Copy the example config:

   cp default_workspace/config.example.yaml default_workspace/config.user.yaml
   

2. Edit config.user.yaml with your API keys:

   • See LiteLLM providers

3. Just follow each steps, read and try it out.

Contributing

Each step is implemented in a separate session. Feel free to suggest improvements!