The Story: Clawdbot vs Moltbot vs Openclaw

Openclaw has evolved through several iterations to become the robust platform it is today.

Originally named “Clawdbot”, the project started as a simple wrapper around early LLMs. The name was a playful nod to “Cloud” and “Bot”, but also sounded similar to “Claude”, which led to confusion.

As the project matured, we rebranded to “Moltbot”. The idea was to represent “molting” – shedding the old shell to grow. While meaningful, the name didn’t resonate well with the broader community and was often misspelled.

“Openclaw” represents our commitment to open-source software and powerful capabilities. It pays homage to our roots (“Claw”) while emphasizing our core value (“Open”).

Today, Openclaw is the definitive version of the project, combining the best features of its predecessors with a clear vision for the future.