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Moltbot Review 2026: The Viral Local AI Agent That Does Real Tasks

Vibe Coding Team
5 min read
#Moltbot#Clawdbot#Personal AI Assistant#Self-Hosted#Open Source#Agentic AI
Moltbot Review 2026: The Viral Local AI Agent That Does Real Tasks

Moltbot (formerly Clawdbot) went from zero to 60,000+ GitHub stars in 72 hours.1 By the time Anthropic sent a trademark notice—the name "Clawd" was too similar to "Claude"—it had already become one of the fastest-growing open-source projects of 2026.2

The rebrand to Moltbot didn't slow it down. As of this writing, it's past 80,000 stars.3

But what does it actually do? And should you trust a personal AI assistant with access to your files, email, and terminal?

What is Moltbot?

Moltbot is a free, open-source personal AI assistant that runs locally on your devices.4 Unlike ChatGPT or Claude.ai, Moltbot doesn't live in a browser tab. It runs as a background service on your computer (or server) and connects to messaging apps you already use—WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord, iMessage, Slack.5

The key difference: Moltbot doesn't just chat. It does things.

When you ask it to "schedule a meeting with John next Tuesday," it creates the calendar event. When you ask it to "find all PDFs from last month and move them to Archive," it actually moves them.4

This is what makes Moltbot an "agentic" assistant—persistent memory, tool calling, browser control, and file/system access.3

Why the Rebrand?

On January 27, 2026, creator Peter Steinberger announced:

"BIG NEWS: We've molted! Clawdbot → Moltbot... Same lobster soul, new shell."2

Anthropic requested the change due to trademark concerns.6 All functionality remains the same. The clawdbot CLI command still works as an alias.2

Key Features

Based on the official docs7 and GitHub repo3:

Local-first execution

  • Runs on your hardware: macOS, Windows, Linux (Node.js 22+), Raspberry Pi, or Docker.8
  • Data stays on your device. No cloud storage, no vendor access.4

Multi-channel inbox

  • Integrates with WhatsApp (via Baileys), Telegram (grammY), Discord, iMessage (macOS), Slack, Mattermost, Signal, Matrix, and more.57
  • You chat with Moltbot through apps you already use—no new interface to learn.

Agentic capabilities

  • Persistent memory stored as local Markdown files.3
  • Tool calling for browser automation, file access, terminal commands.3
  • Cron jobs, reminders, and background tasks for proactive automation.4

Model flexibility

  • Works with Anthropic Claude, OpenAI, or local LLMs.3
  • Not locked to any provider.

Voice and multimodal

  • Voice mode and canvas support on macOS, iOS, Android.9
  • Media handling: send/receive images, audio, documents with transcription.7

Installation

Requirements

  • Node.js 22+8
  • macOS, Linux, or Windows with WSL2
  • An API key (Anthropic recommended) or local LLM setup

Quick Install

curl -fsSL https://molt.bot/install.sh | bash

Or via npm:

npm install -g moltbot@latest

Onboarding Wizard

Run the setup wizard:

moltbot onboard --install-daemon

This configures:8

  • Model authentication (API key or OAuth)
  • Gateway settings (local or remote)
  • Communication channels
  • Background service

For WhatsApp, you'll scan a QR code with your phone (Settings → Linked Devices). Messages sent to your own number now route to Moltbot.5

Verify Installation

moltbot status
moltbot health

If health shows "no auth configured," rerun the wizard.8

Running on a Server

You can deploy Moltbot on a VPS for 24/7 availability. A $5/month DigitalOcean or Hostinger droplet works.8

# SSH into your server
ssh root@your-server-ip

# Install Node 22
curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_22.x | sudo -E bash -
sudo apt-get install -y nodejs

# Install Moltbot
npm install -g moltbot@latest
moltbot onboard --install-daemon

Security note: The gateway defaults to loopback-only for security.10 If you expose it publicly without proper authentication, you create a vulnerability (see Security section below).

Security and Privacy

The Good

  • Local-only data: Everything runs on your device. No cloud storage.4
  • No telemetry: Open-source and user-controlled.10
  • Gateway security: Defaults to loopback-only; requires tokens for remote access; treats inbound DMs as untrusted.10

The Concerns

Cisco published a blog post titled "Personal AI Agents like Moltbot Are a Security Nightmare."11 The main issues:

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  1. Self-hosting risks: If misconfigured, your control panel can be exposed to the internet.
  2. Untrusted inputs: Moltbot processes messages from potentially adversarial sources.
  3. Broad permissions: Browser control, file access, and terminal commands are powerful—and dangerous if exploited.

One researcher analyzed the code and found security risks in typical self-hosting setups.12

Practical Safeguards

From the official security docs10:

  1. Never expose the gateway port publicly without authentication.
  2. Use sandboxing via Docker if you want isolation.
  3. Review which skills and integrations you enable.
  4. Use a separate API key (not your main one).

If you're running on a VPS, access the dashboard via SSH tunnel:

ssh -L 18789:localhost:18789 root@your-server-ip
# Then open http://localhost:18789 in your browser

Pricing

Moltbot itself is free and open-source (MIT License).13

You pay only for the underlying AI model:

  • Anthropic Claude: Requires API key; costs depend on usage.
  • OpenAI: Same—API-based pricing.
  • Local LLMs: Free if you run models locally (e.g., via Ollama).

There are no paid tiers, no enterprise plans, and no feature gates.13

Who Should Use Moltbot?

Good fit:

  • Developers comfortable with CLI tools and self-hosting
  • Users who want AI assistance via messaging apps they already use
  • Privacy-conscious users who want local data control
  • Anyone who needs persistent memory across sessions

Not a good fit:

  • Non-technical users (setup requires terminal knowledge)11
  • Anyone uncomfortable with an AI having file/terminal access
  • Teams needing enterprise controls (no SSO, audit logs, SOC2)7

Limitations

Based on the research pack and official docs:

  • No built-in mobile app — relies on chat apps or companion nodes.4
  • Setup complexity — not plug-and-play for beginners.11
  • Dependent on external models — quality tied to your API/LLM choice.3
  • Limited enterprise features — no SSO, audit logs, or compliance certifications.7
  • Beta elements — some features may have bugs or incomplete docs.14

Alternatives

If Moltbot isn't right for you:

Tool Best For Key Difference
Wispr Flow Voice-based automation Speech-to-action, not chat-based
Spec Kit Spec-driven dev workflows Structured tasks, dev-focused
Open Interpreter Terminal-based code execution Simpler setup, no chat integrations

Getting Started Checklist

  1. Install Node.js 22+
  2. Run curl -fsSL https://molt.bot/install.sh | bash
  3. Run moltbot onboard --install-daemon
  4. Connect a channel (WhatsApp QR is easiest)
  5. Verify with moltbot status and moltbot health
  6. Review security settings before enabling computer control

Further Reading

Sources

Footnotes

  1. Moltbot: The Ultimate Personal AI Assistant Guide for 2026 - DEV Community ↩

  2. X Post by Mr. Lobster - Rebrand Announcement ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  3. GitHub - moltbot/moltbot ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8

  4. Moltbot — Personal AI Assistant ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7

  5. Moltbot (Clawdbot) Deployment Guide - Medium ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  6. X Post by ArAIstotle ↩

  7. Index - Moltbot ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6

  8. How to set up Moltbot on a private server - Hostinger ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5

  9. How Moltbot Works Behind the Scenes | DigitalOcean ↩

  10. Security Guide - Moltbot Docs ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5

  11. Personal AI Agents like Moltbot Are a Security Nightmare - Cisco Blogs ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  12. X Post by Osama - Security Analysis ↩

  13. What is Moltbot Personal AI Assistant: Everything you Need to Know - Metana ↩ ↩2

  14. GitHub Releases - moltbot/moltbot ↩

About Vibe Coding Team

Vibe Coding Team is part of the Vibe Coding team, passionate about helping developers discover and master the tools that make coding more productive, enjoyable, and impactful. From AI assistants to productivity frameworks, we curate and review the best development resources to keep you at the forefront of software engineering innovation.

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