# NanoClaw > Source: > Published: 2026-08-18 13:59:00+00:00 Open Source Alternative to: Stars Last commit Repository age Version License Self-hosted Repository NanoClaw is a self-hosted personal AI agent built for individuals who want full control over their AI assistant. It connects to messaging apps including WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord, Slack, Microsoft Teams, iMessage, Matrix, Google Chat, Webex, WeChat, and email, then routes every conversation through isolated Docker containers. The codebase is intentionally small: 132 source files, roughly 17,500 lines of code, and fewer than 10 dependencies. You can read the whole thing in an afternoon. It positions itself as a lightweight alternative to [OpenClaw](/openclaw), which ships 3,680 source files and 70 dependencies. That size difference isn't cosmetic. It shapes whether you can audit what your agent actually does, customize it without fear, and trust its security model. **Security is structural, not policy-based.** Each agent group runs in its own Linux container with its own filesystem. It can only see directories you explicitly mount. Credentials never enter the container at all. Outbound API requests route through OneCLI's Agent Vault, which injects authentication at the proxy level and enforces per-agent rate limits and policies. Key capabilities: `/add-` skills`CLAUDE.md` , and its own container boundaryThe architecture is a single Node.js host process that routes inbound messages through an entity model, writes to SQLite, and wakes per-session containers. No microservices, no message brokers, no shared memory across agent boundaries. NanoClaw is MIT-licensed and designed to be forked. The philosophy is that your personal AI agent should be working software shaped to your exact needs, not a generic framework you configure around. Stars Last commit Repository age Version License Self-hosted Repository Every Sunday we deconstruct one proprietary app and pick the best open source alternatives worth switching to. Stars Last commit License Stars Last commit License Stars Last commit License Stars Last commit License Compare with Stars Last commit License Compare with