Show HN: ClawLite – Local-first personal AI assistant on Telegram

Forgesynapse Ltd. released ClawLite, a local-first personal AI assistant that runs on Telegram entirely on the user's machine with no subscription or cloud dependency, using Ollama for local LLM inference, Tavily for real-time web search, and SQLite for persistent memory. The assistant features sandbox protection, transparent cloud fallback via Groq, and an optional daily brief, with setup requiring only a Telegram bot token and Tavily API key.

ClawLite is a personal AI assistant that lives in Telegram and runs entirely on your machine. No subscription. No cloud. No data leaving your device without your explicit permission. You ask it something — it thinks, searches the web if needed, remembers the context, and answers. Like having a Jarvis, but one that actually respects your privacy. You: What happened in the Champions League today? ClawLite: searches web PSG beat Bayern 5-4 in a thriller at Parc des Princes... You: Remind me tomorrow to review the match highlights. ClawLite: Got it. I'll remind you tomorrow about the match highlights. You: What's my name? ClawLite: Fernando. You told me earlier today. 🔒 Local-First by Design Your conversations never leave your machine. ClawLite runs on Ollama — a local LLM that operates with zero outbound traffic. If Ollama is unavailable, it can optionally fall back to Groq cloud, but it tells you explicitly when that happens. 🔍 Real-Time Web Search Powered by Tavily, ClawLite searches the web in real time when it needs current information. Not a cached index — the actual web, right now. 🧠 Persistent Memory ClawLite remembers context across conversations using a local SQLite database with semantic search. It recalls relevant past exchanges without storing anything in the cloud. 🛡️ Sandbox Protection Every tool call and HTTP request is validated against an allowlist before execution. ClawLite cannot access your filesystem, execute arbitrary code, or connect to unauthorized domains. ☁️ Transparent Cloud Fallback If Ollama is unavailable and you have a Groq API key configured, ClawLite uses cloud inference — and always tells you when it does. No silent data transfers. 📰 Daily Brief Enable an optional morning summary: ClawLite searches for relevant news and delivers a personalized brief at the time you choose, every day. No terminal, no admin rights, no technical knowledge required. - Download the installer from the latest release https://github.com/forgesynapseltd/ClawLite/releases/latest . - Run ClawLite-Setup-X.Y.Z.exe and follow the wizard. - A setup page opens in your browser asking for your Telegram bot token and Tavily API key — get a bot token from @BotFather on Telegram /newbot and a free key from tavily.com https://tavily.com , then paste them in. That's it — ClawLite starts automatically once setup is complete. Open Telegram, find @BotFather , and run /newbot . Copy the token it gives you. git clone https://github.com/forgesynapseltd/ClawLite.git cd ClawLite cp .env.example .env Edit .env with your credentials: TELEGRAM BOT TOKEN=your token here TAVILY API KEY=your tavily key here ollama pull llama3.2 pip install -r requirements.txt python -m clawlite.main Or with Docker: docker compose up -d Open Telegram, find your bot, and send /start . That's it. ClawLite is built in layers, each with a single responsibility: Telegram message ↓ Sandbox validation ← blocks malicious content before anything runs ↓ Planner ← decides: search web / recall memory / answer directly ↓ Tool execution ← Tavily search or memory recall ↓ LLM Ollama local ← generates the response ↓ Memory store ← saves the exchange to local SQLite ↓ Telegram response Stack: python-telegram-bot — Telegram interface ollama — local LLM inference llama3.2 by default groq — optional cloud fallback tavily-python — real-time web search onnxruntime — local embeddings for semantic memory no PyTorch sqlalchemy + SQLite — persistent local storage loguru — structured logging | Command | Description | |---|---| /start | Introduction and onboarding | /help | List of available commands | /status | Show current LLM, search, and sandbox status | /memory clear | Delete all your conversation history | /brief on | Enable daily morning brief | /brief off | Disable daily morning brief | All configuration lives in .env . Key settings: | Variable | Default | Description | |---|---|---| TELEGRAM BOT TOKEN | — | Required. Get from @BotFather | TAVILY API KEY | — | Required. Get from tavily.com | OLLAMA MODEL | llama3.2 | Local model to use | GROQ API KEY | — | Optional. Cloud fallback | SANDBOX MODE | strict | strict or permissive | BRIEF ENABLED | false | Enable daily brief | BRIEF HOUR | 8 | Hour for daily brief local time | The AI assistant market has a problem nobody talks about openly. Every "personal" assistant is personal in name only. Your queries leave your device. Your context is stored on someone else's server. Your usage patterns are being analyzed. And every month, you pay for the privilege. ClawLite is the alternative. Built on the belief that a truly personal assistant should run on your hardware, search the real web on your behalf, remember your context without that context leaving your machine, and be installable by anyone — not just developers. No subscription. No cloud dependency. No compromises on what "personal" means. - Telegram bot with local LLM - Real-time web search Tavily - Persistent local memory with semantic recall - Sandbox protection - Cloud fallback with transparency - Daily brief scheduler - Voice input Whisper - WhatsApp support - Plugin/skill marketplace - One-click desktop installer ClawLite is fully open source under Apache 2.0. Contributions are welcome. - Fork the repository - Create a feature branch: git checkout -b feature/your-feature - Read CLA.md /forgesynapseltd/ClawLite/blob/master/CLA.md — by submitting a PR you accept it - Submit your pull request For major changes, open an issue first to discuss what you'd like to change. Apache 2.0 — see LICENSE /forgesynapseltd/ClawLite/blob/master/LICENSE for details. ClawLite is a project by ForgeSynapse LTD https://forgesynapse.com Company No. 16692140, England & Wales . "Your data. Your machine. Your assistant." ⭐ Star this repo if ClawLite is useful to you. It helps more people find it.