Clawdbot → OpenClaw → OpenClaw: The Full Rebrand Story

Updated January 30, 2026 · 5 min read

If you're confused about whether to search for "Clawdbot", "OpenClaw", or "OpenClaw" — you're not alone. The project has gone through three names in less than a week. Here's what happened and what you need to know.

The Timeline

🦞 Clawdbot Goes Viral

January 24-26, 2026

Peter Steinberger (@steipete) releases Clawdbot, an open-source AI assistant that runs 24/7. It explodes on Twitter/X, hitting #1 on Hacker News. Thousands of developers start setting it up.

📧 Anthropic Sends C&D

January 26, 2026

Anthropic's lawyers contact Peter about the name "Clawdbot" being too similar to "Claude" — a trademark concern. Peter agrees to rebrand.

🔄 Becomes OpenClaw

January 27, 2026

The project rebrands to "OpenClaw" — a reference to how lobsters molt (shed their shell) when they outgrow it. The mascot stays a lobster. GitHub moves to github.com/steipete/openclaw.

😈 Crypto Scammers Strike

January 27, 2026

During the chaos of the rebrand, crypto scammers briefly hijack the old GitHub username and X handle, trying to promote fake tokens. Peter recovers them within hours.

🚀 Becomes OpenClaw

January 29, 2026

Another rebrand — this time to "OpenClaw". The handle becomes @openclaw, and the domain is openclaw.ai. This appears to be the final name.

What Actually Changed?

✅ The Short Answer

Just the name. The code, features, community, and maintainer are all the same. If you had Clawdbot or OpenClaw working, OpenClaw is the same software.

Name Changes

Project name: Clawdbot → OpenClaw → OpenClaw
Mascot name: Clawd → Molty → (still a lobster)
GitHub: steipete/clawdbot → steipete/openclaw → steipete/openclaw
Twitter/X: @clawdbot → @openclaw → @openclaw
Domain: clawd.bot → molt.bot → openclaw.ai
npm package: clawdbot → openclaw → openclaw

What Stayed the Same

All the code and features
The installation process
Your configuration and memory files
The Discord community
Peter Steinberger as maintainer

How to Migrate

If You Have OpenClaw Installed

# Update to OpenClaw
npm uninstall -g openclaw
npm install -g openclaw

# Your config and memory files stay the same
# Just restart the gateway
openclaw gateway start

If You Have the Old Clawdbot

# Remove old version
npm uninstall -g clawdbot

# Install OpenClaw
npm install -g openclaw

# Migrate config if needed (paths may have changed)
# Check ~/.openclaw/ for config

If You're Starting Fresh

Just follow the standard setup guide — it's already updated for OpenClaw.

Why So Many Name Changes?

Trademark law is tricky. "Clawdbot" was arguably too close to "Claude" (Anthropic's AI). Rather than fight it, Peter chose to rebrand — twice — to avoid legal issues and keep the project moving forward.

The silver lining? "OpenClaw" is a stronger brand anyway:

Emphasizes open-source nature
Still has the "claw" (lobster) reference
More professional sounding
Better for SEO

Quick Reference

What	Old	Current
Install	`npm i -g openclaw`	`npm i -g openclaw`
Docs	docs.molt.bot	docs.openclaw.ai
GitHub	steipete/openclaw	steipete/openclaw
Discord	Same server, updated name

Bottom Line

Whether you call it Clawdbot, OpenClaw, or OpenClaw — it's the same awesome project. The name drama is behind us now. Time to get back to building cool automations.

Ready to set up OpenClaw? Follow our 30-minute guide →