Clawdbot / Moltbot / OpenClaw — Part 4
TL;DR
After a chaotic rebrand, account hijackings, crypto scams, and serious security scrutiny, the project formerly known as Clawdbot and Moltbot has emerged as OpenClaw. This isn’t just another rename — it’s a reset. The core vision survived, security is now front and center, and the project is finally acting like the infrastructure it accidentally became.
Months ago, a weekend hack exploded into one of the fastest‑growing open‑source AI projects in GitHub history.
Days ago, it was in chaos.
If you’ve been following this series, you already know the story:
- a forced rebrand
- account hijackings
- crypto scammers
- exposed servers
- and a community trying to make sense of it all in real time
Today, that same project has a new name again — OpenClaw — and, more importantly, a chance to reset.
This is not another takedown.
This is what happened after the meltdown.
The Name That Finally Stuck
Peter Steinberger’s announcement of OpenClaw is deliberately calm — and that alone says a lot.
After Clawd (too close to “Claude”) and Moltbot (symbolic, but awkward), OpenClaw feels intentional.
This time:
- trademark searches were done before launch
- domains were secured
- migration code was written
- no 5am Discord naming roulette
The name is simple and explicit:
- Open — open source, community‑driven, self‑hosted
- Claw — a nod to the lobster lineage that never went away
After watching a name change trigger real‑world damage, this boring professionalism is exactly what the project needed.
The Project Was Never the Problem
Lost in the chaos of the last chapter was an important fact:
The software itself was always compelling.
OpenClaw (formerly Clawdbot / Moltbot) is still:
- a self‑hosted AI agent
- running on your machine
- living inside chat apps people already use
- powered by models you choose
- with memory, tools, and real system access
That core vision hasn’t changed.
What has changed is posture.
Peter’s OpenClaw announcement makes one thing explicit:
Your assistant. Your machine. Your rules.
That line matters — especially after the security wake‑up call.
Security: The Real Turning Point
The most important part of the OpenClaw announcement isn’t the name.
It’s this:
- 34 security‑related commits
- Machine‑checkable security models
- Clear warnings about prompt injection
This is an implicit acknowledgment that earlier criticism wasn’t wrong.
Self‑hosted AI agents with:
- shell access
- email access
- chat integrations
- persistent memory
…are inherently dangerous if treated casually.
OpenClaw is now framing security as a first‑class concern, not an afterthought. That doesn’t magically solve prompt injection or misconfiguration — those remain unsolved industry problems — but it does signal maturity.
The project crossed the line from “cool hack” to “serious infrastructure.” The tone finally matches that reality.
The Rebrand Isn’t About Anthropic Anymore
One subtle but important shift:
OpenClaw’s announcement barely mentions Anthropic.
That’s intentional.
Earlier discourse framed the project as “Claude with hands.” That framing was viral — and legally fragile. OpenClaw is now clearly positioned as model‑agnostic infrastructure.
New model support (KIMI, Xiaomi MiMo) reinforces that:
- no single vendor dependency
- no implied endorsement
- no brand confusion
Whether or not you agree with Anthropic’s trademark enforcement, this decoupling was inevitable if the project wanted to survive long‑term.
What Actually Survived the Chaos
After everything — legal pressure, scammers, vulnerabilities, social media storms — what’s left?
Surprisingly, almost everything that mattered.
✅ The codebase
✅ The community
✅ The core vision
✅ The momentum
What didn’t survive:
- sloppy ops
- casual security assumptions
- “we’ll fix it later” energy
That’s a good trade.
The Bigger Lesson (Now That We’re Calm)
With hindsight, this saga isn’t really about names, trademarks, or even Anthropic.
It’s about what happens when:
- open‑source velocity meets viral scale
- indie builders accidentally become infrastructure
- “just a side project” crosses into real‑world risk
OpenClaw is now acting like a project that understands that responsibility.
That’s the real evolution.
Final Thoughts
OpenClaw doesn’t erase what happened — but it does show learning.
The lobster metaphor still works:
not just molting to grow,
but hardening the shell afterward.
If you’re trying OpenClaw today:
- read the security docs
- don’t expose it to the public internet
- treat it like the powerful system it is
The chaos chapter is over.
This one is about sustainability.
Links
Project: https://openclaw.ai
GitHub: https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw
Discord: https://discord.com/invite/clawd
