How Does OpenClaw Work?

OpenClaw is a self-hosted AI agent platform that connects language models to messengers, tools, and your data. Here's how the architecture works under the hood.

At the center is the Gateway — a Node.js process that runs 24/7 on your server. The Gateway receives messages from connected messengers (Telegram, Discord, WhatsApp), processes them through the AI model, and sends responses back. It manages message queues, context windows, and skill invocations.

When you send a message, the Gateway builds a prompt combining your message, the soul.md personality file, conversation history, and available skills. This prompt goes to your configured AI model (Claude, GPT, DeepSeek, or a local model via Ollama). The model decides whether to respond directly or use a skill.

Skills are plugins that extend what the agent can do. They work through MCP (Model Context Protocol) — a standard interface that lets the model call external tools. For example, the web-search skill lets the agent search the internet, while the github skill lets it manage repositories.

Memory is another key component. OpenClaw stores important information from conversations in a persistent memory system, so the agent can recall your preferences, past decisions, and context across sessions.

The Dashboard (Mission Control) provides a web interface for monitoring agent activity, viewing logs, managing skills, and checking token usage. Everything runs on your server — your data never leaves your infrastructure except for API calls to the model provider.