Is OpenClaw Really Open Source?

Yes, OpenClaw is fully open-source under the MIT license. The entire codebase is available on GitHub at github.com/open-claw/open-claw with 250K+ stars, making it one of the most popular open-source AI projects in the world.

The MIT license means you can use OpenClaw for any purpose — personal, commercial, or enterprise — without paying licensing fees. You can modify the code, create forks, and distribute your own versions. The only requirement is preserving the copyright notice.

The project follows an open development model. All feature discussions happen in GitHub Issues and Discussions. Pull requests are reviewed by core maintainers and community contributors. Major changes go through an RFC (Request for Comments) process.

ClawHub, the skill marketplace, is also open. Anyone can publish skills, and the source code for most skills is publicly available. This transparency lets you audit exactly what a skill does before installing it — important for security-sensitive deployments.

Self-hosting means your data stays on your server. Unlike proprietary AI assistants, there's no vendor lock-in, no subscription fees for the platform itself (you only pay for AI model API usage), and no risk of the service being discontinued.

The community contributes translations, documentation, skills, and core features. Monthly releases include community-contributed improvements alongside core team updates.