This guide walks through a self-hosted installation of ZeroClaw, an ultra-lightweight Rust AI agent runtime designed for edge devices and resource-constrained environments.
| Resource | Minimum | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| RAM + swap | 2 GB | 4 GB+ |
| Free disk | 6 GB | 10 GB+ |
Build prerequisites by platform:
build-essential, pkg-config, Rust toolchain (rustup)rustup)rustup)For Docker installation, see Docker.
ZeroClaw offers multiple installation options:
Download static binaries from the official releases page:
# Visit: https://github.com/zeroclaw-labs/zeroclaw/releases/latest
# Available for: Linux (x86_64, aarch64, armv7), macOS (x86_64, aarch64), Windows (x86_64)
brew install zeroclaw
git clone https://github.com/zeroclaw-labs/zeroclaw.git
cd zeroclaw
./bootstrap.sh
curl -LsSf https://raw.githubusercontent.com/zeroclaw-labs/zeroclaw/main/scripts/install.sh | bash
Note on crates.io: The crates.io registry currently lists v0.1.7, which significantly lags behind the latest GitHub release (v0.6.9). For the most recent version, use pre-built binaries or build from source.
cargo install zeroclaw # v0.1.7 on crates.io (lagging behind GitHub v0.6.9)
# Or for latest:
cargo install --path . --force --locked
./bootstrap.sh --docker
# Or build manually - see [Docker Setup](/web-apps/genai/zeroclaw/setup/docker)
ZeroClaw is an independent Rust project (not affiliated with OpenClaw). It was created by Argenis De La Rosa (GitHub: @theonlyhennygod) with contributions from students and members from Harvard, MIT, and Sundai.Club communities. Start with the upstream repository documentation to confirm the current recommended install path.
Official Resources:
After installation, initialize your configuration:
# Create config directory
mkdir -p ~/.zeroclaw
# Create config file
cat > ~/.zeroclaw/config.toml << EOF
api_key = 'sk-your-api-key'
provider = 'openai'
channels = ['cli']
workspace_only = true
log_level = 'info'
EOF
~/.zeroclaw/.secret_key)# Test configuration
zeroclaw test --config ~/.zeroclaw/config.toml
# Run CLI mode
zeroclaw --config ~/.zeroclaw/config.toml
Choose your deployment method:
Prefer containers? See ZeroClaw Docker Setup.
Note: Between March 30 and April 2, 2026, the entire zeroclaw-labs GitHub organization went offline (returning 404 errors). The repository and organization were subsequently restored and returned to normal operation.
Need professional assistance with your Zeroclaw deployment? Our team provides:
Get in touch: office@linux-server-admin.com | Contact Page