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Claw Core

The core execution layer that packages and runs agent CLI commands. It manages terminal sessions, executes commands with timeouts, and returns structured output through a clean JSON API.

What Is This?

Claw Core is the agent CLI packing core — the middle layer between AI agents and the OS. Agents run CLI commands (e.g. cursor agent, npm run, shell scripts); Claw Core wraps that execution with sessions, timeouts, and structured output.

Instead of agents calling exec directly on the host (fragile, uncontrolled, unscalable), they talk to Claw Core — a lightweight runtime that:

  • Manages sessions — create, list, inspect, destroy terminal sessions
  • Executes commands — buffered mode with timeout enforcement (streaming planned)
  • Handles secrets — forwards env vars to processes without persisting them
  • Exposes a clean API — JSON over Unix socket (HTTP and stdin/stdout planned)
Agent (CLI commands) ──JSON──> Claw Core (packing core) ──fork/exec──> OS processes

Quick Start

One-command install with daemon auto-download. See OpenClaw Integration for details.

openclaw plugins install @wchklaus97hk/claw-core
openclaw clawcore start   # daemon auto-downloads binary on first run

Standalone (no OpenClaw)

Install (no Rust needed): Download a prebuilt binary from GitHub Releases, or:

curl -sSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/wchklaus97/claw-core/main/scripts/install-from-release.sh | bash -s v0.1.0

Run the runtime:

cargo run -- --socket-path /tmp/trl.sock
# Or: claw_core --socket-path /tmp/trl.sock

Probe the runtime (requires socat):

echo '{"id":"1","method":"system.ping","params":{}}' | socat - UNIX-CONNECT:/tmp/trl.sock

Design Principles

  1. Single binary, zero runtime dependencies — just Rust
  2. Agent is the brain, Claw Core is the hands — Claw Core only executes; it never decides what to run
  3. Fail loud, fail safe — structured errors, enforced timeouts, zombie cleanup
  4. Secrets pass through, never persist — env vars flow, never written to disk
  5. MVP first — Unix socket + buffered exec + session CRUD = shippable

Status

Phase: Production v1 (Unix socket + buffered execution)

  • MVP: system.ping, session.*, exec.run, system.stats
  • Tests and CI
  • Streaming support
  • HTTP transport
  • Multi-runtime support (L2)