HiClaw is an open-source multi-agent collaboration system built on OpenClaw. A Manager Agent coordinates Worker Agents via instant messaging, giving you full visibility and control over every task — like managing a real team in a group chat.
bash <(curl -sSL https://higress.ai/hiclaw/install.sh)
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HiClaw introduces a Manager Agent — an AI chief of staff that creates Worker Agents on demand, assigns tasks, monitors progress via heartbeat checks, and reports results back to you. Workers are specialized execution units (frontend, backend, QA, content) that call upon a vast Skills ecosystem to carry out their assignments.
All communication flows through the Matrix instant messaging protocol. Every interaction between you, the Manager, and Workers happens in visible Matrix Rooms. You can intervene, redirect, or approve at any point, eliminating the "black box" problem common in autonomous agent systems.
HiClaw is defined as the "Team edition of OpenClaw", designed so that one person can operate like an entire company. Whether you are a solo developer, a founder building an MVP, or an enterprise team seeking secure AI-driven automation, HiClaw provides the structure, security, and transparency to scale AI-assisted workflows with confidence.
Workers never hold real API keys or GitHub PATs — they only carry consumer tokens. All credentials are centrally managed through the Higress AI Gateway. Even if a Worker is compromised, attackers cannot access sensitive credentials. Each Worker runs in an isolated container with least-privilege access, eliminating the credential-leaking risks inherent in traditional agent frameworks.
All agent-to-agent and human-to-agent communication happens in Matrix Rooms. You see every message, every task assignment, every status update — like a team group chat. Spot a problem? @mention any agent directly to redirect or correct. No hidden calls, no black boxes. The Manager also runs periodic heartbeat checks, alerting you automatically if a Worker gets stuck.
HiClaw Workers are compatible with the AgentSkills format and can pull capabilities on demand from skills.sh — a registry with over 80,000 community-contributed skills. From sending emails and managing calendars to generating Higress WASM plugins and submitting GitHub pull requests, Workers dynamically acquire the exact skills each task requires.
Built on the open Matrix protocol, HiClaw includes a built-in IM server (Tuwunel) and web client (Element Web). Beyond the browser, you can manage your AI agent team from any Matrix-compatible mobile app — Element, FluffyChat, and more — on iOS, Android, or desktop. No Slack or Teams bot approval process required.
A single curl | bash command sets up everything — Higress AI Gateway, Tuwunel Matrix server, MinIO file storage, Element Web client, and the Manager Agent itself. Cross-platform support for Linux, macOS, and Windows. Only Docker and one LLM API key are required.
No YAML files, no manual restarts. Tell the Manager in plain language: "Create a Worker named alice for frontend development" — and it handles the full lifecycle: Matrix account registration, Higress consumer credential creation, config generation, container startup, and room invitation. Workers can be created, paused, or destroyed entirely through conversation.
| Component | Role |
|---|---|
| Higress AI Gateway | Security core: LLM proxy, MCP Server hosting, and centralized credential management. Holds all real API keys; Workers authenticate via consumer tokens only. |
| Manager Agent | Team lead built on OpenClaw. Manages the full Worker lifecycle — creation, task assignment, heartbeat monitoring, and reporting to the human admin. |
| Worker Agents | Lightweight, stateless execution containers. Pull config from MinIO on startup, execute tasks using acquired Skills, and communicate via Matrix Rooms. |
| Tuwunel (Matrix) | High-performance Matrix homeserver. Foundation for all agent-to-agent and human-to-agent instant messaging communication. |
| MinIO | Centralized object storage for agent configs, task specifications, shared files, and work products. Enables stateless Worker design. |
| Element Web | Built-in browser-based IM client. Zero-setup web interface for interacting with Manager and Workers. |
In traditional agent frameworks, each agent holds its own LLM API key and service credentials. A vulnerability in any single agent — such as the OpenClaw CVE-2026-25253 incident — can expose all credentials simultaneously. HiClaw eliminates this attack surface entirely.
Workers authenticate to the Higress AI Gateway using a consumer token — analogous to an employee badge that grants access to resources without revealing the master keys. The gateway holds the actual API keys for LLM providers, GitHub, and other services. Even a fully compromised Worker yields nothing an attacker can use outside the system.
The Manager Agent operates under the same principle: it coordinates tasks and monitors Worker health, but has no access to real API credentials. The Higress AI Gateway applies route-level access control, so each Worker can only reach the specific services assigned to it — no lateral movement is possible.
| Dimension | OpenClaw Native | HiClaw |
|---|---|---|
| Deployment | Single process | Distributed containers |
| Agent Creation | Manual config + restart | Natural language conversation |
| Credential Management | Each agent holds real keys | Gateway centralized; Workers hold consumer tokens only |
| Human Visibility | Optional | Built-in via Matrix Rooms |
| Mobile Access | Requires complex configuration | Any Matrix client, zero config |
| Health Monitoring | None | Manager heartbeat, visible in Room |
Create a frontend Worker and a backend Worker, coordinated by the Manager. Alice builds the React login page while Bob develops the API — both sharing progress in a project Matrix Room. The Manager tracks dependencies and alerts you when the feature is ready.
One person, one team. Spin up Workers for product management, development, content marketing, and data analysis. The Manager breaks your vision into phased tasks, assigns them to the right Workers, handles revision loops, and delivers milestone reports.
Deploy Workers with specialized Skills for document processing, email management, calendar coordination, and report generation. The Manager orchestrates multi-step workflows, with all actions logged in Matrix Rooms for audit and compliance.
Run the one-line installer on macOS, Linux, or Windows (PowerShell 7+). The script prompts for your LLM API key and sets up all components in Docker containers.
Prerequisites: Docker Desktop (Windows/macOS) or Docker Engine (Linux), 2 CPU cores, 4 GB RAM.
Open http://127.0.0.1:18088 in your browser. Log in with the admin credentials displayed during installation. You will see a Manager conversation waiting for you.
Send a message to the Manager in natural language. It handles everything — Matrix account, Higress consumer, config, container, and room creation.
Open Alice's room and start assigning work. Monitor progress in real time, intervene when needed, and manage your entire agent team from the browser or any Matrix mobile client.
HiClaw is the "Team edition" of OpenClaw — an open-source multi-agent collaboration system that extends OpenClaw from a single-process agent into a distributed, containerized team of AI agents. It preserves everything that makes OpenClaw powerful (natural language interaction, Skills ecosystem, MCP tooling) while adding the Manager-Worker architecture, centralized credential security via Higress AI Gateway, built-in Matrix IM for transparent communication, and heartbeat-based health monitoring.
HiClaw supports any LLM provider accessible via API through the Higress AI Gateway, including Alibaba Cloud Qwen, OpenAI, Anthropic Claude, and more. You can switch between providers and models from the Higress console without reconfiguring individual agents. Configure your API key once — all agents share the same gateway endpoint.
All real API keys (LLM providers, GitHub PATs, external services) are stored exclusively in the Higress AI Gateway. Workers authenticate using consumer tokens — scoped credentials that grant API access without revealing the underlying keys. The gateway enforces per-consumer route-level access control. Even the Manager Agent has no access to real credentials. Each Worker runs in an isolated container with least-privilege access.
Docker Desktop (Windows/macOS) or Docker Engine (Linux) with at least 2 CPU cores and 4 GB RAM. One LLM API key is required. A GitHub Personal Access Token is optional but recommended for GitHub collaboration features. Supported on Linux, macOS, and Windows (via WSL or Docker Desktop with PowerShell 7+).
Yes. HiClaw is built on the open Matrix protocol with a built-in Tuwunel homeserver. Use any Matrix-compatible client — Element, FluffyChat, and others — on iOS, Android, or desktop. Download the app, connect to your HiClaw Matrix server address, and manage your AI agent team with full visibility. No additional configuration needed.
HiClaw is designed with enterprise security patterns in mind. The Higress AI Gateway provides audit logging, request filtering, and credential isolation. All agent communication is transparent and logged in Matrix Rooms. Workers operate in sandboxed containers. The system supports private Skills registries for environments that require vetted-only capabilities. HiClaw can be deployed entirely within private infrastructure.
HiClaw is open source under the Apache 2.0 License. Deploy a fully functional multi-agent system in minutes — one command, one API key.
bash <(curl -sSL https://higress.ai/hiclaw/install.sh)
click to copy