mimiclaw/README.md

# MimiClaw: Pocket AI Assistant on a $5 Chip

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  <strong><a href="README.md">English</a> | <a href="README_CN.md">中文</a> | <a href="README_JA.md">日本語</a></strong>
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**The world's first AI assistant(OpenClaw) on a $5 chip. No Linux. No Node.js. Just pure C**

MimiClaw turns a tiny ESP32-S3 board into a personal AI assistant. Plug it into USB power, connect to WiFi, and talk to it through Telegram — it handles any task you throw at it and evolves over time with local memory — all on a chip the size of a thumb.

## Meet MimiClaw

- **Tiny** — No Linux, no Node.js, no bloat — just pure C
- **Handy** — Message it from Telegram, it handles the rest
- **Loyal** — Learns from memory, remembers across reboots
- **Energetic** — USB power, 0.5 W, runs 24/7
- **Lovable** — One ESP32-S3 board, $5, nothing else

## How It Works

![](assets/mimiclaw.png)

You send a message on Telegram. The ESP32-S3 picks it up over WiFi, feeds it into an agent loop — the LLM thinks, calls tools, reads memory — and sends the reply back. Supports **Anthropic (Claude)**, **OpenAI (GPT)**, **SiliconFlow** (Chinese LLM providers), and **Volcengine** (ByteDance Doubao models) as providers, switchable at runtime. Everything runs on a single $5 chip with all your data stored locally on flash.

## Quick Start

### What You Need

- An **ESP32-S3 dev board** with 16 MB flash and 8 MB PSRAM (e.g. Xiaozhi AI board, ~$10)
- A **USB Type-C cable**
- A **Telegram bot token** — talk to [@BotFather](https://t.me/BotFather) on Telegram to create one
- An **Anthropic API key** — from [console.anthropic.com](https://console.anthropic.com), or an **OpenAI API key** — from [platform.openai.com](https://platform.openai.com), or a **SiliconFlow API key** — from [siliconflow.cn](https://siliconflow.cn), or a **Volcengine API key** — from [volcengine.com](https://volcengine.com)

### Install

```bash
# You need ESP-IDF v5.5+ installed first:
# https://docs.espressif.com/projects/esp-idf/en/v5.5.2/esp32s3/get-started/

git clone https://github.com/memovai/mimiclaw.git
cd mimiclaw

idf.py set-target esp32s3
```

<details>
<summary>Ubuntu Install</summary>

Recommended baseline:

- Ubuntu 22.04/24.04
- Python >= 3.10
- CMake >= 3.16
- Ninja >= 1.10
- Git >= 2.34
- flex >= 2.6
- bison >= 3.8
- gperf >= 3.1
- dfu-util >= 0.11
- `libusb-1.0-0`, `libffi-dev`, `libssl-dev`

Install and build on Ubuntu:

```bash
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install -y git wget flex bison gperf python3 python3-pip python3-venv \
  cmake ninja-build ccache libffi-dev libssl-dev dfu-util libusb-1.0-0

./scripts/setup_idf_ubuntu.sh
./scripts/build_ubuntu.sh
```

</details>

<details>
<summary>macOS Install</summary>

Recommended baseline:

- macOS 12/13/14
- Xcode Command Line Tools
- Homebrew
- Python >= 3.10
- CMake >= 3.16
- Ninja >= 1.10
- Git >= 2.34
- flex >= 2.6
- bison >= 3.8
- gperf >= 3.1
- dfu-util >= 0.11
- `libusb`, `libffi`, `openssl`

Install and build on macOS:

```bash
xcode-select --install
/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"

./scripts/setup_idf_macos.sh
./scripts/build_macos.sh
```

</details>

### Configure

MimiClaw uses a **two-layer config** system: build-time defaults in `mimi_secrets.h`, with runtime overrides via the serial CLI. CLI values are stored in NVS flash and take priority over build-time values.

```bash
cp main/mimi_secrets.h.example main/mimi_secrets.h
```

Edit `main/mimi_secrets.h`:

```c
#define MIMI_SECRET_WIFI_SSID       "YourWiFiName"
#define MIMI_SECRET_WIFI_PASS       "YourWiFiPassword"
#define MIMI_SECRET_TG_TOKEN        "123456:ABC-DEF1234ghIkl-zyx57W2v1u123ew11"
#define MIMI_SECRET_API_KEY         "sk-ant-api03-xxxxx"
#define MIMI_SECRET_MODEL_PROVIDER  "anthropic"     // "anthropic", "openai", "siliconflow", or "volcengine"
#define MIMI_SECRET_SEARCH_KEY      ""              // optional: Brave Search API key
#define MIMI_SECRET_TAVILY_KEY      ""              // optional: Tavily API key (preferred)
#define MIMI_SECRET_PROXY_HOST      ""              // optional: e.g. "10.0.0.1"
#define MIMI_SECRET_PROXY_PORT      ""              // optional: e.g. "7897"

/* Optional: SiliconFlow API (OpenAI-compatible) */
#define MIMI_SECRET_SILICONFLOW_API_KEY   ""
#define MIMI_SECRET_SILICONFLOW_BASE_URL  "https://api.siliconflow.cn/v1"

/* Optional: Volcengine API (OpenAI-compatible, ByteDance Doubao models) */
#define MIMI_SECRET_VOLCENGINE_API_KEY    ""
#define MIMI_SECRET_VOLCENGINE_BASE_URL   "https://ark.cn-beijing.volces.com/api/v3"
```

Then build and flash:

```bash
# Clean build (required after any mimi_secrets.h change)
idf.py fullclean && idf.py build

# Find your serial port
ls /dev/cu.usb*          # macOS
ls /dev/ttyACM*          # Linux

# Flash and monitor (replace PORT with your port)
# USB adapter: likely /dev/cu.usbmodem11401 (macOS) or /dev/ttyACM0 (Linux)
idf.py -p PORT flash monitor
```

> **Important: Plug into the correct USB port!** Most ESP32-S3 boards have two USB-C ports. You must use the one labeled **USB** (native USB Serial/JTAG), **not** the one labeled **COM** (external UART bridge). Plugging into the wrong port will cause flash/monitor failures.
>
> <details>
> <summary>Show reference photo</summary>
>
> <img src="assets/esp32s3-usb-port.jpg" alt="Plug into the USB port, not COM" width="480" />
>
> </details>

### CLI Commands (via UART/COM port)

Connect via serial to configure or debug. **Config commands** let you change settings without recompiling — just plug in a USB cable anywhere.

**Runtime config** (saved to NVS, overrides build-time defaults):

```
mimi> wifi_set MySSID MyPassword   # change WiFi network
mimi> set_tg_token 123456:ABC...   # change Telegram bot token
mimi> set_api_key sk-ant-api03-... # change API key (Anthropic or OpenAI)
mimi> set_model_provider openai    # switch provider (anthropic|openai|siliconflow|volcengine)
mimi> set_model gpt-4o             # change LLM model
mimi> set_proxy 127.0.0.1 7897  # set HTTP proxy
mimi> clear_proxy                  # remove proxy
mimi> set_search_key BSA...        # set Brave Search API key
mimi> set_tavily_key tvly-...      # set Tavily API key (preferred)
mimi> set_siliconflow_key sk-...   # set SiliconFlow API key
mimi> set_siliconflow_url https://api.siliconflow.cn/v1  # set SiliconFlow Base URL
mimi> set_volcengine_key sk-...    # set Volcengine API key
mimi> set_volcengine_url https://ark.cn-beijing.volces.com/api/v3  # set Volcengine Base URL
mimi> config_show                  # show all config (masked)
mimi> config_reset                 # clear NVS, revert to build-time defaults
```

**Debug & maintenance:**

```
mimi> wifi_status              # am I connected?
mimi> memory_read              # see what the bot remembers
mimi> memory_write "content"   # write to MEMORY.md
mimi> heap_info                # how much RAM is free?
mimi> session_list             # list all chat sessions
mimi> session_clear 12345      # wipe a conversation
mimi> heartbeat_trigger           # manually trigger a heartbeat check
mimi> cron_start                  # start cron scheduler now
mimi> restart                     # reboot
```

### USB (JTAG) vs UART: Which Port for What

Most ESP32-S3 dev boards expose **two USB-C ports**:

| Port | Use for |
|------|---------|
| **USB** (JTAG) | `idf.py flash`, JTAG debugging |
| **COM** (UART) | **REPL CLI**, serial console |

> **REPL requires the UART (COM) port.** The USB (JTAG) port does not support interactive REPL input.

<details>
<summary>Port details & recommended workflow</summary>

| Port | Label | Protocol |
|------|-------|----------|
| **USB** | USB / JTAG | Native USB Serial/JTAG |
| **COM** | UART / COM | External UART bridge (CP2102/CH340) |

The ESP-IDF console/REPL is configured to use UART by default (`CONFIG_ESP_CONSOLE_UART_DEFAULT=y`).

**If you have both ports connected simultaneously:**

- USB (JTAG) handles flash/download and provides secondary serial output
- UART (COM) provides the primary interactive console for the REPL
- macOS: both appear as `/dev/cu.usbmodem*` or `/dev/cu.usbserial-*` — run `ls /dev/cu.usb*` to identify
- Linux: USB (JTAG) → `/dev/ttyACM0`, UART → `/dev/ttyUSB0`

**Recommended workflow:**

```bash
# Flash via USB (JTAG) port
idf.py -p /dev/cu.usbmodem11401 flash

# Open REPL via UART (COM) port
idf.py -p /dev/cu.usbserial-110 monitor
# or use any serial terminal: screen, minicom, PuTTY at 115200 baud
```

</details>

## Memory

MimiClaw stores everything as plain text files you can read and edit:

| File | What it is |
|------|------------|
| `SOUL.md` | The bot's personality — edit this to change how it behaves |
| `USER.md` | Info about you — name, preferences, language |
| `MEMORY.md` | Long-term memory — things the bot should always remember |
| `HEARTBEAT.md` | Task list the bot checks periodically and acts on autonomously |
| `cron.json` | Scheduled jobs — recurring or one-shot tasks created by the AI |
| `2026-02-05.md` | Daily notes — what happened today |
| `tg_12345.jsonl` | Chat history — your conversation with the bot |

## Tools

MimiClaw supports tool calling for all LLM providers — the LLM can call tools during a conversation and loop until the task is done (ReAct pattern). Supported providers include Anthropic (Claude), OpenAI (GPT), SiliconFlow, and Volcengine.

| Tool | Description |
|------|-------------|
| `web_search` | Search the web via Tavily (preferred) or Brave for current information |
| `get_current_time` | Fetch current date/time via HTTP and set the system clock |
| `cron_add` | Schedule a recurring or one-shot task (the LLM creates cron jobs on its own) |
| `cron_list` | List all scheduled cron jobs |
| `cron_remove` | Remove a cron job by ID |

To enable web search, set a [Tavily API key](https://app.tavily.com/home) via `MIMI_SECRET_TAVILY_KEY` (preferred), or a [Brave Search API key](https://brave.com/search/api/) via `MIMI_SECRET_SEARCH_KEY` in `mimi_secrets.h`.

## Cron Tasks

MimiClaw has a built-in cron scheduler that lets the AI schedule its own tasks. The LLM can create recurring jobs ("every N seconds") or one-shot jobs ("at unix timestamp") via the `cron_add` tool. When a job fires, its message is injected into the agent loop — so the AI wakes up, processes the task, and responds.

Jobs are persisted to SPIFFS (`cron.json`) and survive reboots. Example use cases: daily summaries, periodic reminders, scheduled check-ins.

## Heartbeat

The heartbeat service periodically reads `HEARTBEAT.md` from SPIFFS and checks for actionable tasks. If uncompleted items are found (anything that isn't an empty line, a header, or a checked `- [x]` box), it sends a prompt to the agent loop so the AI can act on them autonomously.

This turns MimiClaw into a proactive assistant — write tasks to `HEARTBEAT.md` and the bot will pick them up on the next heartbeat cycle (default: every 30 minutes).

## Also Included

- **WebSocket gateway** on port 18789 — connect from your LAN with any WebSocket client
- **OTA updates** — flash new firmware over WiFi, no USB needed
- **Dual-core** — network I/O and AI processing run on separate CPU cores
- **HTTP proxy** — CONNECT tunnel support for restricted networks
- **Multi-provider** — supports Anthropic (Claude), OpenAI (GPT), SiliconFlow, and Volcengine, switchable at runtime
- **Cron scheduler** — the AI can schedule its own recurring and one-shot tasks, persisted across reboots
- **Heartbeat** — periodically checks a task file and prompts the AI to act autonomously
- **Tool use** — ReAct agent loop with tool calling for both providers

## For Developers

Technical details live in the `docs/` folder:

- **[docs/ARCHITECTURE.md](docs/ARCHITECTURE.md)** — system design, module map, task layout, memory budget, protocols, flash partitions
- **[docs/TODO.md](docs/TODO.md)** — feature gap tracker and roadmap
- **[docs/WIFI_ONBOARDING_AP.md](docs/WIFI_ONBOARDING_AP.md)** — how the local `MimiClaw-XXXX` onboarding/admin AP flow works
- **[docs/tool-setup/](docs/tool-setup/README.md)** — configuration guides for external service integrations (Tavily, etc.)

## Contributing

Please read **[CONTRIBUTING.md](CONTRIBUTING.md)** before opening issues or pull requests.

## Contributors

Thanks to everyone who has contributed to MimiClaw.

<a href="https://github.com/memovai/mimiclaw/graphs/contributors">
  <img src="https://contrib.rocks/image?repo=memovai/mimiclaw" alt="MimiClaw contributors" />
</a>

## License

MIT

## Acknowledgments

Inspired by [OpenClaw](https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw) and [Nanobot](https://github.com/HKUDS/nanobot). MimiClaw reimplements the core AI agent architecture for embedded hardware — no Linux, no server, just a $5 chip.

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