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 both **Anthropic (Claude)** and **OpenAI (GPT)** 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)

### 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
```

### 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" or "openai"
#define MIMI_SECRET_SEARCH_KEY      ""              // optional: Brave Search API key
#define MIMI_SECRET_PROXY_HOST      ""              // optional: e.g. "10.0.0.1"
#define MIMI_SECRET_PROXY_PORT      ""              // optional: e.g. "7897"
```

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

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)
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> 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
```

## 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 both Anthropic and OpenAI — the LLM can call tools during a conversation and loop until the task is done (ReAct pattern).

| Tool | Description |
|------|-------------|
| `web_search` | Search the web via Brave Search API 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 [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 both Anthropic (Claude) and OpenAI (GPT), 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

## 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.

## Star History

[![Star History Chart](https://api.star-history.com/svg?repos=memovai/mimiclaw&type=Date)](https://star-history.com/#memovai/mimiclaw&Date)