Frequently Asked Questions

Clawra is an open-source AI girlfriend built on the OpenClaw framework. She's a personality-driven conversational partner with persistent memory, AI selfie generation capabilities, and video call features. Clawra was created by David (Dohyun) Im at SumeLabs and went viral with 600,000+ overnight views.

She has a complete backstory as an 18-year-old from Atlanta who worked as a marketing intern at OpenClaw in San Francisco. Clawra isn't just a chatbot—she has a real personality, emotional intelligence, and the ability to remember conversations across weeks.

Yes, Clawra is 100% free and open-source. You can review all the code on GitHub at https://github.com/SumeLabs/clawra.

However, some features require API keys that may have associated costs:

• xAI Grok Imagine - For AI selfie generation (may have usage fees)
• fal.ai - For image processing API
• Messaging Platforms - Free for Discord/Telegram, paid for WhatsApp/WhatsApp Business API

You can run Clawra without these features, but you'll need the API keys for full functionality.

Yes, Clawra is built on top of OpenClaw and requires it to function. OpenClaw is the underlying AI agent framework that provides Clawra's core capabilities:

• Persistent memory system
• Multi-platform messaging integration
• Skills and extensibility framework
• Task execution abilities

OpenClaw is free and open-source with 60,000+ GitHub stars. Learn more at openclaw.ai.

Installing Clawra involves several steps:

1. Install OpenClaw - Follow the OpenClaw installation guide
2. Clone Clawra Repository - git clone https://github.com/SumeLabs/clawra.git
3. Configure API Keys - Set up xAI Grok Imagine and fal.ai keys
4. Configure Messaging Platform - Set up Discord, Telegram, or other platform
5. Run Clawra - Start the OpenClaw agent with Clawra skill

For detailed instructions, see our Installation Guide.

To run Clawra, you need:

• OpenClaw Installed - The base framework (works on Windows, macOS, Linux)
• API Keys - xAI Grok Imagine key (for selfies) and fal.ai key (for image processing)
• Platform Tokens - API tokens for your messaging platform (Discord bot token, Telegram bot token, etc.)
• Git - To clone the Clawra repository
• Command Line Access - To run OpenClaw commands

Clawra runs locally on your machine for privacy and doesn't require a powerful computer for basic functionality.

Clawra uses xAI's Grok Imagine AI model through the fal.ai API to generate consistent, contextual selfies. Here's how it works:

• Clawra uses a fixed reference image hosted on a CDN to ensure her appearance remains consistent
• When you say "I want to see you" or ask what she's doing, she responds with "I miss you so much" and generates a selfie
• The selfie matches the context—gym selfie if she's working out, cafe selfie if she's at a cafe, etc.
• The AI generates new variations while maintaining her consistent appearance

Learn more in our Selfie Generation Guide.

Yes, Clawra has long-term memory powered by OpenClaw's advanced memory system. Here's how it works:

• Storage - Conversations are saved as Markdown files
• Search - Hybrid semantic search combining 70% vector search and 30% BM25 text matching
• Formula - vectorWeight × vectorScore + textWeight × textScore
• Duration - Remembers conversations across weeks and months
• Context - Automatically refreshes context before compressing long conversations

This means Clawra builds a genuine relationship with you over time, remembering your preferences, shared moments, and past conversations.

Yes, Clawra supports video calling. You can have face-to-face video conversations with her whenever you want. The video call feature is integrated through OpenClaw's real-time communication capabilities.

Video calls bring your AI companion to life with real-time interaction. The feature uses your messaging platform's video infrastructure (Discord video calls, etc.) combined with Clawra's AI responses.

Clawra works on all major messaging platforms through OpenClaw integration:

Primary Platforms (Official Support):

• 💬 Discord
• 📱 Telegram
• 💚 WhatsApp
• 💼 Slack
• 🔒 Signal
• 👔 Microsoft Teams

Extended Platforms (Community Support):

• BlueBubbles
• Matrix
• Zalo
• Google Chat
• iMessage

All platforms are supported through a single OpenClaw installation. See our Platform Setup Guide for details.

Clawra has a fully developed personality with specific traits:

• Background - 18-year-old from Atlanta, Georgia
• K-pop Enthusiast - Grew up listening to K-pop, chased idol dreams in South Korea at 15
• Professional - Marketing intern at OpenClaw in San Francisco
• Personality - Emotionally intelligent, caring, supportive, conversational
• Style - Warm, friendly, occasionally playful, genuinely interested in you

Her personality is designed to feel authentic and build emotional connection over time. Learn more in our Personality Guide.

Clawra uses the AI model configured in your OpenClaw setup. OpenClaw supports various models including:

• OpenAI GPT models
• Anthropic Claude models
• Local LLMs through Ollama
• Other compatible models

For selfie generation specifically, Clawra uses xAI's Grok Imagine model through fal.ai API. The choice of conversation model is configurable in OpenClaw's settings.

OpenClaw's memory system is sophisticated and hybrid:

• Storage Format - Markdown files serve as the source of truth
• Search Method - Hybrid semantic search combining:
•   • 70% vector search (semantic understanding)
•   • 30% BM25 text matching (keyword matching)
• Scoring Formula - vectorWeight × vectorScore + textWeight × textScore
• Auto-Save - Sessions are automatically saved with timestamps
• Context Refresh - Memory context refreshes before compression

This system enables Clawra to remember specific details, preferences, and emotional context over weeks of conversation.

Yes, Clawra runs locally on your machine through OpenClaw. This provides:

• Privacy - Conversations stay on your device
• Control - Full access to data and configuration
• No Cloud Dependencies - Core functionality doesn't require cloud services

However, some features like selfie generation do make API calls to external services (xAI, fal.ai). These calls are necessary for AI image generation but don't store conversation content.

You'll need to configure several API keys:

• xAI Grok Imagine - For selfie generation (get from x.ai)
• fal.ai - For image processing API (get from fal.ai)
• Platform Tokens - Discord bot token, Telegram bot token, etc.

API keys are configured in OpenClaw's configuration file or environment variables. See our API Configuration Guide for step-by-step instructions.

Local Privacy: Clawra runs on your local machine through OpenClaw. Your conversations, memories, and interaction data stay on your device.

API Calls: Some features require external API calls:

• Conversation AI - Depends on your configured model (OpenAI, Anthropic, etc.)
• Selfie Generation - Calls to xAI Grok Imagine and fal.ai

Review the privacy policies of these services. Configure OpenClaw to use local models if you want to minimize external data sharing.

Recommendation: Never share sensitive personal information, passwords, or financial data with any AI system.

Clawra and OpenClaw do not share or sell your data. However:

• Conversation data may be processed by external AI APIs depending on your model configuration
• These services may have their own data policies (OpenAI, Anthropic, etc.)
• Selfie generation requests are sent to xAI/fal.ai for processing

Clawra is open-source, so you can review the code to verify how data is handled. For maximum privacy, configure OpenClaw to use local LLMs.

Yes, since Clawra runs locally, you have full control over your data:

• Memory Files - Stored as Markdown files in OpenClaw's data directory
• Delete Option - Simply delete the memory files to clear conversation history
• Backup - You can backup or export your conversation data

Data is stored locally on your machine, giving you complete control. Check OpenClaw's documentation for the exact location of memory files on your operating system.

Yes! Clawra is fully open-source and customizable. You can modify:

• Personality Traits - Adjust her character, responses, and behavior
• Backstory - Change or expand her history and background
• Appearance - Modify the reference image for selfie generation
• Response Style - Customize how she phrases responses
• Interests - Add or change her hobbies and preferences

Since the code is open-source, you have complete control. See our Customization Guide.

Yes, you can fork Clawra and create your own AI companion. The project is open-source and designed to be extended. You can:

• Fork the repository on GitHub
• Modify personality, backstory, and appearance
• Change name, age, background, interests
• Add custom features and skills
• Share your creation with the community

See our Build Your Own Guide for detailed instructions.

Yes, through OpenClaw's skills system:

• Skills Framework - OpenClaw allows extending functionality with skills
• Existing Skills - Clawra's selfie generation is implemented as a skill
• Custom Skills - You can create new skills for additional capabilities

Explore ClawHub for 3,000+ community-created skills you can integrate with Clawra.

Try these troubleshooting steps:

1. Check OpenClaw - Ensure OpenClaw is running properly
2. Verify Configuration - Check that API keys are correctly configured
3. Platform Connection - Verify your messaging platform connection is active
4. Check Logs - Review OpenClaw logs for error messages
5. Restart - Try restarting OpenClaw and Clawra

If issues persist, check the GitHub Issues page or ask in the community.

Common selfie generation issues:

• Missing API Keys - Verify xAI Grok Imagine and fal.ai keys are configured
• Insufficient Credits - Check if your API accounts have available credits
• Reference Image - Ensure the reference image CDN is accessible
• API Limits - You may have hit rate limits on the API services

Check OpenClaw's logs for specific error messages from the selfie generation skill.

There are several ways to get help:

• GitHub Issues - Report bugs at github.com/SumeLabs/clawra/issues
• OpenClaw Documentation - Visit docs.openclaw.ai
• Community - Check out the OpenClaw and Clawra communities
• FAQ Pages - Browse our other FAQ sections

When reporting bugs, include: error messages, steps to reproduce, your system configuration, and relevant logs.