WenHaoFreeClawdbot's Final Rename: OpenClaw Officially Released, Ending the Fastest Triple Rebrand in Open Source History
The Fastest Triple Rebrand in Open Source History
In the history of open-source software, few projects have undergone such a dramatic rebranding as this AI assistant. In less than a week, it went from Clawdbot to Moltbot, and finally decided on OpenClaw—dubbed by the Reddit community as the “fastest triple rebrand in open source history.”
On January 30, 2026, founder Peter Steinberger officially announced that the project was finally named OpenClaw, ending the naming saga that lasted for several weeks.
Complete Timeline
November 2025: Clawdbot is Born
The story began in November 2025, when PSPDFKit founder Peter Steinberger worked on a small project over a weekend called “WhatsApp Relay.” He named it Clawd—a pun on Anthropic’s AI model Claude, while incorporating the lobster’s “claw” element.
As Peter said:
“Clawd was born in November 2025—a playful pun on ‘Claude’ with a claw. It felt perfect until Anthropic’s legal team politely asked us to reconsider.”
Late January 2026: Explosive Growth
The project quickly went viral, creating amazing numbers:
- 100k+ GitHub Stars: Breaking milestones in two months
- 2 Million Visits: Single week visits reached an astonishing number
- Multi-platform Support: WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord, Slack, Microsoft Teams
January 27, 2026: Anthropic Issues Trademark Request
Just as the project was in full swing, Anthropic’s legal team contacted Peter, politely but clearly pointing out that “Clawdbot” and “Clawd” conflicted with their trademark “Claude” and requested a name change.
Peter responded quickly, renaming the project to Moltbot (meaning “molting”) within a few hours, symbolizing the lobster’s shedding and rebirth.
January 27-28, 2026: Old Account Squatted, Crypto Scam Erupts
However, things quickly got out of hand. Seconds after Peter released the @clawdbot Twitter account, it was squatted by cryptocurrency scammers. The scammers used the account to issue a fake coin $CLAWD, causing losses to unsuspecting users.
Peter had to urgently clarify:
“I NEVER launched a coin. I never will. That account was grabbed seconds after I renamed. It is a SCAM.”
January 30, 2026: OpenClaw Officially Named
After trademark searches and careful consideration, the project was finally named OpenClaw. This name perfectly balances multiple needs:
- Open: Represents the open-source spirit, community-driven
- Claw: Retains the lobster lineage, paying tribute to the project’s origin
- No Trademark Conflict: Completely avoids association with Claude
Peter announced on Twitter:
“The lobster has molted into its final form.” 🦞
Why Didn’t Moltbot Last?
Although the name Moltbot was meaningful (molting and rebirth), Peter admitted:
“It never quite rolled off the tongue.”
In addition, after advice from trademark lawyers and community voting, OpenClaw became a better choice—it is easier to pronounce, more intuitive, and fully owns its brand identity.
Security: Growing from Lessons
This rebranding was not just a name change. After the project experienced a series of security incidents, the team carried out a thorough security upgrade:
- 34 Security-related Code Commits
- Prompt Injection Protection Mechanism
- Machine-readable Security Model
- Clear Security Warnings and Best Practice Documentation
As analyzed by DEV Community:
“Self-hosted AI agents with shell and email access are inherently dangerous if treated casually.”
OpenClaw now treats security as a first-class citizen, not an afterthought.
Model Agnostic: Farewell to Single Dependency
Another important shift is the project’s complete decoupling from Anthropic. OpenClaw now supports multiple models:
- Claude (Anthropic)
- GPT-4 (OpenAI)
- DeepSeek
- KIMI
- Xiaomi MiMo
- Local LLM
This model-agnostic design not only avoids brand confusion but also gives users greater freedom.
Core Philosophy of OpenClaw
The project’s slogan sums it all up:
“Your assistant. Your machine. Your rules.”
- Truly Private: Runs on your device
- Multi-platform Integration: WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord, Slack, Teams, Google Chat, Twitch
- Fully Open Source: Transparent code, community-driven
- Tool Use Capability: Has memory, can use tools, access real systems
Community Reaction
Reddit’s r/LocalLLM community called this event the “fastest triple rebrand in open source history,” sparking heated discussions.
Comments on Hacker News focused more on the technical aspect:
“As someone who spends a definately too big portion of his free time researching thought process replication… this is actually impressive infrastructure.”
Federico Viticci of MacStories commented:
“OpenClaw showed me what the future of personal AI assistants looks like.”
Next Steps
The project is now stable under the name OpenClaw. The new version brings:
- Brand new Twitch and Google Chat integration
- Expanded model support
- Improved security infrastructure
- New maintainer team
As Peter said: “This project has grown far beyond what I could maintain alone.”
Conclusion
From a weekend project to an open-source star with 100k+ Stars, from trademark disputes to crypto scams, and then to three name changes—the story of OpenClaw is a microcosm of the challenges the open-source community faces in the AI era.
When open-source speed meets viral spread, and when an independent project unexpectedly becomes critical infrastructure, professional operational standards become indispensable.
OpenClaw survived. The lobster completed its final molt. 🦞
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This article is based on public news reports and is for information sharing only.