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.
- 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
You send a message on Telegram. The ESP32-S3 picks it up over WiFi, feeds it into an agent loop — Claude thinks, calls tools, reads memory — and sends the reply back. Everything runs on a single $5 chip with all your data stored locally on flash.
- 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 on Telegram to create one
- An Anthropic API key — from console.anthropic.com
# 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
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.
cp main/mimi_secrets.h.example main/mimi_secrets.h
Edit main/mimi_secrets.h:
#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_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:
# 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
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 Anthropic API key mimi> set_model claude-sonnet-4-5 # 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> restart # reboot
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 |
2026-02-05.md | Daily notes — what happened today |
tg_12345.jsonl | Chat history — your conversation with the bot |
MimiClaw uses Anthropic's tool use protocol — Claude 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 |
To enable web search, set a Brave Search API key via MIMI_SECRET_SEARCH_KEY in mimi_secrets.h.
- 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
- Tool use — ReAct agent loop with Anthropic tool use protocol
Technical details live in the docs/ folder:
- docs/ARCHITECTURE.md — system design, module map, task layout, memory budget, protocols, flash partitions
- docs/TODO.md — feature gap tracker and roadmap
MIT
Inspired by OpenClaw and Nanobot. MimiClaw reimplements the core AI agent architecture for embedded hardware — no Linux, no server, just a $5 chip.
