openclaw-cc: OpenClaw autonomous agent core reproduced with claude -p

[yukiharukonishi]

What I built

openclaw-cc reproduces OpenClaw's autonomous agent core using only claude -p (headless CLI). No Gateway server, no npm dependencies, just Node.js 22+ and Claude Code.

Why

OpenClaw is a multi-channel AI agent gateway that defines agent personality and memory in Markdown files (SOUL.md, USER.md, etc.). It's powerful but requires a Gateway server, Web UI, and channel authentication.

I wanted to prove that the core value — scheduled AI execution + Markdown workspace/memory + durable delivery + Telegram chat — can be achieved with claude -p alone.

Architecture

Cron Scheduler → Agent Runner (claude -p) → Delivery Queue → Telegram
                      ↑                          ↑
              Workspace Loader            Atomic write +
             (Markdown → XML)            retry + dead-letter
                      ↑
              Session Manager
             (daily/idle reset)

Key features

• Three-tier Agent Runner: CLI session / JSONL fallback / Stateless — auto-selects execution mode
• Markdown Workspace: SOUL.md, AGENTS.md, IDENTITY.md define agent personality, injected as XML into --system-prompt
• Session-type Profiles: main/cron/group control which files are loaded (group mode excludes personal data)
• Telegram Bidirectional: Long Polling + Stateless mode (--no-session-persistence) for stable chat
• Safety: --allowedTools + --max-budget-usd on every invocation
• Cost-aware Model Routing: haiku/sonnet/opus per job
• NO_REPLY Pattern: agent returns "NO_REPLY" → skip delivery (prevent notification fatigue)
• Personal Data Protection: USER.md, MEMORY.md are .gitignored; only templates tracked

Numbers

• 62 tests / 7 suites / 0 failures
• ~600 lines core logic
• Zero npm dependencies
• Tested live: Telegram group (all topics) + DM, Gateway-free

Try it

git clone https://github.com/yukiharukonishi/openclaw-cc.git
cd openclaw-cc
node --test test/*.test.js  # 62 tests, no npm install needed

Feedback welcome!