What is ClawMates and what does it do?

ClawMates is a managed hosting platform that deploys AI assistants to Telegram and WhatsApp in under 5 minutes. It wraps the open-source OpenClaw framework so you get a personal AI chatbot powered by GPT-4, Claude, or Gemini — without any coding, servers, or Docker setup.

OpenClaw is an open-source AI assistant framework that connects large language models like GPT-4, Claude, and Gemini to messaging platforms such as Telegram, WhatsApp, and Discord. ClawMates provides managed hosting for OpenClaw so you don't need to self-host.

How much does ClawMates cost?

ClawMates starts with a free 7-day trial. After the trial, plans start at $29.99 per month, which includes all AI API costs — no separate OpenAI or Anthropic bill required.

How long does it take to set up ClawMates?

Setup takes under 5 minutes. You choose an AI model, connect your messaging app (paste a Telegram bot token or scan a WhatsApp QR code), set your assistant's name and personality, and click deploy.

Which AI models does ClawMates support?

ClawMates supports three leading AI models: Claude by Anthropic, GPT-4 by OpenAI, and Gemini by Google. You can also bring your own API key if you prefer to use your own account with any of these providers.

How do I set up a Telegram bot with ClawMates?

Open Telegram, search for @BotFather, send /newbot, and follow the prompts to get a bot token. Then go to clawmates.net/setup, enable Telegram, paste your bot token, choose an AI model, and click deploy. Your bot will be live in under 5 minutes.

How do I set up WhatsApp with ClawMates?

ClawMates supports WhatsApp via two modes: self-chat mode (talk to AI in your own chat) and full bot mode. During setup, enable WhatsApp and scan a QR code — similar to linking WhatsApp Web. No business account or Meta approval needed.

Is there a free trial for ClawMates?

Yes, ClawMates offers a 7-day free trial with full access to all features. No credit card is required to start. You can cancel anytime during the trial without being charged.

Can I cancel my ClawMates subscription anytime?

Yes, you can cancel your ClawMates subscription at any time with no cancellation fees. Your bot will continue running until the end of your current billing period.

Is my data private and secure with ClawMates?

Yes. ClawMates never stores or reads your conversations. Messages go directly between you and the AI provider. Each bot runs in its own isolated container, and all connections are encrypted with TLS.

What happens if I self-host OpenClaw instead of using ClawMates?

Self-hosting OpenClaw requires a Linux server, Docker, SSL certificates, and ongoing maintenance. You'll need to handle updates, uptime monitoring, and troubleshooting yourself. ClawMates handles all of this automatically for $29.99/month.

What is the difference between ClawMates and ChatGPT?

ChatGPT runs on OpenAI's website or app. ClawMates deploys an AI assistant directly into your existing messaging apps like Telegram and WhatsApp. ClawMates also supports multiple AI models (Claude, GPT-4, Gemini), lets you customize the personality, and includes daily briefings and proactive features.

Can I use ClawMates on multiple platforms at the same time?

Yes. You can connect both Telegram and WhatsApp to the same ClawMates bot simultaneously. Your assistant will be available on all connected platforms with the same personality and capabilities.

Does ClawMates work 24/7?

Yes, your ClawMates assistant runs 24/7 on managed cloud infrastructure. If a container crashes, it automatically restarts. There is no downtime for updates or maintenance.

How do I customize my ClawMates assistant's personality?

During setup, you can write a system prompt that defines your assistant's personality, tone, areas of expertise, and behavior. For example, you can make it formal or casual, tell it to focus on specific topics, or give it a custom name and avatar.

How to Set Up Claude on WhatsApp (Step-by-Step Guide)

What You're Building

By the end of this guide, you will have Claude — Anthropic's AI model, known for its nuanced reasoning and natural conversational tone — running as a personal assistant directly in your WhatsApp. You will be able to message it like a contact, get intelligent responses in seconds, and use it for writing, research, translation, analysis, and more.

What you need:

A WhatsApp account (personal, not business required)
5 minutes
No technical skills required

Why Claude for WhatsApp?

Claude (particularly Claude Sonnet) is widely considered the best AI model for conversational use:

Most natural tone: Claude's responses feel like they come from a thoughtful human, not a robotic chatbot. It uses varied sentence structure, appropriate hedging, and natural transitions.
Honest about uncertainty: Claude will tell you when it does not know something rather than making up a plausible-sounding answer. This matters for research and factual queries.
Excellent at writing: Emails, reports, articles, messages — Claude produces polished, well-structured writing with minimal editing needed.
Strong long-context handling: Claude maintains coherence over long conversations better than most models, making it ideal for extended research sessions or complex projects.
Safety-conscious: Claude is designed to be helpful without being harmful. It handles sensitive topics thoughtfully.

Running Claude on WhatsApp specifically means you get all of this directly in the app you likely already have open on your phone throughout the day.

Step 1: Create Your ClawMates Account (1 minute)

Go to clawmates.net/setup and create a free account. No credit card required to start your 7-day trial.

During account creation, you will be asked to:

Provide an email address
Set a password
Confirm your email via a verification link

This takes about 60 seconds.

Step 2: Configure Your Bot Settings (30 seconds)

After creating your account, you will land on the bot setup screen. Here is what to configure:

Bot Name: Give your assistant a name. This appears in your WhatsApp as the contact name. Many users choose something personal like "My Assistant" or "Aria."

AI Model: Select Claude Sonnet from the dropdown. This is Anthropic's flagship model — the most capable and conversational version available. If you are on the Starter plan, Gemini Flash is the default; you need Pro or Power to use Claude. If cost matters and you still want excellent quality, Claude Haiku (if available) is a faster, cheaper Claude option.

System Prompt (Optional but recommended): This is your AI's personality and context. A simple, effective prompt:

"You are a helpful, honest personal assistant named [Name]. You are knowledgeable, thoughtful, and concise. You help with writing, research, translation, and analysis. When you don't know something, you say so clearly."

Personalizing this further makes a significant difference. Add your preferences:

"I prefer concise answers — keep responses under 3 paragraphs unless I ask for more detail."
"I am a software engineer. When I ask technical questions, assume I have programming knowledge."
"I am learning Spanish. Occasionally teach me a Spanish word or phrase related to our conversation."

Platform: Select WhatsApp. This will prompt you to complete the pairing in the next step.

Step 3: Pair with WhatsApp (90 seconds)

ClawMates uses WhatsApp's Web pairing protocol — the same mechanism as WhatsApp Web on your laptop. Here is how to do it:

On your phone: Open WhatsApp
Tap the three dots (Android) or Settings (iOS) in the top right
Tap "Linked Devices"
Tap "Link a Device"
Scan the QR code displayed in your ClawMates setup screen

That is it. ClawMates is now connected to your WhatsApp. This does not change your existing WhatsApp — your contacts, messages, and groups are unaffected.

Step 4: Deploy (30 seconds)

Click the Deploy button. ClawMates spins up a cloud container, configures OpenClaw (the underlying AI assistant framework), connects to WhatsApp, and routes messages through Claude. This takes about 30 seconds.

You will see a "Deployed" confirmation message when it is ready.

Step 5: Send Your First Message

Open WhatsApp and look for your assistant (it appears as a linked device connection). Send it a message — try something like:

"Hello! What can you help me with?"
"Explain quantum entanglement in simple terms."
"Help me write a professional email declining a meeting invitation."
"Translate this to French: [your text]"

Claude will respond within 2-5 seconds.

Getting the Most Out of Claude on WhatsApp

For writing assistance: Paste the text you want improved directly into WhatsApp. Say "Improve this email for professional tone:" and paste your draft. Claude will rewrite it clearly and concisely.

For research: Ask complex questions and follow up. Claude handles multi-turn research conversations well — ask a question, get an answer, ask a follow-up, dig deeper. The conversation context is maintained throughout.

For summarization: Forward long articles, pastes of text, or lengthy messages to your Claude assistant with "Summarize this:" at the start. Claude condenses the key points quickly.

For translation: Simply write "Translate to [language]:" followed by your text. Claude handles 90+ languages with strong understanding of idioms and context.

For teaching your preferences: Tell Claude things you want it to remember: "I prefer bullet point summaries over paragraphs" or "Always give me pros and cons when I ask for recommendations." While Claude does not persist memory across sessions by default, within a conversation it will apply your preferences consistently.

What Claude on WhatsApp Cannot Do

To set appropriate expectations:

No web browsing: Claude cannot look up real-time information (current news, live prices, recent events). Its knowledge has a training cutoff date.
No image generation: Claude processes text, not images. It cannot create images.
No outbound actions: Claude cannot send messages to your contacts, post on social media, or interact with other apps.
No account access: Claude cannot access your WhatsApp contacts, conversations, or any other apps on your phone.

If you need real-time web information, consider using Gemini (which has better Google integration) or combining Claude with a search skill.

Troubleshooting

Bot not responding: Check that your WhatsApp is not in airplane mode and has an active internet connection. The linked device connection requires periodic re-authentication — if it has been more than a few weeks, you may need to re-scan the QR code.

QR code expired: QR codes expire after about 60 seconds. If yours expired before you scanned it, refresh the ClawMates setup page to generate a new one.

Response quality feels off: Adjust your system prompt. Adding more specific context about who you are, what you do, and how you want responses formatted dramatically improves quality.

Pricing

Setting up Claude on WhatsApp through ClawMates requires the Pro plan ($29.99/month) which includes:

Claude Sonnet access (the model used in this guide)
3 million tokens/month (~10,000-15,000 messages)
WhatsApp + Telegram simultaneously
Long-term memory
Priority support

All plans include a free 7-day trial. If you try Claude and find Gemini Flash meets your needs at a lower price, you can downgrade to the Starter plan ($9.99/month). See full pricing details at clawmates.net/pricing.

Summary

Getting Claude running on WhatsApp takes 5 minutes and no technical skills:

Create a free ClawMates account at clawmates.net/setup
Select Claude Sonnet as your AI model
Enable WhatsApp and scan the QR code
Click Deploy
Message your new Claude assistant in WhatsApp

For a comparison of Claude vs other models on WhatsApp, read our best WhatsApp AI chatbots guide. If you want to add Telegram too (recommended), see our Telegram bot 5-minute setup guide.