> [!IMPORTANT]
> **Claw Code is not the serious production project here.**
> This repository is closer to a museum exhibit than a product pitch, a crustacean-run artifact kept alive by clawed gajaes, swept and labeled by agents, and automatically maintained according to the harnesses above.
>
> As already described in the project philosophy, this is not meant to be hand-operated like a normal product repo. It is an **agent-managed exhibit**: the harnesses plan, execute, verify, label, and preserve the artifact while the crabs keep the tank running.
>
> If you want to actually run work, start with **** or ****. If you want to inspect the strange little fossil of the Claw Code moment, continue below.
>
> For the longer public explanation behind this philosophy, see here.
Claw Code is the public Rust implementation of the `claw` CLI agent harness.
The canonical implementation lives in `rust/`, and the current source of truth for this repository is **ultraworkers/claw-code**.
> [!IMPORTANT]
> Start with `USAGE.md` for build, auth, CLI, session, and parity-harness workflows. For file submission/navigation questions, see Navigation and file context. For local OpenAI-compatible models and offline skill installs, see Local OpenAI-compatible providers and skills setup. Windows users can jump to the PowerShell-first Windows install and release quickstart. Make `claw doctor` your first health check after building, use `rust/README.md` for crate-level details, read `PARITY.md` for the current Rust-port checkpoint, and see `docs/container.md` for the container-first workflow.
>
> **ACP / Zed status:** `claw-code` does not ship an ACP/Zed daemon or JSON-RPC entrypoint yet. Run `claw acp` (or `claw --acp`) for the current status instead of guessing from source layout; `claw acp serve` is currently a discoverability alias only, returns status with exit code 0, and real ACP support remains tracked separately in `ROADMAP.md`. For the public JSON contract, see `docs/g011-acp-json-rpc-status-contract.md`.
Current repository shape
- **`rust/`** — canonical Rust workspace and the `claw` CLI binary
- **`USAGE.md`** — task-oriented usage guide for the current product surface
- **`PARITY.md`** — Rust-port parity status and migration notes
- **`ROADMAP.md`** — active roadmap and cleanup backlog
- **`PHILOSOPHY.md`** — project intent and system-design framing
- **`src/` + `tests/`** — companion Python/reference workspace and audit helpers; not the primary runtime surface
1. Clone and build
git clone
cd claw-code/rust
cargo build --workspace
2. Set your API key (Anthropic API key — not a Claude subscription)
export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="sk-ant-..."
3. Verify everything is wired correctly
./target/debug/claw doctor
4. Run a prompt
./target/debug/claw prompt "say hello"
macOS/Linux (debug build)
./rust/target/debug/claw --help
./rust/target/debug/claw doctor
Windows PowerShell (debug build)
.\rust\target\debug\claw.exe --help
.\rust\target\debug\claw.exe doctor
```
PowerShell smoke commands that do not require live credentials:
```powershell
$env:CLAW_CONFIG_HOME = Join-Path $env:TEMP "claw config home"
New-Item -ItemType Directory -Force -Path $env:CLAW_CONFIG_HOME | Out-Null
Remove-Item Env:\ANTHROPIC_API_KEY, Env:\ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN, Env:\OPENAI_API_KEY -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
.\rust\target\debug\claw.exe help
.\rust\target\debug\claw.exe status
.\rust\target\debug\claw.exe config env
.\rust\target\debug\claw.exe doctor
```
If these commands succeed, the build is working. `claw doctor` is your first health check — it validates your API key, model access, and tool configuration.
Optional: Add to PATH
If you want to run `claw` from any directory without the full path, choose one of these approaches:
**Option 1: Symlink (macOS/Linux)**
```bash
ln -s $(pwd)/rust/target/debug/claw /usr/local/bin/claw
```
Then reload your shell and test:
```bash
claw --help
```
**Option 2: Use `cargo install` (all platforms)**
Build and install to Cargo's default location (`~/.cargo/bin/`, which is usually on PATH):
```bash
From the claw-code/rust/ directory
cargo install --path . --force
Then from anywhere
claw --help
```
**Option 3: Update shell profile (bash/zsh)**
Add this line to `~/.bashrc` or `~/.zshrc`:
```bash
export PATH="$(pwd)/rust/target/debug:$PATH"
```
Reload your shell:
```bash
source ~/.bashrc # or source ~/.zshrc
claw --help
```
Troubleshooting
- **"command not found: claw"** — The binary is in `rust/target/debug/claw`, but it's not on your PATH. Use the full path `./rust/target/debug/claw` or symlink/install as above.
- **"permission denied"** — On macOS/Linux, you may need `chmod +x rust/target/debug/claw` if the executable bit isn't set (rare).
- **Debug vs. release** — If the build is slow, you're in debug mode (default). Add `--release` to `cargo build` for faster runtime, but the build itself will take 5–10 minutes.
> [!NOTE]
> **Auth:** claw requires an **API key** (`ANTHROPIC_API_KEY`, `OPENAI_API_KEY`, etc.) — Claude subscription login is not a supported auth path.
Run the workspace test suite after verifying the binary works:
```bash
cd rust
cargo test --workspace
```
Claw Code is built in the open alongside the broader UltraWorkers toolchain:
-
-
-
-
-
- UltraWorkers Discord
Ownership / affiliation disclaimer
- This repository does **not** claim ownership of the original Claude Code source material.
- This repository is **not affiliated with, endorsed by, or maintained by Anthropic**.