u-claw

What U-Claw is and how it boots

U-Claw, also written as Xia Pan, is a tutorial plus the complete source code for turning OpenClaw, an open source AI assistant framework, into a USB drive. The README explains that the repository itself is the file skeleton of the drive. You run setup.sh once to download the large dependencies, then copy the entire portable folder onto a USB stick. After that, plugging the drive into a computer and double clicking the start script launches the assistant. The project is explicit that this is not a USB creation tool. The repository is the layout you copy, and setup.sh only fills in the big pieces such as Node.js and OpenClaw. The folder structure is documented in the README with a tree that shows the Mac and Windows launchers, a menu script, an install script, a Config.html page for first time setup, a setup.sh for developers, an app directory that holds the core and runtime builds, and a data directory that holds your configuration, memory, and backups. The data directory is where the model key and local settings live, so removing the drive removes your user data from the host machine. The README stresses that the tool is local first: it does not bind to a device, it does not fingerprint you, and it does not upload your local configuration.

Building the portable drive and the one line install

The README gives two clear paths to get U-Claw running. The first is the portable USB build. You clone the repository, change into the portable directory, and run bash setup.sh, which downloads Node.js and OpenClaw from China mirrors in about a minute, then you copy the portable folder to your USB drive. On Mac the start file is Mac-Start.command and on Windows it is Windows-Start.bat. The second path is a one line install that does not need a USB stick at all. On Mac or Linux you run curl and pipe the install script from u-claw.org into bash, and on Windows you run the install script from PowerShell as an administrator. That flow downloads Node.js, installs OpenClaw, configures ten Chinese optimized skills, and generates a start script. The README notes the download scripts use China mirrors so the install works without special network access. There is also a Linux bootable edition built on Ventoy and Ubuntu 24.04 LTS with persistent storage, produced by a four step PowerShell script on Windows, and a separate standalone repository called u-claw-linux that holds the same content for easier cloning. The Electron desktop build was deprecated and archived on 2026-06-19, so the portable USB build is now the main supported form.

Models, chat platforms, and supported systems

U-Claw is built around model choice. The README lists domestic models such as DeepSeek, Kimi K2.5, Qwen, Zhipu GLM, MiniMax, and Doubao that work without special network access, and it lists international models such as Claude, GPT, and Gemini that need either a relay or direct access. The first launch opens a config page where you pick a model and enter your own API key, and the file data/.openclaw/openclaw.json stores that configuration locally so nothing is left on the host when you unplug. The supported chat platforms table shows QQ and Feishu pre wired or built in, with Telegram, WhatsApp, Discord, and a community WeChat plugin also available. The README also documents the mirror setup: npm packages come from registry.npmmirror.com, Node.js from the npmmirror node mirror, and Electron from the npmmirror electron mirror. Platform support covers Mac Apple Silicon and Mac Intel as portable builds, Windows x64 as a portable build still in progress, and Linux x64 as a bootable USB through the bootable folder. The FAQ covers practical questions such as USB size, which the README puts at 4 GB or more for a roughly 2.3 GB install, and the license, which is MIT so the drive can be copied and shared freely.

Editorial conclusion

U-Claw is an MIT licensed portable workspace for the OpenClaw assistant that you build by running setup.sh in the portable folder and copying it to a USB drive, or install in one line with the curl or irm scripts from u-claw.org.