Clawdbot vs MoltBot: What Happened?

If you searched for Clawdbot and landed here, you are not alone.

Clawdbot did not shut down.
It was officially renamed to MoltBot.

This article explains:

Why the Clawdbot name disappeared
Whether MoltBot is the same project
What existing Clawdbot users should do next

If you just want a working setup, skip ahead to the migration section.

Short Answer

Clawdbot = MoltBot
Same codebase
Same maintainers
Same functionality

Only the name changed.

Why Was Clawdbot Renamed?

The rename from Clawdbot to MoltBot was a preventive and strategic decision, not a technical one.

1. Trademark and Naming Confusion

The name Clawdbot was increasingly associated with:

Anthropic's Claude models
Third-party Claude wrappers
Unofficial tools using similar branding

This created potential legal and ecosystem confusion.

To avoid future issues, the project maintainers chose to rebrand early.

2. A Name That Reflects the Agent Philosophy

The new name MoltBot comes from the concept of molting:

Shedding old behavior
Adapting to new environments
Evolving with new tools and tasks

This aligns better with MoltBot's design as a modular, evolving AI agent.

Is MoltBot a Different Project?

No.

MoltBot is a direct continuation of Clawdbot.

There was no fork, no rewrite, and no reset.

What stayed the same:

Core architecture
Configuration format
CLI commands
API provider support

What changed:

Repository name
Branding and documentation references

Migration Guide for Existing Clawdbot Users

If you already have Clawdbot installed, migration is straightforward.

In most cases, it takes less than 2 minutes.

Step 1: Stop the Running Process

If MoltBot (formerly Clawdbot) is currently running:

# If running in the foreground
Press Ctrl + C

If you are using a process manager or service, stop it first.

Step 2: Pull the Latest Code

Navigate to your existing project directory:

cd your-clawdbot-directory
git pull origin main

This updates the repository to the latest MoltBot version.

Step 3: Reinstall Dependencies

After pulling the update, refresh dependencies:

npm install

This ensures package references align with the new project name.

Step 4: Restart the Agent

Start the agent again:

npm run start

If the server starts without errors, the migration is complete. 🎉

Configuration Compatibility

Good news: no configuration changes are required.

Your existing .env file remains fully compatible.

This includes:

OpenAI API keys
Anthropic API keys
Model selection
Tool configuration

⚠️ Do not delete or recreate your .env file unless you are troubleshooting.

Do Old Clawdbot Tutorials Still Work?

Mostly, yes.

Because the internal logic did not change, most tutorials remain valid.

However, keep in mind:

Repository URLs may differ
The name "Clawdbot" may be outdated in examples
Documentation links may redirect

When in doubt, follow MoltBot-specific documentation.

Should I Do a Fresh Install Instead?

If your setup is working, migration is enough.

You may consider a fresh install if:

Your environment is broken
You are upgrading Node.js
You want a clean starting point

In that case, follow this guide: Quick Install

Summary

Clawdbot did not disappear.

It evolved into MoltBot, with the same foundation and a clearer future path.

Existing users can migrate safely in minutes, without reconfiguration or data loss.

If you are new, start with the quick install guide and skip Clawdbot entirely.

Next Recommended Read

MoltBot 101: Quick Install Guide