NanoClaw Customization

This skill helps users add capabilities or modify behavior. Use AskUserQuestion to understand what they want before making changes.

Workflow

1. Understand the request - Ask clarifying questions
2. Plan the changes - Identify files to modify. If a skill exists for the request (e.g.,

   /add-telegram

   for adding Telegram), invoke it instead of implementing manually.
3. Implement - Make changes directly to the code
4. Test guidance - Tell user how to verify

Key Files

src/index.ts

src/channels/whatsapp.ts

src/ipc.ts

src/router.ts

src/types.ts

src/config.ts

src/db.ts

src/whatsapp-auth.ts

groups/CLAUDE.md

Common Customization Patterns

Adding a New Input Channel (e.g., Telegram, Slack, Email)

Questions to ask:

• Which channel? (Telegram, Slack, Discord, email, SMS, etc.)
• Same trigger word or different?
• Same memory hierarchy or separate?
• Should messages from this channel go to existing groups or new ones?

Implementation pattern:

1. Create

   src/channels/{name}.ts

   implementing the

   Channel

   interface from

   src/types.ts

   (see

   src/channels/whatsapp.ts

   for reference)
2. Add the channel instance to

   main()

   in

   src/index.ts

   and wire callbacks (

   onMessage

   ,

   onChatMetadata

   )
3. Messages are stored via the

   onMessage

   callback; routing is automatic via

   ownsJid()

Adding a New MCP Integration

Questions to ask:

• What service? (Calendar, Notion, database, etc.)
• What operations needed? (read, write, both)
• Which groups should have access?

Implementation:

1. Add MCP server config to the container settings (see

   src/container-runner.ts

   for how MCP servers are mounted)
2. Document available tools in

   groups/CLAUDE.md

Changing Assistant Behavior

Questions to ask:

• What aspect? (name, trigger, persona, response style)
• Apply to all groups or specific ones?

Simple changes → edit

src/config.ts

groups/CLAUDE.md

CLAUDE.md

Adding New Commands

Questions to ask:

• What should the command do?
• Available in all groups or main only?
• Does it need new MCP tools?

Implementation:

1. Commands are handled by the agent naturally — add instructions to

   groups/CLAUDE.md

   or the group's

   CLAUDE.md

2. For trigger-level routing changes, modify

   processGroupMessages()

   in

   src/index.ts

Changing Deployment

Questions to ask:

• Target platform? (Linux server, Docker, different Mac)
• Service manager? (systemd, Docker, supervisord)

Implementation:

1. Create appropriate service files
2. Update paths in config
3. Provide setup instructions

After Changes

Always tell the user:

# Rebuild and restart
npm run build
# macOS:
launchctl unload ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.nanoclaw.plist
launchctl load ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.nanoclaw.plist
# Linux:
# systemctl --user restart nanoclaw

Example Interaction

User: "Add Telegram as an input channel"

1. Ask: "Should Telegram use the same @Andy trigger, or a different one?"
2. Ask: "Should Telegram messages create separate conversation contexts, or share with WhatsApp groups?"
3. Create

   src/channels/telegram.ts

   implementing the

   Channel

   interface (see

   src/channels/whatsapp.ts

   )
4. Add the channel to

   main()

   in

   src/index.ts

5. Tell user how to authenticate and test