OpenClaw Emerges as Final Identity for Viral Open-Source AI Agent After Rapid Rebranding Cycle

The team behind the fastest-growing open-source AI agent in history announced its permanent identity as OpenClaw, marking the conclusion of a rapid rebranding cycle driven by trademark compliance, community feedback, and commitment to long-term stability. Effective immediately, the project's official web presence has migrated to openclaw.my, replacing the previous domain as the project transitions from its transitional Moltbot phase to its final form. This move represents more than just a name change—it signifies the project's evolution from reactive trademark adjustments to proactive strategic positioning within the open-source ecosystem.

The path to OpenClaw involved three distinct identities over 72 hours, beginning with the original Clawd name that launched in late 2025. Following a trademark concern from Anthropic regarding similarities to their Claude product, the team pivoted to Moltbot on January 27, 2026, during a community brainstorm on Discord. However, this transitional name proved problematic, creating what the team described as a "Wild West" of domain squatting and fraudulent cryptocurrency tokens attempting to capitalize on the confusion. The final OpenClaw identity emerged from rigorous trademark searches and infrastructure security measures, combining "Open" to reflect the project's open-source mission with "Claw" to honor its viral heritage while creating a legally sound identity.

Peter Steinberger, founder of OpenClaw, addressed the community regarding the rapid changes, stating, "I will be the first to admit: changing a brand name three times in three days is not standard operating procedure. I apologize for the whiplash this has caused our contributors and users." He explained the philosophical shift behind the final name, noting that "in open source, we fix bugs fast—whether they are in the code or in the brand. We realized 'Moltbot' was a patch, not a platform. OpenClaw is the platform." The team emphasized that the molting metaphor was intentional—Moltbot represented the vulnerable transitional phase, while OpenClaw represents the final, hardened form that emerges stronger from that process.

The project's technical vision remains focused on democratizing local AI automation, allowing developers to run powerful, self-improving agents on consumer hardware without relying on gated cloud APIs. This vision originally propelled Clawdbot to viral status in late 2025, when it sparked a surge in Mac Mini purchases as enthusiasts built dedicated "home labs" for their autonomous AI agents. By maintaining the "Claw" element in its new name, OpenClaw honors this explosive heritage while explicitly signaling a future built on open standards and transparency. The project's code repository remains accessible at github.com/openclaw, where the global developer community continues to contribute to the local-first AI automation tool.

Beyond the name change, the rebranding to OpenClaw addresses two critical concerns that emerged during the Moltbot phase: community preference for enterprise-grade naming and global trademark compliance. Developer feedback indicated a desire for a name that sounded less like a biological process and more like infrastructure, while legal vetting ensures the project can scale without future friction with major industry players. This dual focus on community consensus and legal security positions OpenClaw for sustainable growth, particularly important for a tool that gained popularity for enabling corporate developers to run sophisticated AI agents locally while maintaining data privacy and control. With the identity crisis resolved, the project can now refocus entirely on its technical roadmap rather than branding considerations.