The AI world moves fast, but few projects have matched the whirlwind rise — and rapid controversy — of OpenClaw. Debuting in late 2025 and surviving a string of renames and trademark drama, this agentic AI assistant spread across developer circles almost overnight. 

OpenClaw is an open-source, autonomous personal assistant that can be run locally. It can execute tasks, connect to external services, and keep persistent memory of what it’s doing for you. But when a tool can read data, trigger actions, and use third-party credentials, you need to think about security from the start. It's a shiny new toy that deserves a closer look. From every angle.