Making AI Assistants Cheap Again

中文 | English

RT-Claw is an OpenClaw-inspired intelligent assistant for embedded devices. Multi-RTOS support via OSAL. Build swarm intelligence with networked nodes.

Deploy your own AI assistant on hardware that costs just one dollar — seamlessly integrated into your daily workflow, efficiently bridging the digital and physical worlds.

Architecture · ESP32-C3 QEMU Guide · Contributing · Coding Style

Core Idea

rt-claw brings intelligence from the cloud to the edge through low-cost embedded nodes and swarm networking. Each node can sense the world, collaborate with others, and execute control tasks in real time.

RT-Claw exposes atomized hardware capabilities — GPIO, sensors, LCD, networking — as tools that an LLM can dynamically orchestrate. Adapt to any scenario without writing, compiling, or flashing embedded code again.

Features

Feature	Description	Status
LLM Chat Engine	Interactive conversation with Claude API over HTTP	Done
Tool Use	LLM-driven hardware control (GPIO, system info, LCD) via function calling	Done
LCD Graphics	320x240 RGB565 framebuffer with text, shapes, and drawing primitives; AI agent can draw on screen via tool calls	Done
Chat-first Shell	UART REPL where direct input goes to AI, /commands for system; UTF-8 support	Done
OSAL	Write once, run on FreeRTOS and RT-Thread with zero code changes	Done
Gateway	Thread-safe message routing between services	Done
Networking	Ethernet + HTTP client on ESP32-C3 QEMU; WiFi on real hardware	Done
Multi-Model API	Support mainstream LLM APIs: Claude, GPT, Gemini, DeepSeek, GLM, MiniMax, Grok, Moonshot, Baichuan, Qwen, Doubao, Llama (Ollama)	Planned
Web Config Portal	Lightweight built-in web page for configuring API keys, selecting models, and tuning parameters at runtime	Planned
Swarm Intelligence	Node discovery, heartbeat, distributed task scheduling	In Progress
Conversation Memory	Short-term RAM ring buffer + long-term NVS Flash persistent storage	Done
Skill Memory	Nodes learn and recall frequently used operation patterns	In Progress
Scheduled Tasks	Timer-driven task execution and periodic automation	Done
IM Integrations	Connect to Feishu, DingTalk, QQ, and Telegram as message channels	In Progress
Claw Skill Provider	Serve as a skill for other Claws, giving them the ability to sense and control the physical world	Planned

Architecture

+---------------------------------------------------+
|                rt-claw Application                |
|  gateway | swarm | net | ai_engine | tools | lcd  |
+---------------------------------------------------+
|               claw_os.h  (OSAL API)               |
+-----------------+---------------------------------+
| FreeRTOS (IDF)  |          RT-Thread              |
+-----------------+---------------------------------+
| ESP32-C3        |  QEMU vexpress-a9               |
| WiFi / BLE      |  Ethernet / UART                |
+-----------------+---------------------------------+

Supported Platforms

Platform	RTOS	Build System	Status
ESP32-C3	ESP-IDF + FreeRTOS	CMake (idf.py)	Networking + AI working on QEMU
QEMU vexpress-a9	RT-Thread	SCons	Boot verified

Quick Start

ESP32-C3 (ESP-IDF + QEMU)

1. Install system dependencies

# Ubuntu / Debian
sudo apt install git wget flex bison gperf python3 python3-venv \
    cmake ninja-build ccache libffi-dev libssl-dev dfu-util \
    libusb-1.0-0 libgcrypt20-dev libglib2.0-dev libpixman-1-dev \
    libsdl2-dev libslirp-dev

# Arch Linux
sudo pacman -S --needed libgcrypt glib2 pixman sdl2 libslirp \
    python cmake ninja gcc git wget flex bison

2. Install ESP-IDF + QEMU

# One-line setup (clones ESP-IDF v5.4, installs toolchain + QEMU)
./tools/setup-esp-env.sh

3. Choose a configuration preset

Preset	File	Shell	Feishu	Description
Quick Demo	sdkconfig.defaults.demo	On	Off	Interactive terminal with full AI agent
Feishu Bot	sdkconfig.defaults.feishu	Off	On	Headless IM bot, saves RAM
Default	sdkconfig.defaults	Off	Off	Minimal base for custom builds

source $HOME/esp/esp-idf/export.sh
cd platform/esp32c3

# Pick one:
cp sdkconfig.defaults.demo sdkconfig.defaults    # Quick Demo
# cp sdkconfig.defaults.feishu sdkconfig.defaults # Feishu Bot

idf.py set-target esp32c3

All presets include: AI engine, Tool Use, swarm heartbeat, scheduler, LCD, skills, and boot-time AI connectivity test.

4. Configure API key

idf.py menuconfig
# Navigate: rt-claw Configuration → AI Engine
#   - LLM API Key:          <your-api-key>
#   - LLM API endpoint URL: https://api.anthropic.com/v1/messages
#   - LLM model name:       claude-sonnet-4-6

5. (Optional) Configure Feishu bot

idf.py menuconfig
# Navigate: rt-claw Configuration → Feishu (Lark) Integration
#   - Enable Feishu IM integration: [*]
#   - Feishu App ID:     <your-app-id>
#   - Feishu App Secret: <your-app-secret>

Create an app on Feishu Open Platform, enable Event Subscription → Long Connection mode, and subscribe to im.message.receive_v1. The device establishes a WebSocket long connection on boot — no public IP required.

6. Build and run

# Build (auto-detects target if sdkconfig exists)
./tools/esp32c3-build.sh

# Run on QEMU (generates flash image + launches emulator)
./tools/esp32c3-qemu-run.sh

# Or flash to real hardware
idf.py -p /dev/ttyUSB0 flash monitor

QEMU vexpress-a9 (RT-Thread)

# Prerequisites: arm-none-eabi-gcc, qemu-system-arm, scons
cd platform/qemu-a9-rtthread
scons -j$(nproc)
../../tools/qemu-run.sh

Project Structure

rt-claw/
├── osal/                        # OS Abstraction Layer
│   ├── include/claw_os.h       #   Unified RTOS API
│   ├── freertos/                #   FreeRTOS implementation
│   └── rtthread/                #   RT-Thread implementation
├── src/                         # Platform-independent core
│   ├── claw_init.*              #   Boot entry point
│   ├── claw_config.h            #   Project configuration
│   ├── core/gateway.*           #   Message routing
│   ├── services/ai/             #   LLM chat engine (Claude API)
│   ├── services/net/            #   Network service
│   ├── services/swarm/          #   Swarm intelligence
│   └── tools/                   #   Tool Use framework (GPIO, system, LCD)
├── platform/
│   ├── esp32c3/                 # ESP-IDF project (CMake)
│   └── qemu-a9-rtthread/       # RT-Thread BSP (SCons)
├── vendor/
│   ├── freertos/                # FreeRTOS-Kernel (submodule)
│   └── rt-thread/               # RT-Thread (submodule)
├── docs/
│   ├── en/                      # English documentation
│   └── zh/                      # Chinese documentation
├── scripts/                     # Code style & dev tools
└── tools/                       # Build, launch & dev scripts

Community

Join the GTOC (Gevico Open-Source Community) channels:

• QQ Group: Join
• Telegram: GTOC Channel
• Bilibili: Zevorn
• WeChat: GTOC

Documentation

• Coding Style
• Contributing
• Architecture
• ESP32-C3 QEMU Guide

License

MIT