claw-code/README.md

Claw Code

ultraworkers/claw-code · Usage · Error Handling · Rust workspace · Parity · Roadmap · UltraWorkers Discord

Claw Code is the public Rust implementation of the claw CLI agent harness. The canonical implementation lives in rust/, and the current source of truth for this repository is ultraworkers/claw-code.

Important

Start with USAGE.md for build, auth, CLI, session, and parity-harness workflows. Make claw doctor your first health check after building, use rust/README.md for crate-level details, read PARITY.md for the current Rust-port checkpoint, and see docs/container.md for the container-first workflow.

ACP / Zed status: claw-code does not ship an ACP/Zed daemon entrypoint yet. Run claw acp (or claw --acp) for the current status instead of guessing from source layout; claw acp serve is currently a discoverability alias only, and real ACP support remains tracked separately in ROADMAP.md.

Current repository shape

• rust/ — canonical Rust workspace and the claw CLI binary
• USAGE.md — task-oriented usage guide for the current product surface
• ERROR_HANDLING.md — unified error-handling pattern for orchestration code
• PARITY.md — Rust-port parity status and migration notes
• ROADMAP.md — active roadmap and cleanup backlog
• PHILOSOPHY.md — project intent and system-design framing
• SCHEMAS.md — JSON protocol contract (Python harness reference)
• src/ + tests/ — companion Python/reference workspace and audit helpers; not the primary runtime surface

Quick start

Note

[!WARNING] cargo install claw-code installs the wrong thing. The claw-code crate on crates.io is a deprecated stub that places claw-code-deprecated.exe — not claw. Running it only prints "claw-code has been renamed to agent-code". Do not use cargo install claw-code. Either build from source (this repo) or install the upstream binary:

cargo install agent-code   # upstream binary — installs 'agent.exe' (Windows) / 'agent' (Unix), NOT 'agent-code'

This repo (ultraworkers/claw-code) is build-from-source only — follow the steps below.

# 1. Clone and build
git clone https://github.com/ultraworkers/claw-code
cd claw-code/rust
cargo build --workspace

# 2. Set your API key (Anthropic API key — not a Claude subscription)
export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="sk-ant-..."

# 3. Verify everything is wired correctly
./target/debug/claw doctor

# 4. Run a prompt
./target/debug/claw prompt "say hello"

Note

Windows (PowerShell): the binary is claw.exe, not claw. Use .\target\debug\claw.exe or run cargo run -- prompt "say hello" to skip the path lookup.

Windows setup

PowerShell is a supported Windows path. Use whichever shell works for you. The common onboarding issues on Windows are:

1. Install Rust first — download from https://rustup.rs/ and run the installer. Close and reopen your terminal when it finishes.
2. Verify Rust is on PATH:

   cargo --version
   

   If this fails, reopen your terminal or run the PATH setup from the Rust installer output, then retry.
3. Clone and build (works in PowerShell, Git Bash, or WSL):

   git clone https://github.com/ultraworkers/claw-code
   cd claw-code/rust
   cargo build --workspace
   

4. Run (PowerShell — note .exe and backslash):

   $env:ANTHROPIC_API_KEY = "sk-ant-..."
   .\target\debug\claw.exe prompt "say hello"
   

Git Bash / WSL are optional alternatives, not requirements. If you prefer bash-style paths (/c/Users/you/... instead of C:\Users\you\...), Git Bash (ships with Git for Windows) works well. In Git Bash, the MINGW64 prompt is expected and normal — not a broken install.

Post-build: locate the binary and verify

After running cargo build --workspace, the claw binary is built but not automatically installed to your system. Here's where to find it and how to verify the build succeeded.

Binary location

After cargo build --workspace in claw-code/rust/:

Debug build (default, faster compile):

• macOS/Linux: rust/target/debug/claw
• Windows: rust/target/debug/claw.exe

Release build (optimized, slower compile):

• macOS/Linux: rust/target/release/claw
• Windows: rust/target/release/claw.exe

If you ran cargo build without --release, the binary is in the debug/ folder.

Verify the build succeeded

Test the binary directly using its path:

# macOS/Linux (debug build)
./rust/target/debug/claw --help
./rust/target/debug/claw doctor

# Windows PowerShell (debug build)
.\rust\target\debug\claw.exe --help
.\rust\target\debug\claw.exe doctor

If these commands succeed, the build is working. claw doctor is your first health check — it validates your API key, model access, and tool configuration.

Optional: Add to PATH

If you want to run claw from any directory without the full path, choose one of these approaches:

Option 1: Symlink (macOS/Linux)

ln -s $(pwd)/rust/target/debug/claw /usr/local/bin/claw

Then reload your shell and test:

claw --help

Option 2: Use cargo install (all platforms)

Build and install to Cargo's default location (~/.cargo/bin/, which is usually on PATH):

# From the claw-code/rust/ directory
cargo install --path . --force

# Then from anywhere
claw --help

Option 3: Update shell profile (bash/zsh)

Add this line to ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc:

export PATH="$(pwd)/rust/target/debug:$PATH"

Reload your shell:

source ~/.bashrc  # or source ~/.zshrc
claw --help

Troubleshooting

• "command not found: claw" — The binary is in rust/target/debug/claw, but it's not on your PATH. Use the full path ./rust/target/debug/claw or symlink/install as above.
• "permission denied" — On macOS/Linux, you may need chmod +x rust/target/debug/claw if the executable bit isn't set (rare).
• Debug vs. release — If the build is slow, you're in debug mode (default). Add --release to cargo build for faster runtime, but the build itself will take 5–10 minutes.

Note

Auth: claw requires an API key (ANTHROPIC_API_KEY, OPENAI_API_KEY, etc.) — Claude subscription login is not a supported auth path.

Run the workspace test suite after verifying the binary works:

cd rust
cargo test --workspace

Documentation map

• USAGE.md — quick commands, auth, sessions, config, parity harness
• rust/README.md — crate map, CLI surface, features, workspace layout
• PARITY.md — parity status for the Rust port
• rust/MOCK_PARITY_HARNESS.md — deterministic mock-service harness details
• ROADMAP.md — active roadmap and open cleanup work
• PHILOSOPHY.md — why the project exists and how it is operated

Ecosystem

Claw Code is built in the open alongside the broader UltraWorkers toolchain:

• clawhip
• oh-my-openagent
• oh-my-claudecode
• oh-my-codex
• UltraWorkers Discord

Ownership / affiliation disclaimer

• This repository does not claim ownership of the original Claude Code source material.
• This repository is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or maintained by Anthropic.