SKILL.md

PicoClaw AI Assistant

Skill by ara.so — Daily 2026 Skills collection.

PicoClaw is an ultra-lightweight personal AI assistant written in Go. It runs on $10 hardware with under 10MB RAM and boots in under 1 second. It supports multiple LLM providers (OpenAI-compatible, Anthropic, Volcengine), optional web search tools, and deploys as a single self-contained binary on x86_64, ARM64, MIPS, and RISC-V Linux devices.

Installation

Precompiled Binary

Download from the releases page:

# Linux ARM64 (Raspberry Pi, LicheeRV-Nano, etc.)

wget https://github.com/sipeed/picoclaw/releases/download/v0.1.1/picoclaw-linux-arm64

chmod +x picoclaw-linux-arm64

./picoclaw-linux-arm64 onboard

Build from Source

git clone https://github.com/sipeed/picoclaw.git

cd picoclaw

# Install dependencies

make deps

# Build for current platform

make build

# Build for all platforms

make build-all

# Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W — 32-bit

make build-linux-arm      # → build/picoclaw-linux-arm

# Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W — 64-bit

make build-linux-arm64    # → build/picoclaw-linux-arm64

# Build both Pi Zero variants

make build-pi-zero

# Build and install to system PATH

make install

Docker Compose

git clone https://github.com/sipeed/picoclaw.git

cd picoclaw

# First run — generates docker/data/config.json then exits

docker compose -f docker/docker-compose.yml --profile gateway up

# Edit config

vim docker/data/config.json

# Start in background

docker compose -f docker/docker-compose.yml --profile gateway up -d

# View logs

docker compose -f docker/docker-compose.yml logs -f picoclaw-gateway

# Stop

docker compose -f docker/docker-compose.yml --profile gateway down

#### Docker: Web Console (Launcher Mode)

docker compose -f docker/docker-compose.yml --profile launcher up -d

# Open http://localhost:18800

#### Docker: One-shot Agent Mode

# Single question

docker compose -f docker/docker-compose.yml run --rm picoclaw-agent -m "What is 2+2?"

# Interactive session

docker compose -f docker/docker-compose.yml run --rm picoclaw-agent

#### Docker: Expose Gateway to Host

If the gateway needs to be reachable from the host, set:

PICOCLAW_GATEWAY_HOST=0.0.0.0 docker compose -f docker/docker-compose.yml --profile gateway up -d

Or set PICOCLAW_GATEWAY_HOST=0.0.0.0 in docker/data/config.json.

Termux (Android)

pkg install wget proot

wget https://github.com/sipeed/picoclaw/releases/download/v0.1.1/picoclaw-linux-arm64

chmod +x picoclaw-linux-arm64

termux-chroot ./picoclaw-linux-arm64 onboard

Quick Start

1. Initialize

picoclaw onboard

This creates ~/.picoclaw/config.json with a starter configuration.

2. Configure ~/.picoclaw/config.json

{

  "agents": {

    "defaults": {

      "workspace": "~/.picoclaw/workspace",

      "model_name": "gpt-4o",

      "max_tokens": 8192,

      "temperature": 0.7,

      "max_tool_iterations": 20

    }

  },

  "model_list": [

    {

      "model_name": "gpt-4o",

      "model": "openai/gpt-4o",

      "api_key": "$OPENAI_API_KEY",

      "request_timeout": 300

    },

    {

      "model_name": "claude-sonnet",

      "model": "anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-5",

      "api_key": "$ANTHROPIC_API_KEY"

    },

    {

      "model_name": "ark-code",

      "model": "volcengine/ark-code-latest",

      "api_key": "$VOLCENGINE_API_KEY",

      "api_base": "https://ark.cn-beijing.volces.com/api/coding/v3"

    }

  ],

  "tools": {

    "web": {

      "brave": {

        "enabled": false,

        "api_key": "$BRAVE_API_KEY"

      },

      "tavily": {

        "enabled": false,

        "api_key": "$TAVILY_API_KEY"

      }

    }

  }

}

Never hard-code API keys. Reference environment variables using $VAR_NAME notation in config, or set them in your shell environment before launch.

3. Run

# Interactive chat

picoclaw

# Single message

picoclaw -m "Summarize the latest Go release notes"

# Use a specific model

picoclaw -model claude-sonnet -m "Refactor this function for clarity"

Key CLI Commands

Command

Description

picoclaw onboard

Initialize config and workspace

picoclaw

Start interactive chat session

picoclaw -m "..."

Send a single message and exit

picoclaw -model <name>

Override the default model

picoclaw -config <path>

Use a custom config file

Configuration Reference

Model Entry Fields

{

  "model_name": "my-model",        // Alias used in -model flag and agent defaults

  "model": "provider/model-id",    // Provider-prefixed model identifier

  "api_key": "$ENV_VAR",           // API key — use env var reference

  "api_base": "https://...",       // Optional: override base URL (for self-hosted or regional endpoints)

  "request_timeout": 300           // Optional: seconds before timeout

}

Supported Provider Prefixes

Prefix

Provider

openai/

OpenAI and OpenAI-compatible APIs

anthropic/

Anthropic Claude

volcengine/

Volcengine (Ark)

Agent Defaults

"agents": {

  "defaults": {

    "workspace": "~/.picoclaw/workspace",  // Working directory for file operations

    "model_name": "gpt-4o",                // Default model alias

    "max_tokens": 8192,                    // Max response tokens

    "temperature": 0.7,                    // Sampling temperature

    "max_tool_iterations": 20              // Max agentic tool-call loop iterations

  }

}

Web Search Tools

Get free API keys:

Tavily: https://tavily.com — 1,000 free queries/month

Brave Search: https://brave.com/search/api — 2,000 free queries/month

"tools": {

  "web": {

    "tavily": {

      "enabled": true,

      "api_key": "$TAVILY_API_KEY"

    },

    "brave": {

      "enabled": false,

      "api_key": "$BRAVE_API_KEY"

    }

  }

}

Only enable one search provider at a time unless you want fallback behavior.

Common Patterns

Pattern: Minimal $10 Device Setup

For a LicheeRV-Nano or similar ultra-low-resource board:

# Download the RISC-V or ARM binary from releases

wget https://github.com/sipeed/picoclaw/releases/download/v0.1.1/picoclaw-linux-riscv64

chmod +x picoclaw-linux-riscv64

# Initialize

./picoclaw-linux-riscv64 onboard

# Edit config — use a lightweight model, low max_tokens

cat > ~/.picoclaw/config.json << 'EOF'

{

  "agents": {

    "defaults": {

      "workspace": "~/.picoclaw/workspace",

      "model_name": "gpt-4o-mini",

      "max_tokens": 2048,

      "temperature": 0.5,

      "max_tool_iterations": 10

    }

  },

  "model_list": [

    {

      "model_name": "gpt-4o-mini",

      "model": "openai/gpt-4o-mini",

      "api_key": "$OPENAI_API_KEY",

      "request_timeout": 120

    }

  ]

}

EOF

./picoclaw-linux-riscv64

Pattern: Full-Stack Dev Assistant with Web Search

{

  "agents": {

    "defaults": {

      "workspace": "~/projects",

      "model_name": "claude-sonnet",

      "max_tokens": 8192,

      "temperature": 0.3,

      "max_tool_iterations": 30

    }

  },

  "model_list": [

    {

      "model_name": "claude-sonnet",

      "model": "anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-5",

      "api_key": "$ANTHROPIC_API_KEY",

      "request_timeout": 600

    }

  ],

  "tools": {

    "web": {

      "tavily": {

        "enabled": true,

        "api_key": "$TAVILY_API_KEY"

      }

    }

  }

}

Pattern: Docker with Environment Variables

# docker/docker-compose.override.yml

services:

  picoclaw-gateway:

    environment:

      - OPENAI_API_KEY=${OPENAI_API_KEY}

      - ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=${ANTHROPIC_API_KEY}

      - TAVILY_API_KEY=${TAVILY_API_KEY}

      - PICOCLAW_GATEWAY_HOST=0.0.0.0

export OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-...

export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-...

docker compose -f docker/docker-compose.yml -f docker/docker-compose.override.yml --profile gateway up -d

Pattern: Build for a Specific Target in Go

# Cross-compile for MIPS (OpenWRT routers)

GOOS=linux GOARCH=mips GOMIPS=softfloat go build -o build/picoclaw-linux-mips ./cmd/picoclaw

# Cross-compile for 32-bit ARM (older Raspberry Pi)

GOOS=linux GOARCH=arm GOARM=7 go build -o build/picoclaw-linux-arm ./cmd/picoclaw

# Cross-compile for RISC-V 64-bit

GOOS=linux GOARCH=riscv64 go build -o build/picoclaw-linux-riscv64 ./cmd/picoclaw

Troubleshooting

Binary won't execute on device

# Verify the binary matches the device architecture

file picoclaw-linux-arm64

uname -m   # Should match: aarch64 = arm64, x86_64 = amd64

# Ensure executable permission

chmod +x picoclaw-linux-arm64

"Permission denied" on Termux

Termux requires proot for some system calls:

pkg install proot

termux-chroot ./picoclaw-linux-arm64 onboard

API key not recognized

Do not use "api_key": "sk-..." literals in config — set env vars and reference them as "$OPENAI_API_KEY".

Verify the env var is exported in your current shell: echo $OPENAI_API_KEY.

Docker gateway not reachable from host

Set PICOCLAW_GATEWAY_HOST=0.0.0.0 in the environment or in config.json before starting the container.

High memory usage in recent versions

The project notes that recent PRs may push RAM usage to 10–20MB. If this is a concern on ultra-low-memory devices, pin to an earlier release tag:

git checkout v0.1.1

make build

Config file location

Default: ~/.picoclaw/config.json

Override at runtime:

picoclaw -config /path/to/custom-config.json

Rebuild after dependency changes

cd picoclaw

make deps

make build

Hardware Targets Quick Reference

Device

Price

Binary

LicheeRV-Nano (E/W)

~$10

picoclaw-linux-riscv64

NanoKVM

~$30–50

picoclaw-linux-riscv64

MaixCAM / MaixCAM2

~$50–100

picoclaw-linux-arm64

Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W (32-bit OS)

~$15

picoclaw-linux-arm

Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W (64-bit OS)

~$15

picoclaw-linux-arm64

Android via Termux

—

picoclaw-linux-arm64

Standard Linux x86_64

—

picoclaw-linux-amd64

picoclaw-ai-assistant

SKILL.md

PicoClaw AI Assistant

Installation

Precompiled Binary

Build from Source

Docker Compose

Termux (Android)

Quick Start

1. Initialize

2. Configure ~/.picoclaw/config.json

3. Run

Key CLI Commands

Configuration Reference

Model Entry Fields

Supported Provider Prefixes

Agent Defaults

Web Search Tools

Common Patterns

Pattern: Minimal $10 Device Setup

Pattern: Full-Stack Dev Assistant with Web Search

Pattern: Docker with Environment Variables

Pattern: Build for a Specific Target in Go

Troubleshooting

Binary won't execute on device

"Permission denied" on Termux

API key not recognized

Docker gateway not reachable from host

High memory usage in recent versions

Config file location

Rebuild after dependency changes

Hardware Targets Quick Reference

Stop writing automation&scrapers

picoclaw-ai-assistant

SKILL.md

PicoClaw AI Assistant

Installation

Precompiled Binary

Build from Source

Docker Compose

Termux (Android)

Quick Start

1. Initialize

2. Configure ~/.picoclaw/config.json

3. Run

Key CLI Commands

Configuration Reference

Model Entry Fields

Supported Provider Prefixes

Agent Defaults

Web Search Tools

Common Patterns

Pattern: Minimal $10 Device Setup

Pattern: Full-Stack Dev Assistant with Web Search

Pattern: Docker with Environment Variables

Pattern: Build for a Specific Target in Go

Troubleshooting

Binary won't execute on device

"Permission denied" on Termux

API key not recognized

Docker gateway not reachable from host

High memory usage in recent versions

Config file location

Rebuild after dependency changes

Hardware Targets Quick Reference

Let your agent run on any real-world website

Related skills

Stop writing automation&scrapers