OpenClaw is an open-source agent framework that runs entirely on-prem, automating office workflows and technical tasks. Because it is local-first, model choice determines both capability and cost.
Install options
- Virtual machine — safest for evaluation; isolates the agent from your host.
- Repurposed workstation — best for dev teams that already have spare hardware.
- New dedicated node — recommended for production deployments with SLA.
Model selection
Prefer domestic production-grade models or high-value open-weight models (Llama 3, Mistral, DeepSeek). Avoid models that require proprietary cloud APIs — they undermine the local-first design. For agent reasoning, 32B–70B is the sweet spot; smaller models struggle with tool-use, larger ones add latency without clear wins.