# Install nullclaw with Homebrew Tiny autonomous AI assistant infrastructure written in Zig. Version 2026.5.29 via Homebrew; verified 2026-06-14. ## Install ```sh sudo av install brew:nullclaw ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install nullclaw ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:nullclaw - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Package manager page:** - **Version:** 2026.5.29 - **Source summary:** Tiny autonomous AI assistant infrastructure written in Zig - **Homepage:** - **Repository:** - **Upstream docs:** - **License:** MIT - **Source archive:** - **Last updated:** 2026-06-14T14:13:23-04:00 - **Generated:** 2026-07-08T18:08:21+00:00 ## Executables - nullclaw (cli) - nullclaw (alias) ## Build dependencies - zig ## Install behavior - Post-install hook: not defined - Service: declared - Bottle: available on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, x86_64_linux ## Freshness - Page generated: 2026-07-08 - Package-manager version: 2026.5.29 - Package-manager updated: 2026-06-14 - Local data: ok - Upstream repository: https://github.com/nullclaw/nullclaw - Upstream latest detected: v2026.5.29 (current) ## Project history and usage NullClaw is a Zig-based autonomous AI assistant runtime packaged as a small single-binary tool. Its public materials emphasize low memory use, fast startup, provider agnosticism, and running agent infrastructure on inexpensive or resource-constrained machines. ### Project history GitHub's repository API reports that nullclaw/nullclaw was created on February 16, 2026. That makes it a very young project in package-history terms, so there is not enough independent history to treat it like a long-established ecosystem component. The repository README frames the project as '100% Zig' assistant infrastructure with a 678 KB binary, roughly 1 MB RAM use, and startup under 2 ms. Those are project claims from the official repository, not independently benchmarked adoption facts. ### Adoption history NullClaw's visible adoption is early but unusually loud for a 2026 repository. The GitHub API reported 7,736 stars and 907 forks on July 1, 2026, while the Homebrew formula showed stable version 2026.5.29 and 1,661 installs over its visible 365-day analytics window. The official docs focus on a source-build path with Zig, Git, and an LLM provider API key, followed by `nullclaw onboard`, `nullclaw agent`, `status`, `doctor`, and `capabilities --json`. That indicates adoption is aimed at agent-runtime experimenters and self-hosting users rather than a mature enterprise distribution channel. ### How it is used Practical use begins by building or installing the `nullclaw` binary, onboarding a provider such as OpenRouter, OpenAI, or Anthropic, then running an agent message or gateway. The docs also describe web-channel pairing through `~/.nullclaw/config.json`, which turns it from a terminal-only agent into a runtime that can talk to a browser UI. Package nerds would care about NullClaw as a counterpoint to Python/Node-heavy agent frameworks: it is distributed as a compiled Zig binary, it has minimal runtime assumptions, and its Homebrew formula depends on Zig only when building from source. ### Why package nerds care NullClaw is significant mostly as an early signal in AI-agent packaging: small native binaries and local runtimes are being used to package agent infrastructure. The history is too short for high confidence about durability. ### Timeline - 2026-02-16: GitHub repository created. - 2026-05-29: Homebrew formula stable version visible as 2026.5.29. - 2026-07-01: GitHub API reported 7,736 stars and 907 forks; Homebrew formula reported 1,661 installs over 365 days. ### Related projects - NullHub - Zig - OpenRouter - OpenAI - Anthropic ### Sources - - - - - ## Security Notes formula declares a Homebrew service. infrastructure mutation or orchestration signal. - **Geiger risk:** orange / medium - formula declares a Homebrew service - infrastructure mutation or orchestration signal ## Configuration and credential file locations These source-backed paths show where this package keeps local settings or durable credentials. Automic Vault can use them as review targets for secret scanning, migration, and command approval. ## Configuration files - Unix: ~/.nullclaw/config.json ## Credential files - Unix: ~/.nullclaw/config.json ## Source Database Details - **Source Database:** Homebrew formula API - **Tap:** homebrew/core - **Full Name:** nullclaw - **Version Scheme:** 0 - **Revision:** 0 - **Head Version:** HEAD - **Bottle Stable Root URL:** - **Deprecated:** no - **Disabled:** no - **Keg Only:** no - **URL Keys:** head, stable ## Related links - [MCP tool packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/mcp-tools/) - Mentions MCP or Model Context Protocol. - [Secret-risk packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/secret-risk-packages/) - Has protected-tool coverage, approval-gate, or non-low Geiger security signals. - [Terminal utility packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/terminal-utilities/) - Matched terminal and command-line workflow metadata. - [Text processing packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/text-processing-tools/) - Matched text, document, or structured-data processing metadata. - [gptme](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/gptme/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: agent, ai, cli, developer-tools. - [picoclaw](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/picoclaw/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: agent, ai, cli, developer-tools. - [aichat](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/aichat/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: ai, cli, developer-tools. - [aicommit](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/aicommit/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: ai, cli, developer-tools. - [aicommit2](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/aicommit2/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: ai, cli, developer-tools. - [aicommits](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/aicommits/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: ai, cli, developer-tools. - [aider](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/aider/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: ai, cli, developer-tools. - [apfel](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/apfel/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: ai, cli, developer-tools. - [docker-agent](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/docker-agent/) - Local package facts share a topical domain. Shared terms: agent, ai, cli, developer, developer-tools. ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/nullclaw.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/nullclaw.yml) ## Sources - Nucleus package database - Geiger risk classifier - package-page enrichment - curated configuration and credential file locations - curated package history - package version freshness - av.db category and tag curation - package relationship graph - cross-ecosystem install command graph