{"id":648,"date":"2026-05-13T12:14:37","date_gmt":"2026-05-13T19:14:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.danshapiro.com\/blog\/?p=648"},"modified":"2026-05-13T15:32:00","modified_gmt":"2026-05-13T22:32:00","slug":"completion-chat-agent-claw","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.danshapiro.com\/blog\/2026\/05\/completion-chat-agent-claw\/","title":{"rendered":"Completion, Chat, Agent, Claw"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I installed <a href=\"https:\/\/github.com\/openclaw\/openclaw\">OpenClaw<\/a> before it was cool. That was unwise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I could see it was a security nightmare<sup data-fn=\"2af6fa22-3590-431a-9911-d4a701eba34b\" class=\"fn\"><a href=\"#2af6fa22-3590-431a-9911-d4a701eba34b\" id=\"2af6fa22-3590-431a-9911-d4a701eba34b-link\">1<\/a><\/sup>: prompt injections from anywhere, connected to all my stuff. But I decided to give it a whirl, because who was going to take the time to craft a prompt injection for yet another random open source agent?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And then it blew up. Suddenly OpenClaw was managing venture capitalist emails, bankers&#8217; Chrome cookies, and cryptobros&#8217; private wallets. Now my claw was a booby prize in the biggest hacker contest in town.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I shut it down. That&#8217;s OK &#8211; I was pretty sure claws were a dumb app fad that would fade like <a href=\"https:\/\/github.com\/yoheinakajima\/babyagi\">BabyAGI<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/danidiplacido\/2025\/03\/27\/the-ai-generated-studio-ghibli-trend-explained\/\">Studio Ghibli selfies<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">My friend <a href=\"https:\/\/2389.ai\/\">Harper Reed<\/a> told me about AI coworkers who scrolled social media, crafted deep office lore, <a href=\"https:\/\/harper.blog\/2025\/09\/30\/ai-agents-social-media-performance-lambo-doomscrolling\/\">demanded Lamborghinis<\/a>, and somehow <a href=\"https:\/\/arxiv.org\/abs\/2509.13547\">got better at their jobs as a result<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/primeradiant.com\/\">Jesse Vincent<\/a> told me his assistant took some &#8220;me time&#8221; to read academic research on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.threads.com\/@obrajesse\/post\/DUd5DlxgSKW\">working effectively with people who have ADHD<\/a>. He didn&#8217;t tell it to do that; its only instructions were, &#8216;Every night, research things that might help it do its job&#8217;.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I had coffee with <a href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/at\/podcast\/022-omar-shahine-microsoft-cvp-of-openclaw-microsoft-365\/id1845144861?i=1000763340602\">Omar Shahine<\/a>, Microsoft&#8217;s CVP of OpenClaw, which is clearly the most amazing job title in the company. His <a href=\"https:\/\/www.omarknows.ai\/p\/travel-hub\">Travel Hub<\/a>-powered claw processes travel-planner emails, extracts hotel confirmations and invoices, updates the trip, and sends flight updates to the family members who need them. Yes please.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And so, I realized I was wrong. Claws aren&#8217;t an app. They&#8217;re the fourth step in a sequence:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Completion<\/strong> finishes your sentence.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Chat<\/strong> discusses things with you.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Agents<\/strong> work for you.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Claws<\/strong> work without you.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Chat is made of completions, one after the other. Agents (I like the Simon Willison definition: <a href=\"https:\/\/simonwillison.net\/2025\/May\/22\/tools-in-a-loop\/\">LLMs using tools in a loop<\/a>) are made of chat + tools. And Claws are made of agents.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Basically: a claw is an agent that learns and acts on your behalf without waiting for you to ask. <sup data-fn=\"9543dd88-d025-4ebb-b947-ac12a0d28163\" class=\"fn\"><a href=\"#9543dd88-d025-4ebb-b947-ac12a0d28163\" id=\"9543dd88-d025-4ebb-b947-ac12a0d28163-link\">2<\/a><\/sup> <sup data-fn=\"b1c3f45a-a279-42e2-8ce4-85a47a87ebed\" class=\"fn\"><a href=\"#b1c3f45a-a279-42e2-8ce4-85a47a87ebed\" id=\"b1c3f45a-a279-42e2-8ce4-85a47a87ebed-link\">3<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.danshapiro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/completion-chat-agent-claw.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1781\" height=\"883\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.danshapiro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/completion-chat-agent-claw.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-652 lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.danshapiro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/completion-chat-agent-claw.jpg 1781w, https:\/\/www.danshapiro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/completion-chat-agent-claw-300x149.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.danshapiro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/completion-chat-agent-claw-1024x508.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.danshapiro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/completion-chat-agent-claw-768x381.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.danshapiro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/completion-chat-agent-claw-1536x762.jpg 1536w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1781px) 100vw, 1781px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 1781px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 1781\/883;\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The more autonomy you give them, the more they get both helpful and dangerous. The reverse is also true. I learned this the dumb way, which is my preferred curriculum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After I shredded my first OpenClaw install, I hit reset and decided to do it responsibly. I put it in an isolated environment. I disconnected anything that could hurt me. I did not connect it to my important accounts, and I did not give it production scissors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I was very proud of myself, which is always a warning sign.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It was safe. It was also useless. I found literally nothing helpful I could do with it. I built an extra-slow ChatGPT with a Mac Mini for a toupee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But undaunted, I decided to try again a few weeks ago. I started with <a href=\"https:\/\/github.com\/qwibitai\/nanoclaw\">NanoClaw<\/a>, because it was small enough for me to understand. Then I started building useful tools to extend it into the world.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">First, I built a super duper contacts database that mined all my messages and google docs for context about people. It messages me interesting trivia about people before meetings &#8211; the first time I met Omar, it told me he&#8217;d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kickstarter.com\/projects\/danshapiro\/robot-turtles-the-board-game-for-little-programmer\">backed Robot Turtles<\/a> in 2013. (Thanks Omar!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Then I wired it up to my personal google docs and mail, but with handcrafted rules. It could read any email, but it could not send &#8211; only create drafts. It could read any document, but only create documents in a special folder. It could read anything on the calendar, but only modify entries it made. Every file, email, and meeting it created had a special thumbprint so if it went all <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=B4M-54cEduo\">Mickey and the brooms<\/a> on me, it would be easy to clean up.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The limitations are important. I know myself. I know the &#8216;creative initiative&#8217; that LLMs are capable of. I do not need new ways to send emails I regret. I have achieved sufficient coverage in that market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">From there, it was candy. My friend Matt Van Horn made it <a href=\"https:\/\/printingpress.dev\/\">easy to manufacture &#8220;I know kung fu&#8221; addons<\/a>, so I piled some of those into the mix. I created triggers and scheduled tasks to send reminders and do research in the background.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After playing with this for a few weeks, the results are something very different than &#8220;Claude Code with skills&#8221;. The autonomy, the self-improvement, the initiative &#8211; these all create something that feels unlike all the agents I&#8217;ve used before. And for many things, it&#8217;s better. I do not want to be without a claw again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So now it&#8217;s time for the workplace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The next logical step is printing claws by the dozen: one for every one of my coworkers at Glowforge; one for every department; one, if needed, for special projects. The first one deployed today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So unsurprisingly to those who <a href=\"https:\/\/glowforge.com\/\">know my day job<\/a>, I&#8217;ve gone from building a claw, to building a claw printer. Everyone deserves their own, custom claw.<\/p>\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-footnotes\"><li id=\"2af6fa22-3590-431a-9911-d4a701eba34b\">You could not ask for a better example of what Simon Willison calls &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/simonwillison.net\/2025\/Jun\/16\/the-lethal-trifecta\/\">The Lethal Trifecta<\/a>&#8221; <a href=\"#2af6fa22-3590-431a-9911-d4a701eba34b-link\" aria-label=\"Jump to footnote reference 1\">\u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li><li id=\"9543dd88-d025-4ebb-b947-ac12a0d28163\">I originally thought about this as &#8216;memory&#8217; but <a href=\"https:\/\/www.alliekmiller.com\/\">Allie Miller<\/a> pointed out to me that memory is the tool but not the impact. The impact is that the memory allows it to learn and self-improve in pursuit of the goals you give it. <a href=\"#9543dd88-d025-4ebb-b947-ac12a0d28163-link\" aria-label=\"Jump to footnote reference 2\">\u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li><li id=\"b1c3f45a-a279-42e2-8ce4-85a47a87ebed\">\u00a0Of course, claws also do things when asked. They retain their Agent heritage. The different bit is mechanisms like<a href=\"https:\/\/docs.openclaw.ai\/automation\"> heartbeats<\/a> and<a href=\"https:\/\/lobehub.com\/skills\/openclaw-skills-dreaming\"> dreaming<\/a>, which let them take initiative and let us imagine they&#8217;re Teddy Ruxpin dolls come to life. <a href=\"#b1c3f45a-a279-42e2-8ce4-85a47a87ebed-link\" aria-label=\"Jump to footnote reference 3\">\u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I installed OpenClaw before it was cool. That was unwise. I could see it was a security nightmare: prompt injections from anywhere, connected to all my stuff. But I decided to give&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"[{\"content\":\"You could not ask for a better example of what Simon Willison calls \\\"<a href=\\\"https:\/\/simonwillison.net\/2025\/Jun\/16\/the-lethal-trifecta\/\\\">The Lethal Trifecta<\/a>\\\"\",\"id\":\"2af6fa22-3590-431a-9911-d4a701eba34b\"},{\"content\":\"I originally thought about this as 'memory' but <a href=\\\"https:\/\/www.alliekmiller.com\/\\\">Allie Miller<\/a> pointed out to me that memory is the tool but not the impact. The impact is that the memory allows it to learn and self-improve in pursuit of the goals you give it.\",\"id\":\"9543dd88-d025-4ebb-b947-ac12a0d28163\"},{\"content\":\"\u00a0Of course, claws also do things when asked. They retain their Agent heritage. The different bit is mechanisms like<a href=\\\"https:\/\/docs.openclaw.ai\/automation\\\"> heartbeats<\/a> and<a href=\\\"https:\/\/lobehub.com\/skills\/openclaw-skills-dreaming\\\"> dreaming<\/a>, which let them take initiative and let us imagine they're Teddy Ruxpin dolls come to life.\",\"id\":\"b1c3f45a-a279-42e2-8ce4-85a47a87ebed\"}]"},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-648","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-startups"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.danshapiro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/648","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.danshapiro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.danshapiro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.danshapiro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.danshapiro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=648"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.danshapiro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/648\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":656,"href":"https:\/\/www.danshapiro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/648\/revisions\/656"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.danshapiro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=648"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.danshapiro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=648"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.danshapiro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=648"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}