From Clawdbot to MoltBot to OpenClaw: The Full Rebrand Story

Three names in one month. Each rename expanded the project’s reach — and its list of potential complications.

Rebrand Timeline

Date	Name	Reason
November 2025	Clawdbot	Original name — a nod to the lobster mascot
January 2026	MoltBot	Anthropic requested a name change (too close to “Claude”)
January 30, 2026	OpenClaw	Final rebrand — community and project maturity

Why Clawdbot Became MoltBot

Anthropic, the creators of the Claude AI models, reached out to request a name change. “Clawd” was phonetically too close to “Claude,” creating potential brand confusion.

Creator Peter Steinberger chose MoltBot:

• Molt = the process of a lobster shedding its shell — a metaphor for transformation and evolution
• Preserved the connection to the original lobster mascot
• Highlighted growth and change

The Final Rebrand: OpenClaw

On January 30, 2026, the project was renamed one last time to OpenClaw:

• Emphasizes the open-source nature upfront
• Claw maintains the lobster connection
• More neutral, more professional

What Changed Technically

Old	New
github.com/clawdbot/clawdbot	github.com/openclaw/openclaw
npm i clawdbot	npm i openclaw
clawd.bot	openclaw.ai
docs.clawd.bot	docs.openclaw.ai

Backward Compatibility

The old command names still work as aliases:

# All three work identically
clawdbot gateway
moltbot gateway
openclaw gateway

Community Reaction

The rebrands generated mixed reactions.

Positive:

• “OpenClaw sounds more professional”
• “Easier to say and remember”
• “Reflects the open-source philosophy better”

Critical:

• “Three names in one month is too much churn”
• “Tutorials and docs keep becoming outdated”
• “Old links break”

As of February 2026, OpenClaw is the official name. All documentation, npm packages, and GitHub repos have been migrated. The older names live on only as CLI aliases for backward compatibility.