February 21, 2026
Send in the Claws
Andrej Karpathy talks about "Claws"
Karpathy says “Claws” are the next big AI thing — the internet claws back
TLDR: Karpathy says “Claws” — always‑on AI helpers on your own computer — are the next layer of AI, and people are listening. The comments swing between praise for the catchy name, jokes like “Santa Claws,” confusion over who he is, and demands for simpler, non‑chat app interfaces — proof the idea’s hot and contested
Andrej Karpathy bought a Mac Mini and dropped a mini-essay crowning “Claws” — always-on AI helpers that live on your own computer — as the next layer of the AI stack. He’s excited but cautious, saying he’s “sus” about one system while shouting out smaller projects like NanoClaw. The vibe? Name of the year energy meets lobster emoji chaos.
The comments instantly split into two camps: insiders cheering the branding and newcomers asking, “Who is Andrej Karpathy?” One fan insisted the term finally clicks because these aren’t just tool-happy chatbots — they’re persistent assistants that can schedule tasks and talk to each other. Another user just wanted a normal web page instead of “weird proprietary messaging apps,” plus control over their own sandboxing — because not everyone wants their AI texting like it’s 2012.
Meanwhile, the thread devolved (in the best way) into meme-town: “Someone build an e‑commerce bot and call it Santa Claws,” begged one commenter, while others giggled at the tiny-tech name parade — nano, pico, zero. And yes, someone linked the tweet via xcancel.com for those who refuse to say “X” out loud. Verdict: Karpathy drops a catchy term, and the crowd turns it into a lobster-flavored culture war — with jokes on tap and feature requests in all caps
Key Points
- •Simon Willison linked to Andrej Karpathy’s tweet-thread discussing “Claws.”
- •Karpathy positions Claws as a new layer above LLM agents, enhancing orchestration, scheduling, tool use, and persistence.
- •He is cautious about running OpenClaw specifically but endorses the Claw concept.
- •NanoClaw is cited for its ~4,000-line core and default containerized execution; other projects include nanobot, zeroclaw, ironclaw, and picoclaw.
- •Willison notes “Claw” is becoming a term for OpenClaw-like systems that run on personal hardware, use messaging protocols, and can execute instructions and schedule tasks.