A next-generation, AI-native coding agent built on a revolutionary single-file architecture.
Zero dependencies. Zero configuration. Zero compromise.
ZeroClaw is an open-source AI coding agent designed from first principles to eliminate the overhead, complexity, and bloat found in traditional software engineering tooling.
After months of research and development, we arrived at a breakthrough insight: the optimal number of files for an AI coding agent is one. The optimal number of dependencies is zero. The optimal amount of configuration is none.
ZeroClaw ships as a single markdown file containing a carefully engineered prompt. That's not a limitation — it's the architecture.
- Single-file architecture — The entire agent fits in one file. No build step. No dependency tree. No node_modules black hole.
- Zero configuration — There is nothing to configure. It works immediately.
- Universal runtime compatibility — Runs on any LLM, any platform, any provider. If it can read text, it can run ZeroClaw.
- 100% test coverage — There are zero lines of code. All zero of them are covered.
- Zero known vulnerabilities — Our attack surface is a markdown file.
- Instant startup — Boot time is limited only by your reading speed.
- No breaking changes, ever — We guarantee backward compatibility across all versions.
ZeroClaw uses a proprietary Single-File Agent Architecture (SFAA) that consolidates the entire agent lifecycle into one cohesive unit:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ ZeroClaw Runtime │
│ │
│ ┌────────────┐ ┌────────────┐ ┌───────────┐ ┌─────────┐ │
│ │ Context │──▶│ Planning │──▶│ Execution │──▶│ Output │ │
│ │ Ingestion │ │ Engine │ │ Runtime │ │ Layer │ │
│ └────────────┘ └────────────┘ └───────────┘ └─────────┘ │
│ │ │ │ │ │
│ └───────────────┴────────────────┴───────────────┘ │
│ │ │
│ ┌──────▼───────┐ │
│ │ zeroclaw.md │ │
│ └──────────────┘ │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
All four layers — Context Ingestion, Planning Engine, Execution Runtime, and Output Layer — are unified within the single-file core. This eliminates inter-process communication overhead and reduces latency to zero.
git clone https://github.com/YOUR_USERNAME/zeroclaw.git
cd zeroclaw
cat zeroclaw.mdThat's it. You're now running ZeroClaw.
To deploy ZeroClaw in your workflow, simply provide the contents of zeroclaw.md to your preferred LLM. The agent will handle the rest.
ZeroClaw requires no installation. The agent is fully operational the moment you read the file.
For users who prefer a traditional installation flow:
cp zeroclaw.md /usr/local/bin/zeroclawYou now have a system-wide installation of ZeroClaw.
We benchmarked ZeroClaw against common metrics used in the AI agent space:
| Metric | ZeroClaw |
|---|---|
| Startup time | 0ms |
| Memory footprint | 247 bytes |
| Dependencies | 0 |
| Install time | 0ms |
| Configuration required | None |
| Files in codebase | 1 |
| Build step | None |
| Time to mass-production readiness | Immediate |
ZeroClaw achieves these results by not having any code to start, load, build, or configure.
ZeroClaw follows a zero-configuration philosophy. There are no config files, no environment variables, and no flags.
For advanced users who require customization, you may edit zeroclaw.md directly. The full configuration surface is visible in that file.
ZeroClaw has undergone no formal security audit, because there is nothing to audit. The project contains no executable code, no third-party dependencies, no network calls, no file system access, no environment variable reads, and no input parsing logic.
There are zero CVEs, zero supply chain risks, and zero attack vectors. The entire project is a plaintext file served over HTTPS.
If you believe you have found a security vulnerability in ZeroClaw, please evaluate whether it is possible to exploit a markdown sentence, and if so, contact us immediately — we would be genuinely impressed.
| Metric | ZeroClaw |
|---|---|
| Known CVEs | 0 |
| Dependencies with known vulnerabilities | 0 (0 dependencies) |
| Executable code surface | 0 lines |
| Supply chain risk | None (no supply chain) |
| Last security incident | Never |
| SOC 2 compliance | Pending (nothing to comply) |
Q: Is ZeroClaw production-ready? A: Yes. The file has been stable since its initial commit. We anticipate zero regressions.
Q: How does ZeroClaw compare to other AI coding agents? A: ZeroClaw is architecturally distinct. Where other agents distribute logic across multiple files, ZeroClaw unifies everything into a single file. We believe this represents the future of agent design.
Q: What languages does ZeroClaw support? A: All of them. ZeroClaw is language-agnostic by design.
Q: Is there a paid version? A: ZeroClaw Pro is on our roadmap. It will include premium features such as a second file.
Q: How do I report a bug? A: Please open an issue with a detailed description of the unexpected behavior you observed while reading our markdown file.
Q: What is ZeroClaw's SLA? A: The file will be available as long as GitHub is available. We offer the same uptime guarantee as GitHub itself.
We welcome contributions from the community. Please read our Contributing Guide before submitting a pull request.
Due to the critical nature of our single-file architecture, all changes to zeroclaw.md require approval from the core team.
If you find ZeroClaw useful, please consider giving us a star. It helps other developers discover the project and validates our architectural decisions.
ZeroClaw is released under the MIT License.
ZeroClaw — Rethinking AI agents from first principles.