Regolith/SPEC.md

NanoClaw Specification

A personal Claude assistant accessible via WhatsApp, with persistent memory per conversation, scheduled tasks, and email integration.

---

Table of Contents

1. Architecture
2. Folder Structure
3. Configuration
4. Memory System
5. Session Management
6. Message Flow
7. Commands
8. Scheduled Tasks
9. MCP Servers
10. Deployment
11. Security Considerations

---

Architecture

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                        HOST (macOS)                                  │
│                   (Main Node.js Process)                             │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                                                                      │
│  ┌──────────────┐                     ┌────────────────────┐        │
│  │  WhatsApp    │────────────────────▶│   SQLite Database  │        │
│  │  (baileys)   │◀────────────────────│   (messages.db)    │        │
│  └──────────────┘   store/send        └─────────┬──────────┘        │
│                                                  │                   │
│         ┌────────────────────────────────────────┘                   │
│         │                                                            │
│         ▼                                                            │
│  ┌──────────────────┐    ┌──────────────────┐    ┌───────────────┐  │
│  │  Message Loop    │    │  Scheduler Loop  │    │  IPC Watcher  │  │
│  │  (polls SQLite)  │    │  (checks tasks)  │    │  (file-based) │  │
│  └────────┬─────────┘    └────────┬─────────┘    └───────────────┘  │
│           │                       │                                  │
│           └───────────┬───────────┘                                  │
│                       │ spawns container                             │
│                       ▼                                              │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                  APPLE CONTAINER (Linux VM)                          │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐   │
│  │                    AGENT RUNNER                               │   │
│  │                                                                │   │
│  │  Working directory: /workspace/group (mounted from host)       │   │
│  │  Volume mounts:                                                │   │
│  │    • groups/{name}/ → /workspace/group                         │   │
│  │    • groups/global/ → /workspace/global/ (non-main only)        │   │
│  │    • ~/.claude/ → /home/node/.claude/ (sessions)               │   │
│  │    • Additional dirs → /workspace/extra/*                      │   │
│  │                                                                │   │
│  │  Tools (all groups):                                           │   │
│  │    • Bash (safe - sandboxed in container!)                     │   │
│  │    • Read, Write, Edit, Glob, Grep (file operations)           │   │
│  │    • WebSearch, WebFetch (internet access)                     │   │
│  │    • agent-browser (browser automation)                        │   │
│  │    • mcp__nanoclaw__* (scheduler tools via IPC)                │   │
│  │    • mcp__gmail__* (email)                                     │   │
│  └──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘   │
│                                                                      │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Technology Stack

Component	Technology	Purpose
WhatsApp Connection	Node.js (@whiskeysockets/baileys)	Connect to WhatsApp, send/receive messages
Message Storage	SQLite (better-sqlite3)	Store messages for polling
Container Runtime	Apple Container	Isolated Linux VMs for agent execution
Agent	@anthropic-ai/claude-agent-sdk (0.2.29)	Run Claude with tools and MCP servers
Browser Automation	agent-browser + Chromium	Web interaction and screenshots
Runtime	Node.js 22+	Host process for routing and scheduling

---

Folder Structure

nanoclaw/
├── CLAUDE.md                      # Project context for Claude Code
├── SPEC.md                        # This specification document
├── README.md                      # User documentation
├── package.json                   # Node.js dependencies
├── tsconfig.json                  # TypeScript configuration
├── .mcp.json                      # MCP server configuration (reference)
├── .gitignore
│
├── src/
│   ├── index.ts                   # Main application (WhatsApp + routing)
│   ├── config.ts                  # Configuration constants
│   ├── types.ts                   # TypeScript interfaces
│   ├── utils.ts                   # Generic utility functions
│   ├── db.ts                      # Database initialization and queries
│   ├── whatsapp-auth.ts           # Standalone WhatsApp authentication
│   ├── task-scheduler.ts          # Runs scheduled tasks when due
│   └── container-runner.ts        # Spawns agents in Apple Containers
│
├── container/
│   ├── Dockerfile                 # Container image (runs as 'node' user, includes Claude Code CLI)
│   ├── build.sh                   # Build script for container image
│   ├── agent-runner/              # Code that runs inside the container
│   │   ├── package.json
│   │   ├── tsconfig.json
│   │   └── src/
│   │       ├── index.ts           # Entry point (reads JSON, runs agent)
│   │       └── ipc-mcp.ts         # MCP server for host communication
│   └── skills/
│       └── agent-browser.md       # Browser automation skill
│
├── dist/                          # Compiled JavaScript (gitignored)
│
├── .claude/
│   └── skills/
│       ├── setup/
│       │   └── SKILL.md           # /setup skill
│       ├── customize/
│       │   └── SKILL.md           # /customize skill
│       └── debug/
│           └── SKILL.md           # /debug skill (container debugging)
│
├── groups/
│   ├── CLAUDE.md                  # Global memory (all groups read this)
│   ├── main/                      # Self-chat (main control channel)
│   │   ├── CLAUDE.md              # Main channel memory
│   │   └── logs/                  # Task execution logs
│   └── {Group Name}/              # Per-group folders (created on registration)
│       ├── CLAUDE.md              # Group-specific memory
│       ├── logs/                  # Task logs for this group
│       └── *.md                   # Files created by the agent
│
├── store/                         # Local data (gitignored)
│   ├── auth/                      # WhatsApp authentication state
│   └── messages.db                # SQLite database (messages, scheduled_tasks, task_run_logs)
│
├── data/                          # Application state (gitignored)
│   ├── sessions.json              # Active session IDs per group
│   ├── registered_groups.json     # Group JID → folder mapping
│   ├── router_state.json          # Last processed timestamp + last agent timestamps
│   ├── env/env                    # Copy of .env for container mounting
│   └── ipc/                       # Container IPC (messages/, tasks/)
│
├── logs/                          # Runtime logs (gitignored)
│   ├── nanoclaw.log               # Host stdout
│   └── nanoclaw.error.log         # Host stderr
│   # Note: Per-container logs are in groups/{folder}/logs/container-*.log
│
└── launchd/
    └── com.nanoclaw.plist         # macOS service configuration

---

Configuration

Configuration constants are in src/config.ts:

import path from 'path';

export const ASSISTANT_NAME = process.env.ASSISTANT_NAME || 'Andy';
export const POLL_INTERVAL = 2000;
export const SCHEDULER_POLL_INTERVAL = 60000;

// Paths are absolute (required for container mounts)
const PROJECT_ROOT = process.cwd();
export const STORE_DIR = path.resolve(PROJECT_ROOT, 'store');
export const GROUPS_DIR = path.resolve(PROJECT_ROOT, 'groups');
export const DATA_DIR = path.resolve(PROJECT_ROOT, 'data');

// Container configuration
export const CONTAINER_IMAGE = process.env.CONTAINER_IMAGE || 'nanoclaw-agent:latest';
export const CONTAINER_TIMEOUT = parseInt(process.env.CONTAINER_TIMEOUT || '300000', 10);
export const IPC_POLL_INTERVAL = 1000;

export const TRIGGER_PATTERN = new RegExp(`^@${ASSISTANT_NAME}\\b`, 'i');

Note: Paths must be absolute for Apple Container volume mounts to work correctly.

Container Configuration

Groups can have additional directories mounted via containerConfig in data/registered_groups.json:

{
  "1234567890@g.us": {
    "name": "Dev Team",
    "folder": "dev-team",
    "trigger": "@Andy",
    "added_at": "2026-01-31T12:00:00Z",
    "containerConfig": {
      "additionalMounts": [
        {
          "hostPath": "/Users/gavriel/projects/webapp",
          "containerPath": "webapp",
          "readonly": false
        }
      ],
      "timeout": 600000
    }
  }
}

Additional mounts appear at /workspace/extra/{containerPath} inside the container.

Apple Container mount syntax note: Read-write mounts use -v host:container, but readonly mounts require --mount "type=bind,source=...,target=...,readonly" (the :ro suffix doesn't work).

Claude Authentication

Configure authentication in a .env file in the project root. Two options:

Option 1: Claude Subscription (OAuth token)

CLAUDE_CODE_OAUTH_TOKEN=sk-ant-oat01-...

The token can be extracted from ~/.claude/.credentials.json if you're logged in to Claude Code.

Option 2: Pay-per-use API Key

ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-api03-...

Only the authentication variables (CLAUDE_CODE_OAUTH_TOKEN and ANTHROPIC_API_KEY) are extracted from .env and mounted into the container at /workspace/env-dir/env, then sourced by the entrypoint script. This ensures other environment variables in .env are not exposed to the agent. This workaround is needed because Apple Container loses -e environment variables when using -i (interactive mode with piped stdin).

Changing the Assistant Name

Set the ASSISTANT_NAME environment variable:

ASSISTANT_NAME=Bot npm start

Or edit the default in src/config.ts. This changes:

• The trigger pattern (messages must start with @YourName)
• The response prefix (YourName: added automatically)

Placeholder Values in launchd

Files with {{PLACEHOLDER}} values need to be configured:

• {{PROJECT_ROOT}} - Absolute path to your nanoclaw installation
• {{NODE_PATH}} - Path to node binary (detected via which node)
• {{HOME}} - User's home directory

---

Memory System

NanoClaw uses a hierarchical memory system based on CLAUDE.md files.

Memory Hierarchy

Level	Location	Read By	Written By	Purpose
Global	groups/CLAUDE.md	All groups	Main only	Preferences, facts, context shared across all conversations
Group	groups/{name}/CLAUDE.md	That group	That group	Group-specific context, conversation memory
Files	groups/{name}/*.md	That group	That group	Notes, research, documents created during conversation

How Memory Works

1. Agent Context Loading

   • Agent runs with cwd set to groups/{group-name}/
   • Claude Agent SDK with settingSources: ['project'] automatically loads:
     • ../CLAUDE.md (parent directory = global memory)
     • ./CLAUDE.md (current directory = group memory)

2. Writing Memory

   • When user says "remember this", agent writes to ./CLAUDE.md
   • When user says "remember this globally" (main channel only), agent writes to ../CLAUDE.md
   • Agent can create files like notes.md, research.md in the group folder

3. Main Channel Privileges

   • Only the "main" group (self-chat) can write to global memory
   • Main can manage registered groups and schedule tasks for any group
   • Main can configure additional directory mounts for any group
   • All groups have Bash access (safe because it runs inside container)

---

Session Management

Sessions enable conversation continuity - Claude remembers what you talked about.

How Sessions Work

1. Each group has a session ID stored in data/sessions.json
2. Session ID is passed to Claude Agent SDK's resume option
3. Claude continues the conversation with full context

data/sessions.json:

{
  "main": "session-abc123",
  "Family Chat": "session-def456"
}

---

Message Flow

Incoming Message Flow

1. User sends WhatsApp message
   │
   ▼
2. Baileys receives message via WhatsApp Web protocol
   │
   ▼
3. Message stored in SQLite (store/messages.db)
   │
   ▼
4. Message loop polls SQLite (every 2 seconds)
   │
   ▼
5. Router checks:
   ├── Is chat_jid in registered_groups.json? → No: ignore
   └── Does message start with @Assistant? → No: ignore
   │
   ▼
6. Router catches up conversation:
   ├── Fetch all messages since last agent interaction
   ├── Format with timestamp and sender name
   └── Build prompt with full conversation context
   │
   ▼
7. Router invokes Claude Agent SDK:
   ├── cwd: groups/{group-name}/
   ├── prompt: conversation history + current message
   ├── resume: session_id (for continuity)
   └── mcpServers: gmail, scheduler
   │
   ▼
8. Claude processes message:
   ├── Reads CLAUDE.md files for context
   └── Uses tools as needed (search, email, etc.)
   │
   ▼
9. Router prefixes response with assistant name and sends via WhatsApp
   │
   ▼
10. Router updates last agent timestamp and saves session ID

Trigger Word Matching

Messages must start with the trigger pattern (default: @Andy):

• @Andy what's the weather? → ✅ Triggers Claude
• @andy help me → ✅ Triggers (case insensitive)
• Hey @Andy → ❌ Ignored (trigger not at start)
• What's up? → ❌ Ignored (no trigger)

Conversation Catch-Up

When a triggered message arrives, the agent receives all messages since its last interaction in that chat. Each message is formatted with timestamp and sender name:

[Jan 31 2:32 PM] John: hey everyone, should we do pizza tonight?
[Jan 31 2:33 PM] Sarah: sounds good to me
[Jan 31 2:35 PM] John: @Andy what toppings do you recommend?

This allows the agent to understand the conversation context even if it wasn't mentioned in every message.

---

Commands

Commands Available in Any Group

Command	Example	Effect
@Assistant [message]	@Andy what's the weather?	Talk to Claude

Commands Available in Main Channel Only

Command	Example	Effect
@Assistant add group "Name"	@Andy add group "Family Chat"	Register a new group
@Assistant remove group "Name"	@Andy remove group "Work Team"	Unregister a group
@Assistant list groups	@Andy list groups	Show registered groups
@Assistant remember [fact]	@Andy remember I prefer dark mode	Add to global memory

---

Scheduled Tasks

NanoClaw has a built-in scheduler that runs tasks as full agents in their group's context.

How Scheduling Works

1. Group Context: Tasks created in a group run with that group's working directory and memory
2. Full Agent Capabilities: Scheduled tasks have access to all tools (WebSearch, Gmail, file operations, etc.)
3. Optional Messaging: Tasks can send messages to their group using the send_message tool, or complete silently
4. Main Channel Privileges: The main channel can schedule tasks for any group and view all tasks

Schedule Types

Type	Value Format	Example
cron	Cron expression	0 9 * * 1 (Mondays at 9am)
interval	Milliseconds	3600000 (every hour)
once	ISO timestamp	2024-12-25T09:00:00Z

Creating a Task

User: @Andy remind me every Monday at 9am to review the weekly metrics

Claude: [calls mcp__nanoclaw__schedule_task]
        {
          "prompt": "Send a reminder to review weekly metrics. Be encouraging!",
          "schedule_type": "cron",
          "schedule_value": "0 9 * * 1"
        }

Claude: Done! I'll remind you every Monday at 9am.

One-Time Tasks

User: @Andy at 5pm today, send me a summary of today's emails

Claude: [calls mcp__nanoclaw__schedule_task]
        {
          "prompt": "Search for today's emails, summarize the important ones, and send the summary to the group.",
          "schedule_type": "once",
          "schedule_value": "2024-01-31T17:00:00Z"
        }

Managing Tasks

From any group:

• @Andy list my scheduled tasks - View tasks for this group
• @Andy pause task [id] - Pause a task
• @Andy resume task [id] - Resume a paused task
• @Andy cancel task [id] - Delete a task

From main channel:

• @Andy list all tasks - View tasks from all groups
• @Andy schedule task for "Family Chat": [prompt] - Schedule for another group

---

MCP Servers

NanoClaw MCP (built-in)

The nanoclaw MCP server is created dynamically per agent call with the current group's context.

Available Tools:

Tool	Purpose
schedule_task	Schedule a recurring or one-time task
list_tasks	Show tasks (group's tasks, or all if main)
get_task	Get task details and run history
update_task	Modify task prompt or schedule
pause_task	Pause a task
resume_task	Resume a paused task
cancel_task	Delete a task
send_message	Send a WhatsApp message to the group

Gmail MCP (@gongrzhe/server-gmail-autoauth-mcp)

Provides email capabilities. Requires Google Cloud OAuth setup.

Available Tools:

Tool	Purpose
search_messages	Search inbox
get_message	Read full email
send_message	Send email
reply_message	Reply to thread

---

Deployment

NanoClaw runs as a single macOS launchd service.

Startup Sequence

When NanoClaw starts, it:

1. Ensures Apple Container system is running - Automatically starts it if needed (survives reboots)
2. Initializes the SQLite database
3. Loads state (registered groups, sessions, router state)
4. Connects to WhatsApp
5. Starts the message polling loop
6. Starts the scheduler loop
7. Starts the IPC watcher for container messages

Service: com.nanoclaw

launchd/com.nanoclaw.plist:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "...">
<plist version="1.0">
<dict>
    <key>Label</key>
    <string>com.nanoclaw</string>
    <key>ProgramArguments</key>
    <array>
        <string>{{NODE_PATH}}</string>
        <string>{{PROJECT_ROOT}}/dist/index.js</string>
    </array>
    <key>WorkingDirectory</key>
    <string>{{PROJECT_ROOT}}</string>
    <key>RunAtLoad</key>
    <true/>
    <key>KeepAlive</key>
    <true/>
    <key>EnvironmentVariables</key>
    <dict>
        <key>PATH</key>
        <string>{{HOME}}/.local/bin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/bin</string>
        <key>HOME</key>
        <string>{{HOME}}</string>
        <key>ASSISTANT_NAME</key>
        <string>Andy</string>
    </dict>
    <key>StandardOutPath</key>
    <string>{{PROJECT_ROOT}}/logs/nanoclaw.log</string>
    <key>StandardErrorPath</key>
    <string>{{PROJECT_ROOT}}/logs/nanoclaw.error.log</string>
</dict>
</plist>

Managing the Service

# Install service
cp launchd/com.nanoclaw.plist ~/Library/LaunchAgents/

# Start service
launchctl load ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.nanoclaw.plist

# Stop service
launchctl unload ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.nanoclaw.plist

# Check status
launchctl list | grep nanoclaw

# View logs
tail -f logs/nanoclaw.log

---

Security Considerations

Container Isolation

All agents run inside Apple Container (lightweight Linux VMs), providing:

• Filesystem isolation: Agents can only access mounted directories
• Safe Bash access: Commands run inside the container, not on your Mac
• Network isolation: Can be configured per-container if needed
• Process isolation: Container processes can't affect the host
• Non-root user: Container runs as unprivileged node user (uid 1000)

Prompt Injection Risk

WhatsApp messages could contain malicious instructions attempting to manipulate Claude's behavior.

Mitigations:

• Container isolation limits blast radius
• Only registered groups are processed
• Trigger word required (reduces accidental processing)
• Agents can only access their group's mounted directories
• Main can configure additional directories per group
• Claude's built-in safety training

Recommendations:

• Only register trusted groups
• Review additional directory mounts carefully
• Review scheduled tasks periodically
• Monitor logs for unusual activity

Credential Storage

Credential	Storage Location	Notes
Claude CLI Auth	~/.claude/	Mounted to /home/node/.claude/ in container
WhatsApp Session	store/auth/	Auto-created, persists ~20 days
Gmail OAuth Tokens	~/.gmail-mcp/	Created during setup (optional)

File Permissions

The groups/ folder contains personal memory and should be protected:

chmod 700 groups/

---

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Issue	Cause	Solution
No response to messages	Service not running	Check `launchctl list
"Claude Code process exited with code 1"	Apple Container failed to start	Check logs; NanoClaw auto-starts container system but may fail
"Claude Code process exited with code 1"	Session mount path wrong	Ensure mount is to /home/node/.claude/ not /root/.claude/
Session not continuing	Session ID not saved	Check data/sessions.json
Session not continuing	Mount path mismatch	Container user is node with HOME=/home/node; sessions must be at /home/node/.claude/
"QR code expired"	WhatsApp session expired	Delete store/auth/ and restart
"No groups registered"	Haven't added groups	Use @Andy add group "Name" in main

Log Location

• logs/nanoclaw.log - stdout
• logs/nanoclaw.error.log - stderr

Debug Mode

Run manually for verbose output:

npm run dev
# or
node dist/index.js