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Dr Claw

Dr Claw is an open-source AI research assistant and self-hosted workspace for organizing research projects and getting assistance across literature review, ideation, experiments and paper writing. It supports Claude Code, Gemini CLI and Codex, and documents OpenRouter as a model-provider option.

Explore the practical guide ↓

Independent OpenViST project profile, based on linked sources.

Dr Claw — OpenViST project profile in Research Agents.
OpenViST project illustration. See the linked sources for product details.
Understand the project

Practical overview

When it fits

Use Dr Claw when a research project needs a workspace spanning multiple stages, and you can configure a supported assistant CLI or OpenRouter.

Who it is for

  • Researchers who want AI assistance across several stages of a research project.
  • Research teams and builders who want to run the workspace on their own machine.

Documented uses

  • Organize AI-assisted literature reviews.
  • Develop and refine research ideas.
  • Support experiment development and analysis.
  • Draft papers, prepare review responses and deliver research outputs.
Before you choose

Requirements & limits

The README documents running the project locally through npx or from source. Source setup requires Node.js v20 or later and at least one configured assistant CLI. The README describes the project as open source and labels the desktop app beta.

  • A supported CLI is a prerequisite for the documented source setup; OpenRouter has its own API-key setup.
  • The source setup creates a local browser account after the application starts.
  • The project describes a skills library for tasks including ideation, experiment development, analysis, paper writing and review response.
  • The README notes that the frontend UI may have occasional bugs and describes terminal interaction as more stable and lightweight.

Check current requirements in the official documentation. Source-based guidance does not mean OpenViST has run or independently tested this project.

Source-based practical guide

Start Dr Claw from its source repository

Install the project and start its local development application.

Before you start

  • Node.js v20 or higher; v22 LTS is recommended.
  • At least one configured CLI: Claude Code, Gemini CLI or Codex.
  • Some systems may need native build tools for dependencies.

Steps

  1. Clone https://github.com/OpenLAIR/dr-claw and change into the repository directory.

  2. Run npm install.

  3. Copy .env.example to .env and edit settings such as ports if needed.

  4. Run npm run dev and open http://localhost:5173 in a browser to create an account.

Expected outcome

The local development application starts and can be opened in a browser.

Guide limitations

  • The guide documents starting the application, not completing a research task.
  • Some systems may need native build tools; the project directs users to its FAQ if installation fails.
Documentation 1 ↗
Evidence and transparency

Sources & review

Official repository ↗
Source record details
Source availability
Active
Sources checked
16 October 2026
Original website title
OpenLAIR/dr-claw · Official homepage title · retained in its source language
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