IronClaw is a security-hardened fork of the OpenClaw architecture. Where OpenClaw optimises for flexibility, IronClaw optimises for a minimal, auditable attack surface. Every skill must be explicitly allowlisted. Every outbound network call is blocked until you grant the specific host. Every security event is logged — mandatorily. If your agent handles credentials, production infrastructure, or shared access, IronClaw's defaults are worth the extra setup time.
Guides
IronClaw uses the same skill architecture as OpenClaw — all 53 official skills are compatible. We don't maintain a separate skills database for IronClaw:
→ Skills Guide: Write Your Own Custom Skills
→ Skills Database: 53 Verified Official Skills
Install commands are identical: ironclaw skill install <name> — then run ironclaw allowlist add <name> to activate it.
At a Glance
| License | MIT core (free); advanced audit tooling commercial |
| Install | npm install -g ironclaw |
| Requires | Node.js 22.16+ or Node 24; Linux or macOS (WSL2 on Windows) |
| Port | 18790 (can run alongside OpenClaw on 18789) |
| Sandbox | Deny-by-default, seccomp-bpf (Linux) / sandbox-exec (macOS) |
| Skill activation | Install + ironclaw allowlist add <skill> |
| Audit log | Mandatory — gateway won't start without writable log path |
| Compatible skills | All 53 official OpenClaw skills |
| Typical monthly cost | Same as OpenClaw — depends on model choice, not IronClaw itself |
Related on This Site
- OpenClaw hub — the base framework IronClaw forks from; simpler setup, same skill ecosystem
- NemoClaw — a different security approach: Docker + OpenShell policy sandbox rather than syscall enforcement
- OpenClaw Security Hardening — if you want OpenClaw with better security but don't need IronClaw's full enforcement
- Weekly News Digest — IronClaw security advisories and CVE summaries every Monday