Autonomous Intelligent Operations Node
AION is a self-hosted AI agent that writes its own plugins, routes tasks across 6 providers, and works while you sleep — running 100% on your machine.
No cloud dependency beyond the LLM API. Everything else is local.
🧠 It extends itself. AION writes, hot-reloads, and creates its own plugins directly from chat. No manual skill files, no code editor. Just ask: "Add a tool that checks Bitcoin prices." The plugin is live immediately.
🎭 A personality that grows with you. AION's character evolves automatically — mood adapts to context, communication style deepens over 300+ exchanges, and every morning it surfaces your unfinished tasks without being asked.
💡 No API costs for everyday tasks. Connect your Claude.ai subscription ($20/mo) or Gemini free tier via OAuth. AION routes heavy tasks to powerful models and light tasks to free ones — automatically.
🖱 Controls your desktop. Screenshot, click, type, hotkeys — AION sees and controls your screen via pyautogui, without a browser extension or separate daemon.
Both are self-hosted, open-source AI agents with Web UI, MCP, scheduling, and semantic memory. Here's where they differ:
| AION | OpenClaw | |
|---|---|---|
| Writes its own plugins from chat | ✅ | ❌ |
| Evolving personality + mood engine | ✅ | ❌ |
| Proactive morning briefings | ✅ | ❌ |
| Use subscription (no per-token cost) | ✅ Claude + Gemini OAuth | ❌ API key required |
| Desktop automation (click, type, screenshot) | ✅ | ❌ |
| Web UI | ✅ | ✅ |
| Scheduled tasks / cron | ✅ | ✅ |
| MCP integrations | ✅ 1,700+ | ✅ plugin-based |
| Semantic RAG memory | ✅ | ✅ |
| Browser automation | ✅ Playwright | ✅ exec-based |
| Messaging: Telegram, Discord, Slack | ✅ | ✅ |
| Messaging: WhatsApp, Signal, iMessage | ❌ | ✅ |
| Mobile companion app | ❌ | ✅ |
| AI providers | 6 (incl. Ollama) | 40+ |
| Runtime | Python | Node.js |
OpenClaw is the better choice if you need WhatsApp/Signal/iMessage or a mobile companion app. AION is the better choice if you want an agent that evolves, extends itself, and thinks proactively.
pip install -r requirements.txt && pip install -e .
aion --setup # guided setup: API keys, plugins, providers
aion # ↑↓ arrow-key selector: Web UI or CLIaion --web # Web UI → http://localhost:7000
aion --cli # CLI mode (terminal only)
aion update # git pull + reinstall in one step| 🤖 6 AI providers + automatic failover | 🔐 Credentials vault (AES-encrypted) |
| 🔀 Task routing — best model per task type | 📱 Messaging: Telegram, Discord, Slack, Alexa |
| 🧩 Plugin system — hot-reload, one Python file | 🤖 Multi-agent delegation |
| 🌐 Browser automation (Playwright, 8 tools) | 🎙 Audio: TTS + STT, voice in Telegram |
| ⏰ Scheduler (cron + interval + natural language) | 🔒 100% local — no cloud beyond the LLM API |
| 🔌 MCP client — 1,700+ server integrations | 🧠 Semantic RAG memory (vector embeddings) |
| Provider | Free option | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Google Gemini | ✅ Free tier + Google OAuth | Recommended default |
| Anthropic Claude | ✅ Claude.ai subscription ($20/mo) | Best for coding + reasoning |
| OpenAI | — | GPT-4.1, o3, o4-mini |
| DeepSeek | — | Very low cost |
| xAI Grok | — | grok-3, grok-3-mini |
| Ollama | ✅ Fully local, offline | Any model, no API key |
Switch model any time: Web UI dropdown, POST /api/model, or just say "Switch to claude-opus-4-6".
pip install -r requirements.txt && pip install -e .
aion --setupThe setup wizard configures API keys, plugins, and providers. Everything can be changed later in the Web UI.
docker-compose upPlaywright/Chromium pre-installed. Volumes for .env, config, memory, and plugins.
| ⚙ Configuration & Troubleshooting | .env, config.json, task routing, file structure, troubleshooting |
| 🔌 Plugin Development | Writing plugins, tool registration, available plugins |
| 📡 REST API Reference | All endpoints, SSE stream events |
| 💬 Messaging & Integrations | Telegram, Discord, Slack, Alexa, Browser, MCP |
Made with Python · Powered by your choice of AI
AION is fully transparent — its codebase, prompts, and memory are always readable and editable.