ZeroClaw Setup Guide: MiniMax M2.5, GLM-5, and Discord on Your VPS

ZeroClaw showed up on my radar last week and I had to try it. It’s a self-hosted AI assistant written entirely in Rust that compiles down to a 3.4MB binary and uses less than 5MB of RAM at runtime. For context, that’s about 200x less memory than OpenClaw and roughly 20x less than nanobot. If you’ve been running nanobot or OpenClaw and wanted something leaner, this is worth looking at.

This guide walks through getting ZeroClaw running on a VPS with MiniMax M2.5 and GLM-5 as your models, Brave Search for web access, and Discord as the chat channel.

If you’re comparing self-hosted bot options, our OpenClaw alternatives roundup includes ZeroClaw alongside nanobot, NanoClaw, memU, and PicoClaw.

What ZeroClaw actually is

ZeroClaw is a Rust-based AI assistant from zeroclaw-labs. It boots in under 10ms, uses less than 5MB of RAM, and the release binary is about 3.4MB. Everything is built around traits, which is Rust’s version of interfaces. Want to swap your LLM provider? Change one line in a TOML file. Same goes for channels, memory backends, and tools.

The architecture looks like this:

You (Discord / Telegram / Slack / iMessage / Matrix / etc.)
    ↓
ZeroClaw Gateway (running on your VPS, 127.0.0.1:8080)
    ↓
LLM Provider (OpenRouter, Anthropic, OpenAI, Ollama, MiniMax, Zhipu, etc.)
    ↓
Tools (shell, file access, web search, memory, Composio integrations)

Messages come in from your chat app, ZeroClaw routes them to whatever LLM you configured, and the model can use built-in tools to get work done. The gateway binds to localhost by default and requires a pairing code before accepting any webhook requests. That’s a nice security default that most alternatives skip.

How it compares

Why MiniMax M2.5 and GLM-5

Both of these models came out in February 2026 and they pair well with a lightweight bot like ZeroClaw.

MiniMax M2.5

MiniMax M2.5 is a 230B Mixture-of-Experts model with only 10B active parameters per pass. It runs fast and cheap:

It scores 80.2% on SWE-Bench Verified, matching Claude Opus 4.6 at roughly 1/20th the cost. The 1M token context window means ZeroClaw won’t hit context limits even with long conversations.

GLM-5

GLM-5 from Zhipu AI is a 744B MoE model with 40-44B active parameters:

GLM-5 ranks first among open-source models on BrowseComp (web search agent tasks), so it’s a solid pick for a bot that does a lot of web lookups.

Both models are available through their own APIs and through OpenRouter if you want a single gateway.

Installation

Two main ways to get ZeroClaw installed: from source or via Docker.

sudo apt update
sudo apt install build-essential pkg-config
curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://sh.rustup.rs | sh
source $HOME/.cargo/env

git clone https://github.com/zeroclaw-labs/zeroclaw.git
cd zeroclaw
cargo build --release --locked
cargo install --path . --force --locked

# Using docker-compose
curl -O https://raw.githubusercontent.com/zeroclaw-labs/zeroclaw/main/docker-compose.yml

# Set your API key
export API_KEY="sk-your-key-here"

# Start
docker-compose up -d

git clone https://github.com/zeroclaw-labs/zeroclaw.git
cd zeroclaw
docker build -t zeroclaw .

After installing, run the onboard wizard:

# Quick setup (non-interactive)
zeroclaw onboard --api-key sk-... --provider openrouter

# Or interactive wizard
zeroclaw onboard --interactive

This creates the ~/.zeroclaw/ directory with a config.toml and a workspace folder.

Check that everything’s working:

zeroclaw status

Configuring MiniMax M2.5

ZeroClaw uses TOML for configuration instead of JSON. The config lives at ~/.zeroclaw/config.toml.

Get an API key

1. Go to platform.minimax.io (global) or minimaxi.com (mainland China)
2. Create an account and generate an API key

Add to config

ZeroClaw supports MiniMax through OpenRouter or as a custom OpenAI-compatible endpoint. The simplest way is via OpenRouter:

api_key = "sk-or-your-openrouter-key"
default_provider = "openrouter"
default_model = "minimax/MiniMax-M2.5"
default_temperature = 0.7

If you want to hit MiniMax’s API directly, use a custom provider:

api_key = "your-minimax-api-key"
default_provider = "custom:https://api.minimax.chat/v1"
default_model = "MiniMax-M2.5"
default_temperature = 0.7

For the mainland China endpoint, swap the URL to https://api.minimaxi.com/v1.

Test it

zeroclaw agent -m "What's 42 * 17?"

If you get a response, MiniMax is working.

Configuring GLM-5 (Zhipu)

GLM-5 works through OpenRouter or directly via Zhipu’s API.

Get an API key

1. Go to z.ai
2. Register and create an API key

Add to config

Via OpenRouter:

api_key = "sk-or-your-openrouter-key"
default_provider = "openrouter"
default_model = "zhipu/glm-5"
default_temperature = 0.7

Or directly via Zhipu’s API:

api_key = "your-zhipu-api-key"
default_provider = "custom:https://api.z.ai/api/coding/paas/v4"
default_model = "glm-5"
default_temperature = 0.7

Switching between models

ZeroClaw reads the model from config.toml, so switching is just editing one line. No restart needed if you’re using the CLI. For the gateway, restart with zeroclaw gateway.

Setting up Brave Search

Without web search, your bot is limited to the model’s training data and whatever files are on your server. Brave Search gives it live web access.

Get a Brave API key

1. Go to brave.com/search/api
2. Sign up for an account
3. The free tier gives you about 1,000 searches per month
4. Generate an API key from the dashboard

Add to config

[browser]
enabled = true
allowed_domains = ["*"]

ZeroClaw’s browser tool supports Brave Search through the browser_open tool. Set the Brave API key as an environment variable:

export BRAVE_API_KEY="your-brave-search-api-key"

Or add it to the config if you prefer everything in one place. The allowed_domains array controls which domains the bot can browse. Use ["*"] during setup, then lock it down to specific domains later.

Discord setup

Discord is one of the 8+ channels ZeroClaw supports. The integration uses Discord’s WebSocket gateway directly, so you don’t need a webhook URL or public endpoint.

Create a Discord bot

1. Go to discord.com/developers/applications
2. Click New Application, give it a name
3. Go to Bot in the left sidebar, click Add Bot
4. Copy the bot token

Enable intents

Still in the Bot settings page:

1. Scroll down to Privileged Gateway Intents
2. Enable MESSAGE CONTENT INTENT (required, or the bot can’t read messages)
3. Optionally enable SERVER MEMBERS INTENT if you want to use allowlists by username

Get your user ID

1. Open Discord Settings → Advanced → enable Developer Mode
2. Right-click your avatar anywhere in Discord
3. Click Copy User ID

Configure ZeroClaw

Add the Discord channel config to your ~/.zeroclaw/config.toml:

[channels_config.discord]
token = "YOUR_DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN"
allowed_users = ["YOUR_USER_ID"]

Invite the bot to your server

1. In the Discord developer portal, go to OAuth2 → URL Generator
2. Under Scopes, check bot
3. Under Bot Permissions, check Send Messages and Read Message History
4. Copy the generated URL and open it in your browser
5. Select the server to add the bot to

Start the daemon

zeroclaw daemon

This starts the full autonomous runtime including all configured channels. For just the gateway:

zeroclaw gateway

Send a message in Discord. The bot should respond. If nothing happens, run zeroclaw doctor to diagnose channel issues, or zeroclaw channel doctor for targeted channel health checks.

Full config example

Here’s what a complete ~/.zeroclaw/config.toml looks like with OpenRouter (for MiniMax M2.5), Brave Search, Discord, and SQLite memory:

api_key = "sk-or-your-openrouter-key"
default_provider = "openrouter"
default_model = "minimax/MiniMax-M2.5"
default_temperature = 0.7

[memory]
backend = "sqlite"
auto_save = true
embedding_provider = "openai"
vector_weight = 0.7
keyword_weight = 0.3

[gateway]
require_pairing = true
allow_public_bind = false

[autonomy]
level = "supervised"
workspace_only = true
allowed_commands = ["git", "npm", "cargo", "ls", "cat", "grep"]
forbidden_paths = ["/etc", "/root", "/proc", "/sys", "~/.ssh", "~/.gnupg", "~/.aws"]

[channels_config.discord]
token = "YOUR_DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN"
allowed_users = ["YOUR_USER_ID"]

[browser]
enabled = true
allowed_domains = ["docs.rs", "github.com", "stackoverflow.com"]

[heartbeat]
enabled = false
interval_minutes = 30

[tunnel]
provider = "none"

[secrets]
encrypt = true

Config settings explained

Provider system

ZeroClaw ships with 22+ built-in providers. Every provider implements the same Provider trait, so swapping between them is a config change.

For MiniMax and Zhipu specifically, use either OpenRouter or the custom: provider with their API URLs. ZeroClaw’s custom provider works with any OpenAI-compatible endpoint, which covers both.

Memory system

ZeroClaw’s memory goes further than what nanobot or OpenClaw offer. It’s a hybrid search engine built on SQLite with no external dependencies:

The bot automatically stores, recalls, and manages memory through built-in tools. No external services needed. No Pinecone, no Elasticsearch.

[memory]
backend = "sqlite"
auto_save = true
embedding_provider = "openai"
vector_weight = 0.7
keyword_weight = 0.3

Set embedding_provider = "noop" if you don’t want to pay for OpenAI embeddings. You’ll lose vector search but keyword search (FTS5) still works well on its own.

Identity files

Like nanobot, ZeroClaw uses workspace files to shape the bot’s personality:

Edit these in ~/.zeroclaw/workspace/. ZeroClaw also supports AIEOS (AI Entity Object Specification) as an alternative identity format if you want portable AI personas.

Docker deployment

For Docker, ZeroClaw has a multi-stage Dockerfile with both dev and production targets. The production image uses Google’s distroless base, so it’s tiny.

Using docker-compose

# Download the compose file
curl -O https://raw.githubusercontent.com/zeroclaw-labs/zeroclaw/main/docker-compose.yml

# Create .env file
cat > .env << 'EOF'
API_KEY=sk-or-your-openrouter-key
PROVIDER=openrouter
ZEROCLAW_MODEL=minimax/MiniMax-M2.5
HOST_PORT=3000
EOF

# Start
docker-compose up -d

Manual Docker run

# Build
docker build -t zeroclaw --target release .

# Run
docker run -d \
  -e API_KEY="sk-or-your-openrouter-key" \
  -e PROVIDER="openrouter" \
  -e ZEROCLAW_MODEL="minimax/MiniMax-M2.5" \
  -v zeroclaw-data:/zeroclaw-data \
  -p 3000:3000 \
  --name zeroclaw \
  zeroclaw

The container runs as a non-root user (UID 65534) by default.

Health checks

The compose file includes a health check using zeroclaw doctor:

healthcheck:
  test: ["CMD", "zeroclaw", "doctor"]
  interval: 30s
  timeout: 10s
  retries: 3

Security settings

ZeroClaw’s security defaults are stricter than most alternatives. A few things worth knowing:

Gateway pairing

When you start the gateway, ZeroClaw generates a 6-digit one-time pairing code. You need to exchange this code for a bearer token before the gateway accepts any webhook requests:

# Start gateway (shows pairing code in logs)
zeroclaw gateway

# Exchange code for token
curl -X POST http://127.0.0.1:8080/pair \
  -H "X-Pairing-Code: 123456"

All subsequent /webhook requests need the Authorization: Bearer <token> header.

Workspace sandboxing

[autonomy]
workspace_only = true
allowed_commands = ["git", "npm", "cargo", "ls", "cat", "grep"]
forbidden_paths = ["/etc", "/root", "/proc", "/sys", "~/.ssh", "~/.gnupg", "~/.aws"]

With workspace_only = true, the bot can only access files inside its workspace. 14 system directories and 4 sensitive dotfiles are blocked by default. Symlink escape attempts are caught through path canonicalization.

Localhost-only binding

The gateway binds to 127.0.0.1 by default and refuses to bind to 0.0.0.0 unless you either configure a tunnel (Cloudflare, Tailscale, ngrok) or explicitly set allow_public_bind = true.

CLI reference

The migrate openclaw command is handy if you’re switching from OpenClaw. Run --dry-run first to preview what gets imported.

VPS hosting

ZeroClaw runs on just about anything. I tested it on a Hetzner CX22 (2 vCPU, 4GB RAM) at €4.35/month, but honestly it would run fine on much cheaper hardware. The project claims it works on $10 single-board computers and I believe it given the memory footprint.

Quick setup on a fresh Ubuntu 24.04 VPS:

ssh root@YOUR_SERVER_IP

# Update system
apt update && apt upgrade -y

# Install Rust
curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://sh.rustup.rs | sh
source $HOME/.cargo/env

# Clone and build
git clone https://github.com/zeroclaw-labs/zeroclaw.git
cd zeroclaw
cargo build --release --locked
cargo install --path . --force --locked

# Initialize
zeroclaw onboard --interactive

# Edit config
nano ~/.zeroclaw/config.toml

# Start
zeroclaw daemon

For a proper daemon setup, install ZeroClaw as a system service:

zeroclaw service install
zeroclaw service start
zeroclaw service status

This creates a systemd user service that starts on boot and restarts on failure.

If you want to run local models alongside ZeroClaw, check our guide on installing Ollama with Docker. ZeroClaw’s Ollama provider connects to any local Ollama instance without extra config.

ZeroClaw vs nanobot vs OpenClaw

I run all three at this point, so here’s a direct comparison:

ZeroClaw wins on resource usage and security. nanobot wins on setup speed and channel count. OpenClaw has the most polished onboarding experience with its OAuth flow for existing Claude/ChatGPT subscriptions.

For the nanobot setup guide, see our full walkthrough. For OpenClaw, see the setup guide. For a Go-based alternative that runs on $10 hardware, check out our PicoClaw setup guide.

If you want to explore other AI coding tools, our AI coding tools comparison covers the current landscape. For a self-improving assistant with voice mode and OpenClaw migration, see the Hermes Agent setup guide. For MCP basics that work across all these assistants, check the MCP introduction for beginners.

Este artículo también está disponible en español: Guía de Configuración de ZeroClaw.