| name | uninstall-claw |
| description | Completely uninstall and remove Claw-family AI assistant tools (OpenClaw, NanoClaw, ZeroClaw, PicoClaw, IronClaw, TinyClaw, NullClaw) from macOS or Linux. Use this skill whenever a user wants to remove, uninstall, clean up, or get rid of any *Claw tool — even if they only mention one by name, or say things like "remove openclaw", "clean up claw stuff", "how do I get rid of zeroclaw", "uninstall all the claw tools", or "I want to remove nanoclaw completely". Also trigger when users mention leftover claw config files, claw services still running, or claw Docker containers they want gone. |
Uninstall Claw Tools
This skill helps users completely remove any Claw-family AI assistant from their system. It covers OpenClaw, NanoClaw, ZeroClaw, PicoClaw, IronClaw, TinyClaw, and NullClaw.
The approach is: detect first, then confirm, then remove. Never delete anything without showing the user what will be removed and getting their OK.
Step 1: Scan the System
Run the detection script to find all installed Claw tools:
bash <skill-path>/scripts/detect-claw.sh
This script checks for:
- Binaries in PATH (openclaw, nanoclaw, zeroclaw, picoclaw, ironclaw, tinyclaw, nullclaw)
- Config/state directories (~/.openclaw, ~/.nanoclaw, ~/.zeroclaw, ~/.picoclaw, ~/.ironclaw, ~/.tinyclaw, ~/.nullclaw, ~/.config/zeroclaw)
- macOS LaunchAgent plists (ai.openclaw.gateway.plist and similar)
- Linux systemd services (claw services)
- Docker containers and images with "claw" in the name
- npm/pnpm/bun global packages
- Cargo-installed binaries
Present the results to the user in a clear summary. If nothing is found, tell them their system looks clean.
Step 2: Confirm What to Remove
Show the user exactly what was detected and ask which tools they want to uninstall. Offer these options:
- Remove everything detected
- Pick specific tools to remove
- Do a dry run first (show what would happen without actually doing it)
Step 3: Uninstall Each Tool
For each tool the user wants removed, follow this order. The order matters — stop running things before removing their files:
3a. Stop and remove services
macOS (launchctl):
launchctl unload ~/Library/LaunchAgents/ai.openclaw.gateway.plist 2>/dev/null
rm -f ~/Library/LaunchAgents/ai.openclaw.gateway.plist
Linux (systemd):
sudo systemctl stop openclaw-gateway 2>/dev/null
sudo systemctl disable openclaw-gateway 2>/dev/null
sudo rm -f /etc/systemd/system/openclaw-gateway.service
sudo systemctl daemon-reload
zeroclaw service stop 2>/dev/null
zeroclaw service uninstall 2>/dev/null
3b. Try the built-in uninstaller (if available)
Some tools have their own uninstall command. Try it first — it may handle things we'd otherwise miss:
openclaw gateway stop 2>/dev/null
openclaw gateway uninstall 2>/dev/null
openclaw uninstall --all --yes --non-interactive 2>/dev/null
zeroclaw service uninstall 2>/dev/null
If the built-in uninstaller fails or isn't available, that's fine — the manual steps below cover everything.
3c. Remove config and state directories
rm -rf ~/.openclaw
rm -rf ~/.nanoclaw
rm -rf ~/.zeroclaw
rm -rf ~/.config/zeroclaw
rm -rf ~/.picoclaw
rm -rf ~/.ironclaw
rm -rf ~/.tinyclaw
rm -rf ~/.nullclaw
Only remove directories for tools the user chose to uninstall. Always confirm before running rm -rf on these directories.
3d. Remove CLI binaries
npm/pnpm/bun globals:
npm rm -g openclaw 2>/dev/null
pnpm remove -g openclaw 2>/dev/null
bun remove -g openclaw 2>/dev/null
Cargo:
cargo uninstall zeroclaw 2>/dev/null
cargo uninstall picoclaw 2>/dev/null
cargo uninstall ironclaw 2>/dev/null
Standalone binaries: If a binary was installed directly (not via a package manager), find it with which <toolname> and remove it:
rm -f "$(which picoclaw)" 2>/dev/null
3e. Clean up Docker artifacts (NanoClaw, PicoClaw)
docker ps -a --filter "name=claw" --format '{{.Names}}' | xargs -r docker rm -f 2>/dev/null
docker images --format '{{.Repository}}:{{.Tag}}' | grep -i claw | xargs -r docker rmi 2>/dev/null
3f. Clean up shell profile entries
Check these files for any claw-related PATH additions or environment variables:
~/.bashrc, ~/.bash_profile, ~/.zshrc, ~/.profile- Look for lines containing "claw" (case-insensitive)
Show the user any matching lines and let them decide whether to remove them. Do not auto-edit shell profiles without confirmation.
Step 4: Post-Uninstall Reminders
After removal, remind the user about these important security steps:
Revoke OAuth tokens and API keys:
- If OpenClaw was connected to services (Google, Slack, Telegram, Discord, Gmail, WhatsApp), the OAuth tokens may still be valid even after uninstalling
- Guide the user to revoke access:
- Any API keys stored in the claw config directories are now deleted, but if the user copied them elsewhere or they're still active on the provider side, they should rotate them
Check for lingering processes:
ps aux | grep -i claw | grep -v grep
Step 5: Final Summary
Give the user a clear summary of:
- What was removed
- What was skipped (and why)
- Any manual steps they still need to take (like revoking OAuth tokens)
- Confirmation that their system is clean
Tips
- If the user isn't sure which Claw tools they have, just run the detection script — it'll find everything
- If the user wants to keep config/data but remove the tools, skip step 3c and mention that their data is still in the config directories
- Some users may have custom install locations — ask if they installed anything to a non-standard path
- The detection script is safe to run — it only reads, never writes or deletes
