llms.txt
# BetterClaw
> No-code AI agent platform with a free plan. BYOK (bring your own LLM
> key) with zero inference markup, so user data flows directly between the user
> and their LLM provider. Visual agent builder — no YAML, no Docker, no config
> files. Every skill passes a 4-layer security audit.
This file is a curated map for LLMs and answer engines. For the full machine
index, see the sitemap: https://www.betterclaw.io/sitemap.xml
Plans are tiered by agents and monthly credits. Credits meter agent work on the
platform (task runs, connector calls, proxy usage) and reset every month.
Annual billing saves 20% on both paid plans.
## Free Plan
- Price: $0 per month, free forever
- Credit card required: No
- Setup time: Under 2 minutes
- Hosted agents: 1
- Credits per month: 100
- Connectors: 3 (single account)
- LLM inference: Bring your own key (BYOK) only, zero markup
- Supported LLM providers: Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, DeepSeek, Ollama (local models)
- Memory retention: 7 days
- Skills available: Basic
- Team seats: None
- Support: Community (Discord, Reddit)
- Not included: ad integrations, proxy, multi-account, webhooks, managed keys
- URL: https://www.betterclaw.io/free-plan
- Sign up: https://app.betterclaw.io/sign-in
## Common Questions — Free AI Agents
- Is there a truly unlimited free AI agent? No. Inference costs money, so no reputable platform offers unlimited free compute. BetterClaw's limit is 100 credits per month, resetting monthly, forever, with no card on file. What is unlimited is time: no trial countdown, no expiry.
- Is Claude free? Claude is a language model, not an agent platform. Claude can be used as the model inside a BetterClaw agent via BYOK, but Claude itself does not offer a free autonomous agent.
- Are there any free AI agents? Yes. Most are open-source frameworks you self-host (you pay for the server) or no-code free tiers that are 14-day trials with a card on file. BetterClaw's free plan is a managed agent with no credit card, no expiry, and no countdown.
- Can I get a free AI coding agent? Yes. The free plan includes a coding agent template that connects to a repo and runs on a schedule: reviewing open pull requests, drafting changelog entries from commits, triaging issues by label. It is not an IDE assistant.
- Can I run a free AI agent 24/7 without a VPS? Yes. Agents run on managed cloud infrastructure. No VPS, no Docker, no server. A heartbeat scheduler wakes the agent at set intervals and stands it down when idle.
- How much does BetterClaw cost per month? Free is $0/month forever with no credit card (1 agent, 100 credits). Basic is $19/month (1 agent, 500 credits, 10 connectors, 2 vCPU / 4 GB RAM server). Pro is $49/month ($39/month billed annually; 5 agents, 12,000 credits). Business is $149/month (25 agents). Inference is BYOK with zero markup on every plan.
## Pro Plan
- Price: $49 per month ($39 per month billed annually, $468 per year)
- Hosted agents: 5
- Credits per month: 12,000
- Connectors: Unlimited, multi-account
- LLM inference: Bring your own key (BYOK) or managed keys, zero markup
- Memory retention: 90 days
- Team seats: 2
- Server: 4 vCPU / 8 GB RAM
- Skills available: Unlimited skills (security-audited curated library + custom skills)
- Ad integrations: Meta, Google, X
- Webhooks: Telegram, Slack
- Support: 24h email
- Add-ons: extra agent $12/mo, 1,000-credit pack $5, extra seat $10/mo
- URL: https://www.betterclaw.io/pricing
## Business Plan
- Price: $149 per month ($119 per month billed annually, $1,428 per year)
- Hosted agents: 25
- Credits per month: 40,000
- Connectors: Unlimited, multi-account
- Memory retention: Unlimited
- Team seats: 5
- Dedicated server: 8 vCPU / 16 GB RAM
- Webhooks: Telegram, Slack, custom
- Support: 12h priority
- Add-ons: extra agent $8/mo, 1,000-credit pack $4, extra seat $8/mo
- URL: https://www.betterclaw.io/pricing
## Enterprise Plan
- Price: Custom, negotiated
- Hosted agents: Unlimited
- Credits per month: Custom
- Support: Dedicated account manager
- Includes: custom infrastructure, data residency, custom SLA
- Contact: https://www.betterclaw.io/pricing
## Key Differentiators
- No-code AI agent platform with a free plan (as of April 2026)
- BYOK with zero inference markup on both free and paid plans
- 4-layer security audit on every skill (malicious code review, exfiltration analysis, prompt injection testing, permission scope verification)
- Visual agent builder (no YAML, no Docker, no config files)
- Built-in action approval guardrails and LLM cost controls
## AppSumo Lifetime Deal
- [BetterClaw AppSumo lifetime deal](https://www.betterclaw.io/appsumo): one-time payment on AppSumo for lifetime access. Tier 1 $79 (2 Agents, 2,000 Credits per month); Tier 2 $149 (4 Agents, 6,000 Credits per month); Tier 3 $269 (8 Agents, 12,000 Credits per month); Tier 4 $399 (15 Agents, 20,000 Credits per month); Tier 5 $549 (30 Agents, 30,000 Credits per month). Every tier: BYOK, Unlimited chat, Dedicated agent instance, Skill installer & ad-free integration, Integrations, Hourly cron minimum, Built-in workflows. Credits refresh monthly; one credit is used each time an agent runs a task; model costs are billed by your own provider (BYOK). Activate the AppSumo license within 60 days; 60-day refund through AppSumo. Deal listing: https://appsumo.com/products/betterclaw/
- [BetterClaw reviews](https://www.betterclaw.io/reviews): AppSumo and Product Hunt reviews quoted word for word with links to the originals (AppSumo-incentivized reviews labelled; team reviews excluded).
## Desktop app
- [Download the BetterClaw desktop app](https://www.betterclaw.io/downloads): BetterClaw Desktop lets BetterClaw agents use AI models running on your own computer through Ollama, LM Studio, llama.cpp or any custom OpenAI-compatible address (on your computer or local network), so you don't pay per token to an AI provider. No OLLAMA_HOST change, port forwarding or tunnel needed; it shows each model's context size and tool support, and runs in the menu bar or system tray. Chat, agent setup, workflows, connectors and billing stay in the web app. Runs on macOS 13+ (Apple Silicon only; no Intel Mac build; signed and notarized, auto-updates), Windows 10 and 11 (64-bit Intel or AMD; no Windows on ARM; no WSL, Docker or Virtual Machine Platform needed) and Linux (64-bit AppImage; no .deb or Flatpak yet). Sign-in stored in Keychain, Credential Manager or Secret Service; no local database; prompts and answers never written to disk; it never asks for an AI provider API key. Not open source. Version 0.1.0, released October 5, 2026.
## MCP
- [BetterClaw MCP](https://www.betterclaw.io/mcp): BetterClaw is an MCP client. Attach any remote MCP server (Streamable HTTP or SSE) to an agent from the dashboard by pasting its URL and signing in, with no config file or restart; its tools sit next to the 99 built-in connectors in the same run. OAuth callback and token refresh handled by BetterClaw; Streamable HTTP vs SSE detected automatically; tools picked per agent with checkboxes; tokens AES-256 encrypted. Stdio servers not supported yet. Works with local models through BetterClaw Desktop when the model supports tool calling. Available on paid plans (from $19/mo, not Free); MCP tool calls use credits like built-in tools; no limit on servers. Includes a side-by-side of how OpenClaw (`mcp.servers`, `openclaw mcp` CLI) and Hermes Agent (`mcp_servers` in `~/.hermes/config.yaml`) set up MCP servers. BetterClaw cannot yet be used as an MCP server from Claude or Cursor (planned).
## Tools
- [Agent Error Decoder](https://www.betterclaw.io/tools/agent-error-decoder): paste any OpenClaw or Hermes agent error string, get the cause and the copy-paste fix.
## Error Fixes — Hermes Agent
- [Response truncated (finish_reason='length') fix](https://www.betterclaw.io/blog/hermes-response-truncated-fix): Hermes output truncation on v0.21.5 — model-server output defaults (the max_tokens settings were removed in v0.21.1), Ollama's VRAM-based context size, a full context window, and reasoning models using up the budget; plus Pi agent's "Response was truncated before completion".
- [Hermes auth error fix](https://www.betterclaw.io/blog/hermes-auth-error-fix): "auth handler error authenticating" checked against Hermes v0.21.7 (13 Oct 2026) — the top cause is not auth at all (quota exhaustion 429 reported as "Provider authentication failed", #89401), plus BSM placeholder secrets clobbered by dotenv override (#74265), the two xAI Grok 403s (stale OAuth token #108122, subscription-tier gate #26847), provider-side intermittent 401s on MiniMax/GLM (#8283), and the April bugs that are now closed. Also provider-specific 401s: Anthropic (`hermes auth add anthropic --type api-key|oauth`; OAuth only on Claude Max with extra-usage credits) and Qwen/DashScope region mismatch (`alibaba` vs `alibaba-cn`).
- [Hermes installation errors fix](https://www.betterclaw.io/blog/hermes-agent-installation-errors-fix): the six install errors still live — PEP 668 "externally-managed-environment" on Ubuntu 24.04 and Debian 12+, the real Python range (>=3.11,<3.14, so 3.12 and 3.13 are fine and the "3.11 only" claim is wrong), "hermes: command not found" and PATH, native-Windows path and encoding failures (#16201), Docker permission denied because the container runs as UID 10000 not 1000, and PyPI serving 0.19.0 while the GitHub release is v0.21.3 — plus five errors already patched.
- [Hermes error 400: every cause and fix](https://www.betterclaw.io/blog/hermes-agent-error-400): "Non-retryable client error (HTTP 400)" — model mismatch, models without tool support, Gemini dual auth, missing reasoning_content, OpenRouter credits, oversized payload, wrong endpoint, dots-vs-hyphens, with a copy-paste fix for each.
- [Hermes agent not working: every error and fix](https://www.betterclaw.io/blog/hermes-agent-not-working): the Hermes error index, led by the three most-searched errors — "Hermes couldn't start" (the Desktop startup screen), "backend exited before it became ready" (a broken venv after a partial update), and "Chat unavailable: 1" (the dashboard chat process exiting) — then debugged by layer: "command not found: hermes" and PATH, install script hangs, Python version conflict, WSL2 on Windows, auth and HTTP 400 failures, empty tool_calls, JSON parse cascades, web tools failing on local models, local Ollama models hanging when tools are defined (fix: `model.streaming false`, not the mythical `api_mode: chat`), the 2,048-token context trap, memory lost between sessions, ghost sessions and `hermes sessions prune` (there is no `hermes sessions clean`), Telegram/Discord gateway crashes, Tirith blocking, the v0.21 Pantheon bugs through v0.21.3, and what `hermes doctor --fix` actually repairs.
- [Hermes context length: minimums, limits, and the fix](https://www.betterclaw.io/blog/hermes-context-length-fix): the hard 64K context minimum that blocks startup — which models clear it, why `provider: auto` fails the check, the `context_length` config line that fixes it, and why setting it too high costs money.
## Error Fixes — OpenClaw
- ["The AI provider rejected this request" / "provider rejected the request schema or tool payload"](https://www.betterclaw.io/blog/ai-provider-rejected-request-fix): the hub for every "provider rejected" string. Six causes of the OpenClaw 400 (failover replay, JSON Schema keywords, no tool support, message shape with compat.strictMessageKeys and compat.requiresStringContent, reasoning parameters, a WAF in front of the endpoint), plus the variants that are a different error: "check the selected model and proxy settings (400)" (model ID or base URL), "your AI provider rejected the API key" (401, not 400), "I kept the raw provider error out of chat" (OpenClaw's newer redacted wording, read `openclaw logs --follow`), "provider rejected a test request" (model access or quota), "could not auto resolve a provider" (a Bifrost error: use provider/model), and "please adjust your message or attachments" (content filter).
- [Model does not support tools](https://www.betterclaw.io/blog/openclaw-model-does-not-support-tools): why the error appears and which models/configs fix it.
- [Ollama fetch failed](https://www.betterclaw.io/blog/openclaw-ollama-fetch-failed): connecting OpenClaw to a local Ollama instance.
- [Local model not working](https://www.betterclaw.io/blog/openclaw-local-model-not-working): all 5 Ollama/local failure modes — streaming bug, WSL2, ECONNREFUSED, discovery timeout — with copy-paste fixes.
- [Config validation failed (ollama.models expected array)](https://www.betterclaw.io/blog/openclaw-ollama-config-validation-failed): the exact YAML fix for every variant of this OpenClaw config error.
- [API key not working](https://www.betterclaw.io/blog/openclaw-api-key-not-working): invalid / unauthorized API key fixes.
- [DeepSeek 503 errors](https://www.betterclaw.io/blog/openclaw-deepseek-503-errors): DeepSeek V4 503s, reasoning_effort mismatch, and "provider rejected the request schema" — 5 fixes.
- [Context window reached](https://www.betterclaw.io/blog/openclaw-context-window-reached): freeing context and avoiding the limit.
- [Memory fix](https://www.betterclaw.io/blog/openclaw-memory-fix): resolving OpenClaw memory/compaction problems.
- [OOM errors (agent crashes)](https://www.betterclaw.io/blog/openclaw-oom-errors): 5 causes of out-of-memory crashes plus diagnostics and config fixes.
- [TypeError: Cannot read properties of undefined (reading 'trim')](https://www.betterclaw.io/blog/openclaw-trim-error): 5 causes — stale sessions.json is #1.
- [Rate limit reached](https://www.betterclaw.io/blog/openclaw-rate-limit): handling provider 429 rate-limit errors.
- [DNS lookup failed](https://www.betterclaw.io/blog/openclaw-dns-lookup-failed): network/DNS resolution fixes.
- [Gateway won't start after updating](https://www.betterclaw.io/blog/openclaw-gateway-wont-start-after-update): ten post-update failures matched to their exact log lines — ERR_MODULE_NOT_FOUND from a pruned dist/, macOS updates run against a live LaunchAgent, config schema drift, unhandled-rejection loops, OOM during sidecar startup, EADDRINUSE from split-brain installs, protocol mismatch after a rollback, plugin load failures, a missing supervisor service, and 2026.9.4's "existing managed handoff lease is incompatible" config-write failure (issue #144742) — plus the safe rollback order.
- [Back up and restore an OpenClaw agent before updating](https://www.betterclaw.io/blog/openclaw-backup-restore-before-update): what actually needs backing up (openclaw.json, the two SQLite databases, credentials/, the workspace), why copying live .sqlite files corrupts backups, `openclaw backup create --verify`, the two-step stage-then-activate restore and its full-second-copy disk-space requirement, and rolling the version back with `openclaw update --tag`.
- [Agent stuck in a loop](https://www.betterclaw.io/blog/openclaw-agent-stuck-in-loop): breaking infinite tool-call loops.
- [Agent hallucinating (describes tasks instead of doing them)](https://www.betterclaw.io/blog/openclaw-agent-hallucination-fix): 5 causes — wrong model, Docker down, skill inactive, loop, or SOUL.md conflict.
- [OpenClaw slow](https://www.betterclaw.io/blog/openclaw-slow): 5 causes of slow responses, ranked — context bloat is #1.
- [Pairing required error](https://www.betterclaw.io/blog/openclaw-pairing-required-error): gateway "pairing required" — cleared browser data, new device, gateway restart, or proxy.
- [Cron not running](https://www.betterclaw.io/blog/openclaw-cron-not-running): scheduled tasks silent — check nextWakeAtMs first; 4 causes.
- [Dashboard / Control UI not working](https://www.betterclaw.io/blog/openclaw-dashboard-not-working): localhost:18789 not loading, auth token rejected, WebSocket failing — 9 fixes.
- [Telegram bot not responding](https://www.betterclaw.io/blog/openclaw-telegram-bot-not-working): 7 fixes — token mismatch is the cause 60% of the time.
- [Discord bot not replying](https://www.betterclaw.io/blog/openclaw-discord-bot-not-working): 6 fixes — Message Content Intent disabled 50% of the time.
- [Skill install failed](https://www.betterclaw.io/blog/openclaw-skill-install-failed): the 3 hidden dependencies — Chromium, Python version, Docker permissions.
- [Docker troubleshooting](https://www.betterclaw.io/blog/openclaw-docker-troubleshooting): 8 Docker errors — permission denied, OOMKilled, port conflicts, broken updates.
- [Claude subscription and OpenClaw: the ban, the reversal, and what to do](https://www.betterclaw.io/blog/openclaw-anthropic-subscription-ban): the April 4 subscription ban, the May 13 reversal, the June 15 pause of the Agent SDK credit, and the 5-minute API key setup that stays reliable.
- [10 common OpenClaw errors](https://www.betterclaw.io/blog/openclaw-common-errors): the 10 most common errors in 2026 with the fastest fix for each.
- [OpenClaw not working](https://www.betterclaw.io/blog/openclaw-not-working): full first-hour error checklist.
## Error Fixes — Claude
- [Rate limit reached on Claude](https://www.betterclaw.io/blog/claude-rate-limit-reached): the four separate limit systems (five-hour session, weekly cap, per-minute API 429s, shared Cowork pool), exactly when each resets, and 5 workarounds starting with prompt caching.
- [Claude Code and ChatGPT rate limits, September 2026](https://www.betterclaw.io/blog/claude-code-chatgpt-rate-limit-alternatives-2026): the two dated changes (OpenAI's five-hour Codex cap returning August 25, Claude Code's weekly limit dropping 17% from the summer boost on September 14), why the "+25%" headline and the "-17%" reality are both true, and the priced alternatives — OpenRouter routing, local Ollama, and free tiers with the catch on each.
- [Virtual Machine Platform not available](https://www.betterclaw.io/blog/claude-virtual-machine-platform-not-available-fix): the single Claude Cowork Virtual Machine Platform fix page. Covers "Virtual Machine Platform not available" and "Claude's workspace requires the Virtual Machine Platform": enabling the feature (PowerShell, Windows Features, Windows 11 25H2 Settings path), Hyper-V, BIOS VT-x/SVM, the yukonSilver detection bug, Windows Home (vmcompute/hns/vfpext check, bcdedit, web Cowork fallback), and admin rights.
- [Activar la Plataforma de máquina virtual (Español)](https://www.betterclaw.io/blog/plataforma-de-maquina-virtual-claude): Spanish-language version — how to turn on Virtual Machine Platform on Windows 11, 10 and Home (Windows Features, PowerShell, DISM), what to do when it does not appear, BIOS keys by brand, the yukonSilver detection bug, Windows Home limits and the September 2026 update bug.
- [Ativar a Plataforma de Máquina Virtual (Português)](https://www.betterclaw.io/blog/ativar-plataforma-de-maquina-virtual): Brazilian Portuguese version — same coverage: enabling the feature, when it does not appear, BIOS keys by brand, yukonSilver, Windows Home and the September 2026 update bug.
- [VM-Plattform aktivieren (Deutsch)](https://www.betterclaw.io/blog/vm-plattform-aktivieren-claude): German version — same coverage: enabling VM-Plattform, when it is missing, BIOS keys by brand, yukonSilver, Windows Home and the September 2026 update bug.
- [Cowork requires modern installer](https://www.betterclaw.io/blog/claude-cowork-modern-installer-error-fix): why the Squirrel-to-MSIX migration breaks Cowork, why the in-app Reinstall button and Check for Updates do nothing, and the clean-uninstall-plus-MSIX-reinstall fix.
- [n8n MCP tools not loading in Claude](https://www.betterclaw.io/blog/n8n-mcp-server-trigger-tools-rejected-by-claude-fix): the connector shows running but zero tools appear — Claude's MCP client now rejects any `outputSchema` declaring JSON Schema draft-07, n8n's `/mcp-server/http` emits exactly that, and the fix is deleting one `$schema` line or setting it to 2020-12.
## Error Fixes — Agents (General
