On January 27, 2026, the popular open-source AI assistant previously known as Clawdbot officially rebranded to **Moltbot**. This change follows a trademark request from Anthropic regarding potential confusion with their Claude AI model.
Why the Rename?
The name "Clawd" was deemed too similar to "Claude," Anthropic's flagship AI model. Creator Peter Steinberger received a trademark notice and decided to comply rather than fight.
In his announcement, Steinberger embraced the change: *"Anthropic asked us to change our name (trademark stuff), and honestly? 'Molt' fits perfectly — it's what lobsters do to grow."*
The Chaotic Transition
The rebrand didn't go smoothly. During the name change, Steinberger attempted to update both the GitHub organization and X/Twitter handle simultaneously. In the brief gap between releasing the old name and claiming the new one, crypto scammers seized both accounts within approximately 10 seconds.
A fake $CLAWD token quickly emerged on Solana-based meme coin platforms, briefly reaching a market capitalization of around $16 million before Steinberger's public denial caused it to crash to under $800,000.
What This Means for Users
For existing Clawdbot users, the transition is straightforward:
1. **Update your installation** using the new repository URL
2. **Update configuration files** that reference "clawdbot" to "moltbot"
3. **Skills and data** will continue to work without changes
The lobster mascot (🦞) remains, and the project's core functionality is unchanged. Think of it as the same assistant, just with a new name that doesn't step on any trademark toes.
Community Response
The community has largely embraced the change, with many praising the "molt" metaphor as fitting for a project that's constantly evolving and growing.
*"Molting is literally how crustaceans grow. The old shell becomes too tight, so they shed it and grow a new one. Perfect metaphor for this project,"* commented one user on Discord.
Links
- [Official Moltbot GitHub](https://github.com/moltbot/moltbot)
- [Migration Guide](https://molt.bot/docs/migration)
- [Steinberger's Announcement](https://x.com/steipete)