This week's AI Bite: OpenClaw in Practice – Insights from a Week of Testing
Over the past week, I’ve been intensively testing OpenClaw – a tool that’s supposed to revolutionize content marketing automation. Is it just another hype, or truly a breakthrough solution? The answer, as is often the case in the AI world, is more complex than a simple “yes” or “no”.
Today in Weekly AI Bites, I’ll take you behind the scenes of my week-long experiment. You’ll discover what happens when you unleash an AI agent on social media, what surprises (both good and… less pleasant) await you, and whether it’s worth investing time and money in this technology right now.
Table of contents
Test Objective and Use Case
As a software developer, I need an efficient way to distribute content. My goal was to create a fully autonomous system managing presence on X (formerly Twitter) and Reddit. At this stage, I wasn’t focusing on advertising campaigns – it was solely about organic engagement building and follower growth using completely autonomous accounts.
Setup – Basic Configuration
I started with a simple configuration:
- VPS at $8 per month
- Kimi 2.5 model via OpenRouter for agent management
- Integrations with Discord and Telegram for communication and reporting
First impressions? I was amazed. The system literally “came alive” before my eyes. I managed to configure the agent to:
- Operate the browser independently
- Read and analyze posts
- Research communities and topical niches
- Respond to other users’ content
- Learn writing styles and adapt communication
Important technical note: All operations had to go through the browser on the VPS. Attempts to use the API directly resulted in the bot being flagged as spam and having its post reach limited.
How Did the System Work?
The agent’s workflow was thoughtful and quite impressive:
Every 3 hours:
- Conducted research on posts, communities, and trends
- Checked notifications
- Generated drafts for posts and comments/responses
Publishing:
- All drafts came to me for approval
- After my feedback, the agent took notes and improved future versions
- The system learned based on my comments (self-learning based on feedback)
Reporting:
- Daily at 9:00 AM, the agent sent an activity report via Discord
- The report included a summary of actions, progress, and follower growth
Operating cost: Managing two accounts cost approximately $3 per 24 hours of operation.
When Problems Started
Unfortunately, all good things come to an end quickly. After the second day, the first signs appeared that something was going wrong:
Technical Issues:
- Frequent browser timeouts – the agent lost connection with the session
- Significant agent hallucinations – incorrect outputs, misinterpretation of tasks
- Disconnections from Discord and Telegram – ultimately leading to complete system failure
Main Challenges:
1. “Yes, I’m doing it!” – Empty Promises Syndrome
The agent often responded: “Yes, I’m doing it, sending it now”, but after five minutes, when I asked if the task was completed, I heard: “Not yet, I’m working on it now”. This communication inconsistency was frustrating and made monitoring progress difficult.
2. OpenClaw Configuration Problems
The installation itself is relatively straightforward, but integration with Discord and Telegram proved to be a real challenge:
- Frequent disconnections
- System scaling issues
- The agent could corrupt the config, leading to errors like:
Invalid config at /root/.openclaw/openclaw.jsonIn such cases, a complete VPS reinstallation was necessary. This happened to me about 50 times during the week-long test. Yes, you read that right – 50 reinstallations.
3. Tool Execution Issues
Even with a well-designed system, the agent often “forgot” basic boilerplate rules and configuration settings. This required constant monitoring and intervention.
Conclusions: Is It Worth It?
OpenClaw is undoubtedly a very promising tool. I agree with the opinion that those not following its development risk falling behind. Autonomous agent technology is the future of marketing automation.
However…
In its current form, for simple browser-based automation (especially in non-standard use cases), the tool still requires refinement.
Who Is This Solution For?
Perfect for:
- Early adopters ready to experiment
- Teams with resources for debugging and system maintenance
- Projects where occasional errors can be tolerated
Less suitable for:
- Production environments requiring 100% stability
- Teams without technical background
- Projects with limited budget for iterations and fixes
What’s Next?
Despite the difficulties, I see enormous potential in this technology. When OpenClaw achieves greater stability, it could truly become a game-changer in content marketing automation. For now, however, be prepared for:
- Regular debugging
- Patience in solving problems
- Time investment in monitoring and optimization
Will I continue testing? Absolutely. Do I recommend you start right now? It depends on your risk appetite and willingness to deal with the imperfections of evolving technology.
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