FairyClaw

FairyClaw is an async agent runtime for long-running server-side deployments. It separates session scheduling, LLM inference, and capability extension into clear layers so work can run in parallel and resume safely, while keeping a short, observable main execution path.

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Quick Start

Install from PyPI

python3 -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate   # Windows: .venv\Scripts\activate
pip install fairyclaw

Optional: install from a git checkout

git clone https://github.com/PKULab1806/FairyClaw.git
cd FairyClaw
python3 -m venv .venv && source .venv/bin/activate
pip install -e .

Run

# Matches the profile in config/llm_endpoints.yaml (see FAIRYCLAW_LLM_* / api_key_env)
export OPENAI_API_KEY="your_key_here"

fairyclaw start

fairyclaw start builds the web UI (unless --skip-build), then starts Business + Gateway:

	Default
Business	http://0.0.0.0:16000 (internal; /healthz, bridge WebSocket)
Gateway + Web UI	http://0.0.0.0:8081 — open http://127.0.0.1:8081/app on the same machine
Stale listeners on those ports	Stopped automatically unless you pass --no-kill-stale

Config and data

Layout	Config directory	State root (data, logs, writable capabilities)
PyPI / no ./config in cwd	~/.fairyclaw/config (or $FAIRYCLAW_HOME/config)	~/.fairyclaw/ — paths like ./data and ./capabilities in fairyclaw.env resolve under this tree
Git clone (usual dev)	./config when that folder exists in the current working directory	Parent of config/ (often the repo root)

Override config location with FAIRYCLAW_CONFIG_DIR if needed. Defaults for FAIRYCLAW_DATA_DIR, FAIRYCLAW_DATABASE_URL, FAIRYCLAW_CAPABILITIES_DIR, and FAIRYCLAW_LOG_FILE_PATH are derived from that same root (<root>/data, <root>/data/fairyclaw.db, <root>/capabilities, <root>/data/logs/fairyclaw.log).

Set FAIRYCLAW_API_TOKEN before startup if you do not want the default dev token for WebSocket auth.

More deployment options: DEPLOY.md. To embed a fresh frontend in the wheel: python scripts/prepare_web_dist.py then python -m build.

CLI: fairyclaw agent (in-process, no start)

For scripts, benchmarks, or headless use, you can run the full Business runtime (planner, DB, tools) in one OS process without fairyclaw start or a browser:

# Set the API key(s) named by your profile’s api_key_env in config/llm_endpoints.yaml.
export OPENAI_API_KEY="…"   # example; use the env var your provider expects

# Required: --session (stable name; reuses the same id via <data>/cli_session_map.json)
# Message: --message "…"  OR  positional text after the flags
fairyclaw agent --session my-bench-run-1 --message "List files in the workspace and summarize."

Typical environment when you need a fixed working directory (e.g. a task workspace/ from a harness):

Variable	Role
FAIRYCLAW_CONFIG_DIR	Config dir containing llm_endpoints.yaml, fairyclaw.env (defaults if unset follow the table above)
FAIRYCLAW_DATA_DIR	SQLite, logs, cli_session_map.json (session name → id)
FAIRYCLAW_FILESYSTEM_ROOT_DIR	Root allowed for file/exec tools; set to your workspace path for headless runs

Useful flags (see fairyclaw agent --help for all):

• --json-only — single JSON line on stdout (good for machine parsing; reply is inside the JSON).
• --no-wait — submit the user message and exit without waiting for the scheduler to finish.
• Otherwise the CLI waits until the in-process scheduler has no active work (sub-agents included), with --timeout (default 2400s) as the wall limit.

fairyclaw help and fairyclaw --help list other subcommands (send / get require a running fairyclaw start and talk to the gateway over the bridge).

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Key features

Event-driven steps	Sessions advance on runtime events. The Planner does one inference step → re-wakeup instead of one giant request, so the main path stays short and easy to trace.
Capability groups	Capabilities are not a flat tool list. Related tools, Hooks, and extensions ship as a group. Sub-agents cluster similar groups, then route into one bucket and enable that tool set.
Built-in workflows	Groups can encode multi-tool pipelines (e.g. SourcedResearch: search → excerpt → citations) so delegated work stays verifiable instead of free-form claims.
Plugins, not core edits	Tools, turn Hooks, runtime Hooks, and custom event_types register through manifest + scripts, not hard-coded core.
Two processes	Business (runtime + Planner) and Gateway (web /v1/ws, OneBot, etc.) talk over an internal WebSocket bridge so you can scale or swap the Gateway independently.

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Updating capability groups

Commands are the same for everyone; where files land depends on how you run FairyClaw.

After pip install (typical user)

With no ./config in your current directory, cold start uses ~/.fairyclaw/config and resolves ./capabilities, ./data, etc. under ~/.fairyclaw/.

# Add missing groups from the installed package seed (skip groups you already changed)
fairyclaw capabilities sync

# Overwrite from the package seed (backups by default; use --dry-run / --group to narrow)
fairyclaw capabilities upgrade

Edit the tree under ~/.fairyclaw/capabilities/ (or the path in FAIRYCLAW_CAPABILITIES_DIR in fairyclaw.env).

Git clone / monorepo (developer)

Point FAIRYCLAW_CAPABILITIES_DIR at the repo seed, e.g. ./fairyclaw/capabilities, in config/fairyclaw.env. Run the same CLI from the repo (or anywhere, if FAIRYCLAW_CONFIG_DIR is set):

fairyclaw capabilities sync
fairyclaw capabilities upgrade --group my_group   # example

Cold start and fairyclaw start still materialize or skip groups per seed rules; see CONTRIBUTING.md for manifest schema and Hook boundaries.

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Documentation

Keep AI_SYSTEM_GUIDE.md and this README aligned when you change gateway surfaces, bridge behavior, or control-plane events.

Document	Contents
AI_SYSTEM_GUIDE.md	Canonical system reference: architecture, events, Hooks, sub-agents, dev conventions
README.md	Overview, quick start, capability paths
LAYOUT.md	Module map: directories and key files
docs/GATEWAY_ENVELOPE.md	Gateway–Business bridge: frames, lifecycle, files
fairyclaw/core/gateway_protocol/GATEWAY_RUNTIME_PROTOCOL.md	Control envelopes and web /v1/ws push shapes
DEPLOY.md	venv, Docker, systemd, Web UI, OneBot/NapCat
CONTRIBUTING.md	Extending capability groups: manifests, Hooks, examples

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Extending capabilities

In the repository, seed groups live under fairyclaw/capabilities/. At runtime, the loader reads FAIRYCLAW_CAPABILITIES_DIR (writable tree). Minimal layout:

my_group/
├── manifest.json
└── scripts/
    └── my_tool.py

Details: CONTRIBUTING.md.

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Execution loop (diagram)

How a single Planner turn interacts with the bus, LLM, and tools:

sequenceDiagram
  autonumber
  participant Bus as Event Bus
  participant Sched as Scheduler
  participant Plan as Planner
  participant LLM as LLM
  participant Exec as Tool Executor

  Bus->>Sched: Pending event / wakeup
  Sched->>Plan: Single-step turn
  Note over Plan,LLM: Hook: tools_prepared · before_llm_call
  Plan->>LLM: One inference request
  LLM-->>Plan: assistant / tool_calls
  Note over Plan: Hook: after_llm_response
  alt tool_calls present
    Plan->>Exec: Execute sequentially + before/after_tool hooks
    Exec-->>Plan: Results
  else no tools
    Plan->>Plan: Text response · turn closes
  end
  Plan->>Bus: follow-up if needed (new event re-enters the bus)

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License

MIT © 2026 FairyClaw contributors, PKU DS Lab