🦞 Build your own openclaw FROM SCRATCH (in under 20 lines - and understand every line).

Explore security layers like Civic to store credentials and create guardrails.

In this workshop we'll build a SELF-IMPROVING AI agent from scratch in 20 lines of code. By the end you'll have built your own working OpenClaw (equivalent) bot. So you can build the tools not just use them.

It can do anything from upgrade its own code with new features, message your friends, create playlists - really it can automate a lot (although don't automate messaging your friends).

And don't automate your understanding - that's what makes you able to build the really breakthrough things with these tools.

Our agent will be just 20 powerful lines and we're going to understand every single one of them completely.

We'll cover:

Integrating the tool-using reasoning agent (GLM or if you want to pay, Claude)
Building the kernel - which understands your context and runs your agent til it's successfully completed the task (even when that's it's own self-ip)
Shell + Bun runtime for system-level control
AI Model API/Message protocol (user, agent, tool structure)
Security boundaries - prompt approval for risky system changes
Persistence (long term memory of your tasks + adding more context)
Proactivity (running and taking on tasks while you sleep)

Agenda

6:30-7:00 Arrive, mix and mingle
7:00-7:15 Intro
7:15-9:00 Open build with guidance
9:00-9:30 Demos

Shout-out to the lead guide

Will is Founder of Codesmith, recently ranked the #1 AI training company for 2026 by Forbes and is the US Treasury's AI training partner under a $118m agreement to support the development of their AI-first engineering team. He's now working on embodied AI tools at South Park Commons.

Thank you to our sponsors!

We’re Civic, and we build guardrails for AI agents. Connect your tools through one hub, define guardrails for what agents can do, audit every call and action, and revoke access instantly if something goes wrong. The goal is simple: agents can only do what they’re explicitly allowed to do. Check out our docs and try it out.

Thank you to our community partners!

Worldwide Studios is an education non profit (app pending) hosting hands-on build experiences across workshops, hacks, and programs.
Studio 45 is a space dedicated to supporting local entrepreneurs and teams building hardware. Located in Mission/Bernal Area, the studio gathers the community, resources, space, and tools needed to build a business making physical products.
SF Hardware Meetup, is a professional community of 10k+ hardware professionals meeting monthly.

Want to help host a future physical ai build night? Reach out to michael (at) raspuzzi (dot) com.

Open Build Night: OpenClaw in 20 lines of Code with Civic