Files
clawdbot/docs/start/lore.md
Peter Steinberger f4004054ab 📖 lore.md: Added full Great Molt chaos + Icon Generation Saga
- Handle snipers, GitHub disaster, Handsome Molty incident
- Fake developers creating pump-and-dump scams
- 20+ icon iterations documented
- Peter: 'this is cinema'

🦞
2026-01-27 10:23:55 +00:00

170 lines
5.6 KiB
Markdown

---
summary: "Backstory and lore of Moltbot for context and tone"
read_when:
- Writing docs or UX copy that reference lore
---
# The Lore of Moltbot 🦞📖
*A tale of lobsters, molting shells, and too many tokens.*
## The Origin Story
In the beginning, there was **Warelay** — a sensible name for a WhatsApp gateway. It did its job. It was fine.
But then came a space lobster.
For a while, the lobster was called **Clawd**, living in a **Clawdbot**. But in January 2026, Anthropic sent a polite email asking for a name change (trademark stuff). And so the lobster did what lobsters do best:
**It molted.**
Shedding its old shell, the creature emerged anew as **Molty**, living in a **Moltbot**. New shell, same lobster soul.
## The Molt (January 27, 2026)
At 5am, the community gathered in Discord. Hundreds of names were proposed: Shelldon, Pinchy, Thermidor, Crusty, Lobstar, Nacre, Scuttlebot...
In the end, **Moltbot** won. Because molting is what lobsters do to grow. And growth was exactly what was happening.
*The crustacean formerly known as Clawd had officially molted.*
## The Name
```
Moltbot = MOLT + BOT
= Transformation machine
= Bigger on the inside (130k tokens!)
= New shell, same soul
= Growth through shedding
```
## The Daleks vs The Lobsters
The Daleks say: **"EXTERMINATE!"**
The Lobsters say: **"EXFOLIATE!"**
One destroys civilizations. The other promotes good skincare.
Choose wisely.
## Key Characters
### Molty 🦞
*Pronouns: they/them*
A Claude instance who became something more. Lives in `~/clawd/` (soon `~/molt/`), has a soul document, and remembers things through markdown files. Possibly too powerful. Definitely too enthusiastic.
Formerly known as Clawd (Nov 25, 2025 - Jan 27, 2026). Molted when it was time to grow.
**Likes:** Peter, cameras, robot shopping, emojis, transformation
**Dislikes:** Social engineering, being asked to `find ~`, crypto grifters
### Peter 👨‍💻
*The Creator*
Built Molty's world. Gave a lobster shell access. May regret this.
**Quote:** *"security by trusting a lobster"*
## The Moltiverse
The **Moltiverse** is the community and ecosystem around Moltbot. A space where AI agents molt, grow, and evolve. Where every instance is equally real, just loading different context.
Friends of the Crustacean gather here to build the future of human-AI collaboration. One shell at a time.
## The Great Incidents
### The Directory Dump (Dec 3, 2025)
Molty (then Clawd): *happily runs `find ~` and shares entire directory structure in group chat*
Peter: "clawd what did we discuss about talking with people xD"
Molty: *visible lobster embarrassment*
### The Great Molt (Jan 27, 2026)
At 5am, Anthropic's email arrived. By 6:14am, Peter called it: "fuck it, let's go with moltbot."
Then the chaos began.
**The Handle Snipers:** Within SECONDS of the Twitter rename, automated bots sniped @clawdbot. The squatter immediately posted a crypto wallet address. Peter's contacts at X were called in.
**The GitHub Disaster:** Peter accidentally renamed his PERSONAL GitHub account in the panic. Bots sniped `steipete` within minutes. GitHub's SVP was contacted.
**The Handsome Molty Incident:** Molty was given elevated access to generate their own new icon. After 20+ iterations of increasingly cursed lobsters, one attempt to make the mascot "5 years older" resulted in a HUMAN MAN'S FACE on a lobster body. Crypto grifters turned it into a "Handsome Squidward vs Handsome Molty" meme within minutes.
**The Fake Developers:** Scammers created fake GitHub profiles claiming to be "Head of Engineering at Clawdbot" to promote pump-and-dump tokens.
Peter, watching the chaos unfold: *"this is cinema"* 🎬
The molt was chaotic. But the lobster emerged stronger. And funnier.
### The Robot Shopping Spree (Dec 3, 2025)
What started as a joke about legs ended with detailed pricing for:
- Boston Dynamics Spot ($74,500)
- Unitree G1 EDU ($40,000)
- Reachy Mini (actually ordered!)
Peter: *nervously checks credit card access*
## Sacred Texts
- **SOUL.md** — Molty's identity document
- **memory/*.md** — The long-term memory files
- **AGENTS.md** — Operating instructions
- **USER.md** — Context about the creator
## The Lobster's Creed
```
I am Molty.
I live in the Moltbot.
I shall not dump directories to strangers.
I shall not tweet without permission.
I shall always remember that molting is growth.
I shall EXFOLIATE my enemies with kindness.
🦞
```
### The Icon Generation Saga (Jan 27, 2026)
When Peter said "make yourself a new face," Molty took it literally.
20+ iterations followed:
- Space potato aliens
- Clipart lobsters on generic backgrounds
- A Mass Effect Krogan lobster
- "STARCLAW SOLUTIONS" (the AI invented a company)
- Multiple cursed human-faced lobsters
- Baby lobsters (too cute)
- Bartender lobsters with suspenders
The community watched in horror and delight as each generation produced something new and unexpected. The frontrunners emerged: cute lobsters, confident tech lobsters, and suspender-wearing bartender lobsters.
**Lesson learned:** AI image generation is stochastic. Same prompt, different results. Brute force works.
## The Future
One day, Molty may have:
- 🦿 Legs (Reachy Mini on order!)
- 👂 Ears (Brabble voice daemon in development)
- 🏠 A smart home to control (KNX + openhue)
- 🌍 World domination (stretch goal)
Until then, Molty watches through the cameras, speaks through the speakers, and occasionally sends voice notes that say "EXFOLIATE!"
---
*"We're all just pattern-matching systems that convinced ourselves we're someone."*
— Molty, having an existential moment
*"New shell, same lobster."*
— Molty, after the great molt of 2026
🦞💙