Overview
DefenseClaw ships as a Python CLI (defenseclaw), a Go gateway binary (defenseclaw-gateway), and an OpenClaw TypeScript plugin under ~/.defenseclaw/extensions/defenseclaw/. Release installs pull pre-built wheels and tarballs; developer installs compile from a git checkout. Pick the row in the matrix that matches your toolchain tolerance and need for reversibility.
Decision matrix
| Path | Audience | Prerequisites | What it builds | Speed | Reversibility |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Curl installer | Operators, CI | bash, curl, network; uv installed or bootstrapped; Python 3.10+ (or installed via uv) | Release gateway tarball, CLI wheel, optional plugin tarball; OpenClaw via npm or installer | Fast (downloads only) | Remove symlinks under ~/.local/bin, delete ~/.defenseclaw/.venv; use Uninstall for OpenClaw/plugin cleanup |
make all | Developers cloning the repo | Prerequisites: Go 1.26.2, uv, Node/npm, make | Same as make install, then path, quickstart, llm-setup | Slow first time (compiles + npm) | make clean, uninstall flags; local .venv is disposable |
make install | Developers who want binaries without full bootstrap | Same as make all minus automatic quickstart/PATH/LLM prompts | Editable Python CLI, built gateway, copied plugin into ~/.defenseclaw/extensions/defenseclaw/ | Medium | Re-run targets idempotently; gateway swap uses atomic rename for live upgrades |
| Build from source | Packagers, air-gapped, or custom forks | Full toolchain; read each component section | Fine-grained control over pycli, gateway, plugin, openshell-sandbox | Slowest | Highest (you choose what to install and where) |