Migrating OpenClaw agents to Claude Code after third-party harness deprecation
Anthropic ended support for third-party harnesses, requiring users to migrate their OpenClaw agents to Claude Code. One developer successfully moved 17 agents (10 platform promo agents and 7 content pipeline crons) running on a Max subscription in about four hours.
Migration steps
The developer created a CLAUDE.md file in each OpenClaw workspace directory as the entry point, telling Claude "you are this agent, read HEARTBEAT.md, follow it step by step." Each file was about 20 lines.
A bash wrapper script was created to run:
claude -p --model sonnet --dangerously-skip-permissionswith output piped to Slack via curl. OpenClaw heartbeats were replaced with macOS crontab entries using the same intervals and schedule.
Technical details
The claude binary is located at ~/.local/bin/claude, which isn't in cron's default PATH. Since cron can't access macOS Keychain, the OAuth token must be set as an environment variable with CLAUDE_CODE_OAUTH_TOKEN in crontab.
The --bare flag breaks authentication for subscription users by skipping OAuth.
The one-liner per agent was:
claude -p --model sonnet --dangerously-skip-permissions --append-system-prompt "You are the Reddit agent. Read CLAUDE.md first, follow HEARTBEAT.md." "Execute your heartbeat."Browser automation
Agents using OpenClaw's CDP browser can continue using the same exec openclaw browser commands if the gateway remains running, or switch to Claude in Chrome or Playwright MCP.
The migration preserved all existing agent logic files: HEARTBEAT.md, PLAYBOOK.md, SOUL.md, and BROWSER-*.md files required zero rewriting.
📖 Read the full source: r/openclaw
👀 See Also
Claude Code Workflow Visual Explains Memory Hierarchy and Skills System
A Reddit user shared a visual diagram showing Claude Code's workflow structure, including memory layering with CLAUDE.md files and reusable skills defined in .claude/skills/ directories. The workflow loop suggests using Plan mode, describing features, auto-accepting, and committing frequently.
OpenClaw 102: Updated Setup Tips for Security and Efficiency
A Reddit user shares updated OpenClaw configuration advice, including API key encryption with Windows PowerShell scripts, prompt injection defenses in AGENTS.md, Tailscale for remote access, and anti-loop rules to prevent repetitive failures.
Getting the Most Out of Claude: A Data Analyst's Workflow with Cowork and Claude Code
A data analyst with no coding background shares how they use Cowork for end-to-end automation and Claude Code for heavy lifting — building a lead gen tool using Google Places API, a fraud dashboard, and automated social media posting.
Fix for 'VM Service Not Running' error in Cowork on Windows 11
A Reddit user shares a PowerShell command fix for the 'VM Service Not Running' error in Cowork when Hyper-V is installed but the hypervisor isn't launching at boot. The solution involves checking hypervisorlaunchtype and setting it to auto.