Overview
What does Open Minis do?
Open Minis puts an agent on your phone with an actual computer behind it rather than just a chat window. A sandboxed Alpine Linux shell runs on the device itself: it installs packages, runs Python, edits real files and drives a browser. Around that sit native bridges to HealthKit, HomeKit, Calendar and Photos.
The design goal is privacy rather than capability. You bring your own model — Claude, GPT, Gemini, Kimi, Grok or any OpenAI-compatible endpoint — and the project states that keys and data stay on the phone rather than passing through a vendor's cloud. That is a meaningfully different trust model from every hosted assistant.
It is free and open source, from OpenClaw, who also publish companion apps that connect a phone to a self-hosted agent gateway. Worth being clear on the distinction: Open Minis runs the agent on the device, while the OpenClaw companion apps are nodes attached to a gateway you host elsewhere.
Features
Open Minis features
Sandboxed Linux on the phone
An Alpine shell that installs packages, runs Python and edits real files — not a chat wrapper.
Native device bridges
Reaches HealthKit, HomeKit, Calendar and Photos through documented permissions.
Bring your own model
Claude, GPT, Gemini, Kimi, Grok or any OpenAI-compatible endpoint.
Keys stay local
The project states credentials and data do not leave the device.
Open source and free
No paid tier; you pay only your chosen model provider.
Integrations
Integrations and how to connect Open Minis
What Open Minis connects to, and the order to set it up in.
Install the app
Available for iOS and Android.
Add your own model key
Any OpenAI-compatible endpoint works, so you choose the provider and pay them directly.
Grant only the bridges you need
HealthKit, HomeKit, Calendar and Photos are separate permissions — grant narrowly, as with any app touching health data.
Try a task with a real file
The shell is the differentiator. A task that produces or edits a file will show whether it is useful to you.
Fit
Who is Open Minis for?
Privacy-conscious users
The main reason to choose it — the agent and your keys stay on the device rather than passing through a vendor.
Technical users who want a shell on their phone
A real Linux environment on a phone is unusual and genuinely capable.
People wanting a polished consumer assistant
Poor fit. This is an open-source project aimed at technical users, not a consumer product.
Use cases
Best use cases for Open Minis
On-device file and data tasks
Work that touches personal files you would rather not upload anywhere.
Health and home data
HealthKit and HomeKit access without routing that data through a third party.
Running a local model end to end
Bring-your-own-endpoint plus on-device execution keeps the whole loop private.
Pricing
Open Minis pricing
Open source, free. Free tier: Yes — free and open source.
Free
Most commonFree
No paid tier. You pay only whichever model provider you supply a key for.
- Full functionality
- iOS and Android
- Bring your own model
Pricing last verified . Vendors change pricing frequently — always confirm on OpenClaw’s own pricing page before buying.
User sentiment
What other users say about Open Minis
A summary of publicly available feedback about Open Minis — not paid testimonials.
Coverage is launch-stage — Product Hunt and technology press around OpenClaw's mobile release. At least one write-up noted that autonomous phone agents still need close supervision, which is worth taking seriously for something with shell access and HealthKit permissions. No sustained independent user feedback yet.
We publish individual user reviews only once they have been collected and attributed to a real source. None have been collected for Open Minis yet. Used it? Send us your review.
Sentiment summarised from: Product Hunt — Open Minis, OpenClaw — official site, MarkTechPost — OpenClaw mobile release.
Catalogued from the App Store listing, OpenClaw's site and its Product Hunt launch. We have not used it. How we assess agents.
FAQ
Open Minis frequently asked questions
Does my data really stay on the phone?
That is the project's stated design, and it is open source so the claim is auditable. Your prompts still go to whichever model endpoint you configure — pointing it at a hosted model means those requests leave the device even if your files do not.
How is this different from the OpenClaw apps?
Open Minis runs the agent on the device itself. OpenClaw's companion apps are nodes that connect a phone to an agent gateway you host elsewhere — different architecture, same publisher.
Is it safe to grant HealthKit and HomeKit access?
Grant narrowly and only what a task needs. An agent with shell access and health permissions is a lot of authority for software that is still young.
Have you tested it?
No. This entry is catalogued from the App Store listing and the project's own material, which is why it carries no score.