OpenClaw founder Peter Steinberger has confirmed that any mention of Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies on the project’s Discord channel can lead to permanent removal, as one user was blocked recently for referencing Bitcoin block height as a timing mechanism in a multi-agent benchmark.
The decision to enforce a blanket no-crypto rule on its community server comes after a scam token and reported waves of online harassment nearly derailed the project that has surged past 200,000 GitHub stars since its release in late January.
OpenClaw Enforces Blanket Ban on All Crypto Mention; Reinstates Suspended User
On Saturday, the banned user shared their experience on X, explaining they were removed from the OpenClaw Discord server for simply mentioning “bitcoin” in a technical context. In a public appeal, they argued that CLASH27, a multi-agent benchmark they created, used Bitcoin’s block height as a clocking mechanism, with no tokens issued.
In a follow-up reply to the X post, Steinberger responded that the platform has “strict server rules” that members accept when they enter, and “no crypto mention whatsoever is one of them,” he added. However, Steinberger later agreed to restore the user’s account, asking them to email their username so they could be added back to the Discord server.
This policy applies to all cryptocurrency references, not just promotional content or token discussions. Technical use cases, such as the block height timing mechanism mentioned by the banned user, also fall under the blanket ban, as it’s considered mentions of speculative tokens.
Crypto Scammers Hijack OpenClaw Rebrand to Launch Fake $CLAWD Token
The zero crypto tolerance approach comes following a series of chaotic events earlier this year that threatened to derail the entire project. OpenClaw has undergone two quickfire rebrands since its launch. It was first called “Clawdbot,” a name that closely resembled AI giant Anthropic’s Claude models. This resulted in the agentic AI platform receiving a trademark warning, arguing that its name and crab mascot “Claw’d” were too similar.
Steinberger immediately agreed to a rebrand, with the project briefly adopting a lobster-themed name, “Moltbot,” before settling on “OpenClaw.”
But in the brief window between creating new GitHub and X handles for the agentic AI framework, scammers managed to hijack both accounts and launched a fake token called “$CLAWD” on Solana.
That token surged to a $16 million market capitalization within hours – but Steinberger publicly denied having any involvement, resulting in $CLAWD collapsing more than 90%, essentially wiping out late buyers, while early snipers walked away with massive profits. The OpenClaw co-founder faced harassment from traders who blamed him for not endorsing the token.
Frustrated, he finally wrote on X,
“To all crypto folks: please stop pinging me, stop harassing me. I will never do a coin. Any project that lists me as a coin owner is a SCAM. You are actively damaging the project.”
Cybersecurity Researchers Identify Over 300 Malicious OpenClaw Skills Targeting Crypto Users
Meanwhile, researchers at cybersecurity firm SlowMist found hundreds of OpenClaw instances exposed to the public internet with no authentication. This is partly because the tool’s localhost trust model breaks when run behind a reverse proxy.
Separately, one auditor found 386 malicious add-on scripts, or “skills,” for OpenClaw that were published on its skill repository, many specifically designed to target crypto traders.
The crypto episode has left a lasting impression on the project, forcing it to enforce a strict ban on any mention of digital assets, even in technical contexts. The events represent how fast speculative token culture can engulf a legitimate software project and nearly nuke it into oblivion.
Steinberger has since joined OpenAI to lead the company’s personal agents division, while OpenClaw transitioned to an independent open-source foundation.
