Source: WeChat Northern Guide

Yesterday morning, news about WeChat integrating OpenClaw as a plugin emerged, and my social circle started flooding with posts.

Terms suggesting WeChat is ending the competition began appearing in the circle, just like when DeepSeek integrated with WeChat Search back in the day.

I sent my first message to my shrimp on WeChat.

What I want to say is: Its impact may not be as great as we imagine.

This is more of a small task that WeChat should have done.

Here are my ten cold thoughts——

1. First, look at the characteristics of WeChat OpenClaw itself

Firstly, WeChat did not launch a new shrimp; rather, you already have a shrimp, and now, the official support allows you to chat with it on WeChat.

Specifically, it exists in WeChat as a plugin. Official Documentation

In this sense, WeChat's earlier plugin architecture was very foresighted, allowing for relatively flexible support for many new and experimental features.

Mr. Lu Shuao, an early member of WeChat, previously wrote an article titled “The Laboratory Culture of the WeChat Team,” which is well worth a read.

Then it supports different versions of lobsters available in the market, whether local lobsters, cloud lobsters, modified lobsters, or counterfeit lobsters.

Theoretically, as long as the OpenClaw plugin module is not significantly modified, WeChat will support the lobster, and there are already projects based on WeChat's plugin protocol that enable support for ClaudeCode, CodeX, and other AI backends, not limited to lobsters. Project address: https://github.com/wong2/weixin-agent-sdk (this point is important and will be analyzed later).

The overall integration process is very simple: install the plugin, then scan the WeChat code to complete it; the whole process can be done in 2 minutes, simpler than Telegram.

Now let's take a look at some of its small features——

1. Does not support group chats. (More for security considerations, will analyze later)

2. Does not support streaming output. (It seems that only Feishu supports it in China, if I remember correctly)

3. Supports renaming but does not support changing the avatar, can be pinned;

4. It seems that the Mac version has not been updated yet and cannot see the “WeChat clawbot” contact;

6. Supports quick commands for OpenClaw using slashes;

7. Supports file transfer;

8. In a dialog, only supports copy, forward, quote, and delete, does not support multi-select, translation, efficiency-enhancing, search, multi-select, favorite; (Guobao supports all buttons; this difference is interesting)

9. Only supports connecting one lobster.

10. Poor support for markdown formatting;

11. Does not support forwarding others' conversations to “WeChat clawbot.” (This is puzzling; all Guobao in WeChat support this)

So, to be frank, quite a bit has been cut back; the experience is somewhat compromised.

For example, I personally cannot accept that it only supports one lobster; I created three sub-Agents in OpenClaw, and I cannot communicate with them, whereas in Telegram, I just need to create a new bot.

2. WeChat's action cannot be considered quick

Some say WeChat acted quickly, but I feel this action is not particularly fast.

We can make a simple comparison: when DeepSeek was in the spotlight a year ago, it started on January 25 (DeepSeek began supporting online search + deep thinking).

Then WeChat search integrated DeepSeek on February 17, meaning only 20 days passed in between.

This time, WeChat formally took action, and it has already been over a month since the Spring Festival. (This comparison is a bit rough, but at least proves it’s not considered quick)

Of course, activating search and activating WeChat's contact list are different; I understand it is more about security considerations. The development cost is definitely not a bottleneck that would limit WeChat's launch.

When Long Ge (Mr. Long) takes action, it must be flawless.

There are also differing views in the industry; for example, Dachein believes WeChat has been quite aggressive——

I personally do not agree with this statement; being a little aggressive is okay, but being overly conservative is what people should worry about.

Apple's push for AI is an example; delaying to offer usable products only makes people anxious. (In fact, many people in the circle have compared WeChat and Apple regarding AI)

3. WeChat's solution is elegant

Previously, Tencent also launched many different lobsters, some local and some cloud-based.

Then the way they integrated into WeChat was quite awkward: some were through mini-programs, some through WeChat's customer service messages; none of these could be considered as native support.

I initially thought this was because the WeChat business group felt that these products had not yet fully emerged victorious and were waiting for one to stabilize before WeChat would provide native support.

Looking at it now, I still underestimated Long Ge’s vision.

Long Ge confidently stated: “I won’t support each of you individually, but I will support all of you, and all who are compatible.”

What is top-level design?

This is called top-level design.

WeChat merely acts as a remote control——you send commands in WeChat, the lobster executes them on your computer (or in the cloud), and the results are sent back to WeChat, with WeChat's own data boundary remaining untouched.

This represents classic platform thinking.

4. WeChat will likely not add group chat functionality to OpenClaw for a long time in the future.

For WeChat, security is something that cannot be overemphasized.

Doubao Mobile was previously blocked by WeChat less than two days after it launched due to using system-level permissions to simulate clicks across applications.

This is also an important reason why OpenClaw does not include group chat.

Clearly, from a technical perspective, adding group chat is a matter of minutes.

My judgment is that it will probably not add group chat for a long time.

After all, group chat involves a level of security that is extremely uncontrollable.

I previously wrote an article titled “Your Lobster Might Be Barebacking——Starting from a Spine-Chilling Paper,” which discussed multiple intriguing stories (incidents).

The core point is one: once group chat is available, people will inevitably try various methods to hack your lobster, leading to numerous security issues.

Therefore, WeChat will proceed with caution.

After all, for WeChat, the 1.4 billion social relationship chain is its core asset and its Achilles' heel.

It cannot afford to act recklessly.

5. The fact that WeChat's integration of OpenClaw did not lower the threshold for raising lobsters

Many people might feel that once WeChat integrates, the threshold for raising lobsters is lowered.

This is wrong.

WeChat lowered the threshold for chatting with lobsters, not for raising lobsters themselves.

Those who have truly raised lobsters, able to cultivate them to hold more value than a chatbot, have long known——

The core bottleneck of raising lobsters is not the tools used for communication.

There are a series of costs beyond just operations——

For instance, what model you use is critical; using a model with a low IQ does not provide a better experience than Doubao.

Also, the setup of soul.md and user.md is important; failing to set it properly makes it bland; then there’s your proficiency with memory and skills.

In fact, there are many hidden costs——just having a deep understanding of what an Agent can do reflects the level of this issue.

Therefore, WeChat's integration of OpenClaw benefits many by lowering visible costs, but the most important thing is that you need to consciously delegate more tasks to the Agent, maximizing its utilization.

Truly regard it as a leverage.

There’s a saying that goes very well——

“At this point, if you still do a lot of things by yourself, it shows your ability to do things is not that great.”

6. This is more of a task WeChat should do

For WeChat and its users, this matter is certainly valuable and meaningful, but its impact may be smaller than we imagine.

For example, Telegram has supported OpenClaw since its inception, but how much additive effect does this have for Telegram?

This is actually hard to assess specifically.

User mentality still revolves around OpenClaw itself, rather than being centered on Telegram.

This matter should actually be understood this way: if you do not do it, it may positively affect other IM applications that have done it;

but if you have done it, how much of an improvement is that for yourself, this needs a question mark.

After all, you are already the infrastructure.

So, I prefer to think——WeChat's integration this time is merely a validation of its status as a mainstream chat infrastructure.

However, this matter is not good news for Feishu, Corporate WeChat, and DingTalk, which are recently eager to focus on one-click lobster integration.

7. The core issue is how much value can be generated depends more on OpenClaw's inherent value

If you know how to raise lobsters, you can raise them on Feishu, Corporate WeChat, Telegram, or QQ.

If you do not know how to raise lobsters, even if you join WeChat, you still cannot raise them.

It’s simple; Guobao also natively supports WeChat, but in fact, what is the usage rate for us to communicate directly with Guobao in WeChat?

Most people probably still prefer to use Doubao, and are even more accustomed to opening the Guobao app. (This does not mean it is totally without use; when I explained AI to elderly people in Haidian Hot Spring Town, some of them were used to talking to Guobao in WeChat because it was the only app they knew how to use, but the logic of OpenClaw is completely different)

WeChat seems to have added a function for everyone, but the actual audience, those who have already raised lobsters, should account for a relatively small proportion in the total WeChat user base.

This circles back to an old question: people in the tech circle feel the sky has changed, while regular users feel nothing has happened.

Gaining a deep understanding of technological penetration takes time, and this matter is very important.

The 80/20 rule always applies; feel the significance of the below image——

8. This integration is a very pure tool access without connecting with WeChat's other modules.

This integration essentially adds a separate role to your contact list, that’s it.

It cannot help you read your Moments, nor can it help you order takeout.

It can even be said that anything you ask it to do has no direct relationship with WeChat itself, except that your communication with it occurs on WeChat.

Yes, it’s glued on with transparent tape.

Let's look at another matter——

According to a report by The Information in March of this year, WeChat has secretly been pushing its own AI Agent project internally since 2025.

This project is much more ambitious——it intends to directly connect to numerous mini-programs within the WeChat ecosystem, including taxi-hailing, food delivery, grocery shopping, and ticket booking (similar to what Qianwen is doing), aiming for a gray release in mid-2026.

In other words, what WeChat plans to do is entirely different from this OpenClaw integration.

But these two matters do not contradict each other.

The integration of OpenClaw meets the immediate needs of the current users who already have lobsters——they already need a place to talk to their lobsters.

If WeChat does not do it, they will go to Feishu, Telegram, or Corporate WeChat, causing WeChat to lose user retention time.

However, once WeChat’s own Agent is launched, that will be the real drama; if an AI Agent can directly manage these mini-program capabilities, it will be the true complete version of WeChat AI.

Therefore, this pure tool integration is a prologue; WeChat first gets you accustomed to talking with AI in your contact list, and once you are used to it, it will gradually connect to other modules, which will greatly increase user acceptance at that point.

First, let you feel normal, then let you feel it’s useful.

Long Ge has always done this.

9. We need to gradually get used to seeing more non-human contacts appearing in WeChat

There was Guobao, then recently WeChat customer service messages, and now OpenClaw, followed by WeChat’s own Agent.

Upon careful thought, up until now, every contact in the WeChat contact list has been a real person. (Corporate accounts and public accounts do not count as they are not in the contact list).

Now, WeChat officially recognizes a new existence: you can have a non-human contact in your contact list.

This shift is quite subtle.

WeChat's core narrative has always been: connecting people, but from the moment it integrated OpenClaw, it has also been connecting people to AI.

This change might be more profound than the functional changes.

Because once users accept that AI can exist in their contact list, what comes next?

It will be taken for granted that AI can perform tasks within WeChat.

This shift may happen faster than we imagine.

10. WeChat's decision not to create its own lobster is a significant product decision

Have you ever thought about a question: given WeChat's resources and technical strength, it could completely create its own lobster——just like Qclaw, built into WeChat, ready to use out of the box.

But WeChat did not do that.

This decision not to do so deserves more analysis than what it chose to do.

To make a lobster, you're just another ordinary lobster in the great lobster war; to create a connection, you become the infrastructure.

WeChat is not that it does not make lobsters; point 6 mentioned WeChat's internal AI Agent project, which, in a certain sense, is a lobster with WeChat's DNA, a lobster with virtually unlimited communication bandwidth with WeChat.

Then the question arises: once WeChat’s own Agent is officially launched, what will its relationship be with OpenClaw?

Once WeChat’s own Agent is launched, its entrance, promotional resources, and position within the WeChat interface will likely have much higher priority than OpenClaw's lobster.

After all, it is its biological child.

WeChat this time chose to support all lobsters that are compatible with the OpenClaw protocol, rather than only supporting Tencent's own, becoming a neutral platform now.

How other lobsters will differentiate themselves in competition with WeChat's own true lobsters is worth considering.

Conclusion

We often overestimate the short-term effects of something while underestimating its long-term impacts.

WeChat's integration of OpenClaw will not change anything in the short term.

But looking back ten years from now, this could be a starting point for WeChat to transition from connecting humans to adding connections with AI.

Consider the history of QR code proliferation.

When WeChat added the scan function in 2012, the vast majority of Chinese people had no idea what QR codes were; WeChat did not conduct user education; it merely placed the scan function within WeChat.

Then users began to wonder: what can this thing do?

Subsequently, merchants began to stick QR codes, and then mobile payments arrived.

Putting it in WeChat was inherently significant.

Every step WeChat takes appears small, but looking back, each step is quite precise.

This time is no different.

Only, Long Ge has never been in a hurry.

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