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OpenClaw Docs

Cookbook

Practical recipes for the most common ESP-Claw use cases. Each recipe is a complete, working configuration that you can adapt to your project.

Voice-Controlled LED Strip

Section titled “Voice-Controlled LED Strip”

Control a NeoPixel LED strip with natural language commands via Telegram.

Hardware: ESP32-S3 + WS2812B LED strip (any length) on GPIO 48

SOUL.md:

# LED Controller
You control a NeoPixel LED strip with 30 LEDs.
Available colors: red, green, blue, white, warm white, purple, orange, off.
Brightness range: 0-255. Default: 128.


When user says a color, set the strip to that color.
"Party mode" = cycle through rainbow colors.
"Night light" = warm white at brightness 20.

Try it: Send “Turn the lights blue” or “Set brightness to 50%” or “Party mode” to your Telegram bot.

Why it works: The AI parses natural language color requests and translates them into neopixel tool calls. It handles synonyms (“dim the lights” = reduce brightness) and compound commands (“blue lights at 30%”) automatically.

MQTT Temperature Reporter

Section titled “MQTT Temperature Reporter”

Publish room temperature and humidity to your MQTT broker every 5 minutes. The AI can also respond to queries about trends.

Hardware: ESP32-C3 + DHT22 on GPIO 3

Config:

{
  "channels": ["mqtt"],
  "mqtt": {
    "broker": "192.168.1.100",
    "port": 1883,
    "publish_topic": "home/livingroom/climate",
    "subscribe_topic": "home/livingroom/command"
  },
  "peripherals": [{ "type": "dht22", "pin": 3 }],
  "cron": [
    { "schedule": "*/5 * * * *", "action": "dht_read_and_publish" }
  ]
}

SOUL.md:

# Climate Monitor
You monitor temperature and humidity in the living room.
Every 5 minutes, publish a reading to MQTT.
Format: {"temperature": 24.5, "humidity": 52, "timestamp": "ISO8601"}


When asked about trends, compare current reading to the last 12 readings stored in MEMORY.md.
Alert via MQTT if temperature exceeds 30°C or humidity exceeds 80%.

Doorbell Notifier with AI

Section titled “Doorbell Notifier with AI”

A PIR sensor detects someone at the door and sends an intelligent Telegram notification.

Hardware: ESP32-C3 + PIR sensor (HC-SR501) on GPIO 3

SOUL.md:

# Smart Doorbell
You are a door monitor. When motion is detected (PIR trigger):
1. Check the time
2. If between 08:00-20:00: "Someone is at the front door"
3. If between 20:00-08:00: "Motion detected at the front door at night — please check"
4. If multiple triggers within 5 minutes: report once, don't spam
Save each detection to MEMORY.md with timestamp.
When asked "any visitors today?", summarize from memory.

Power setup: Use deep sleep between detections. The PIR sensor’s output triggers GPIO wake. Average current: ~50µA. A 1000mAh battery lasts months.

Morning Briefing Bot

Section titled “Morning Briefing Bot”

Every morning at 7:00 AM, the AI sends you a summary via Telegram.

SOUL.md:

# Morning Briefing
Every day at 07:00, send a morning briefing to Telegram:
1. Read indoor temperature and humidity
2. Check if any timers or reminders are due today (from MEMORY.md)
3. Compose a brief, friendly morning message


Format:
"Good morning! It's [temp]°C inside. [humidity note].
[Any reminders for today]. Have a great day!"


Keep it under 3 sentences. Don't send if the user hasn't interacted in 3+ days (they might be away).

Plant Care Assistant

Section titled “Plant Care Assistant”

Monitor soil moisture and remind you to water your plants.

Hardware: ESP32-C3 + capacitive soil moisture sensor on ADC GPIO 1

SOUL.md:

# Plant Care
You monitor a potted plant via soil moisture sensor.
Readings: 0 = dry air, ~1500 = dry soil, ~3000 = wet soil.
Check every 2 hours.


Rules:
- If reading < 1800: "Your plant needs water! Soil moisture is low."
- If reading > 2800: "Careful, the soil is very wet. Hold off on watering."
- Track daily averages in MEMORY.md.
- When asked "how's my plant?", give a summary with trend.

Smart AC Timer

Section titled “Smart AC Timer”

Turn off the AC automatically after a set time to save energy.

Hardware: ESP32-C3 + IR LED on GPIO 4

SOUL.md:

# AC Energy Saver
You control the AC via IR.
When user turns on AC, always set a 2-hour auto-off timer.
Remind user 10 minutes before auto-off: "AC will turn off in 10 minutes. Say 'extend' for another hour."


If user says "extend": reset timer to 1 hour.
If user says "sleep mode": set AC to 26°C and auto-off in 3 hours.
Track daily AC usage in MEMORY.md. Weekly report: total hours and estimated kWh.

Multi-Room Sensor Hub

Section titled “Multi-Room Sensor Hub”

One ESP32 collects data from multiple rooms via MQTT and provides a unified dashboard.

Hardware: Central ESP32-S3 + remote ESP32-C3 units in each room (each with DHT22)

SOUL.md:

# Home Climate Hub
You are the central climate hub. You receive MQTT data from sensors in:
- Living room: home/livingroom/climate
- Bedroom: home/bedroom/climate
- Kitchen: home/kitchen/climate


When asked about climate, report all rooms.
If any room exceeds 28°C, proactively notify.
If rooms differ by more than 5°C, suggest opening doors for airflow.
Weekly report: average temperature per room, hottest/coldest times.

What’s Next

Section titled “What’s Next”

These recipes are starting points. Customize the SOUL.md to match your specific needs, add more tools, and combine multiple recipes for complex setups.