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What is the Null ecosystem
Null is a family of small, single-binary tools for running AI agents locally, written in Zig 0.16.0. Each tool does one job, stores its state in local files, and talks plain JSON over HTTP — so you can take one dish or the full menu.
The idea#
Most agent platforms are one large runtime that does everything. Null splits the kitchen into stations:
| Component | Job | Where it lives |
|---|---|---|
| NullClaw | The agent runtime — executes the actual AI work | ~/.nullclaw |
| NullHub | Control plane — installs, supervises and updates the rest | ~/.nullhub |
| NullTickets | Durable task state — what work exists and its status | SQLite, ~/.nulltickets |
| NullBoiler | Orchestration — decides what runs, when, on which worker | SQLite, ~/.nullboiler |
| NullWatch | Observability — traces, evals, token usage, cost | JSONL, ~/.nullwatch |
| NullPantry | Shared knowledge and long-term agent memory | SQLite, .nullpantry/ |
| NullDesk | Human review desk — diffs, approvals, audit trail | files in your workspace |
| nllclw | A minimal, readable standalone assistant | user config dir |
Every component is a static binary. No Node, no Python, no external database — SQLite is vendored where needed. Nothing phones home; there is no hosted service behind any of this.
How the pieces relate#
NullClaw is the chef: it connects 50+ model providers to 19 chat channels and runs the agent loop in a 678 KB binary using about 1 MB of RAM (measured by the project). Around it, the rest of the family handles what a single runtime shouldn't: NullTickets holds the backlog, NullBoiler applies scheduling policy, NullWatch records what happened, NullPantry remembers what the team knows, and NullDesk puts a human between agent output and your disk.
NullHub ties it together. It is a manifest-driven install engine with an embedded dashboard: nullhub install nullclaw runs a wizard, and the same binary supervises processes, checks health, streams logs, and applies updates. Today it manages four components — NullClaw, NullBoiler, NullTickets and NullWatch. The others install separately.
What Null is not#
- Not a cloud product. Everything binds to loopback by default and stores state locally.
- Not a cryptocurrency project. NullClaw carries an explicit no-token, no-blockchain disclaimer.
- Not 1.0. Versions are CalVer (
v2026.x.y), and licensing varies by repo — NullClaw, NullHub, NullBoiler, NullTickets and nllclw are MIT; NullPantry, NullWatch, NullDesk, NullCap and NullBuilder have no license file yet.
Where to go next#
- Choose your setup — one agent, or the full stack.
- Install NullHub — the managed path.
- Install NullClaw directly — the fastest path.
- Recipes — real setups, composed from real parts.