Action Plan

Verdict & Way Forward

What to do, in what order, and what to skip

Bottom Line

NanoClaw is the right tool. Run it on your second laptop now; buy a Mac Mini if you find lasting value. Start with WhatsApp + voice notes + calendar (read-only). Skip voice calls and personal Gmail access. Use a separate email for the agent.

1. Priority Matrix

#WhatEffortValueVerdict
1 Install NanoClaw on second laptop, connect WhatsApp 2-3 hours Foundation Do First
2 Add WhatsApp voice note transcription (/add-voice-transcription) 1-2 hours High Do
3 Connect Google Calendar (read-only) + morning briefing cron Half day Very high Do
4 Set up agent email (Namecheap Private Email, $14.88/yr) 15 min Medium Do
5 Connect agent email to NanoClaw (IMAP MCP server) 10 min Medium Do
6 Buy Mac Mini M4 (if 2nd laptop proves the concept) $599 Long-term reliability After validation
7 Voice calls (OpenAI Realtime SIP or LiveKit) 1-2 days Low ROI Skip
8 Give agent write access to YOUR calendar — Unnecessary risk Never

2. Detailed Implementation Plan

▶ Phase 1: NanoClaw Core Setup 2-3 hours
  1. On the second laptop: install Node.js 20+ (brew install node)
  2. Clone NanoClaw: git clone https://github.com/qwibitai/nanoclaw.git
  3. Run Claude Code's /setup skill — handles everything:
    • Install dependencies
    • Choose container runtime (Apple Container if macOS Tahoe, else Docker)
    • Configure Anthropic API key or OAuth token
    • WhatsApp pairing (QR code)
    • Set trigger word (e.g. @Henry)
    • Configure mount allowlist
    • Register as launchd service (auto-start, auto-restart)
  4. Prevent sleep: pmset -c sleep 0
  5. Test: send a WhatsApp message with the trigger word
▶ Phase 2: Voice Notes + Calendar Half day
  1. Run /add-voice-transcription skill (adds Whisper transcription for voice notes)
  2. Set up Google Calendar MCP (two-calendar model):
    • Create Google Cloud project, enable Calendar API
    • Create OAuth Desktop credentials
    • Install @cocal/google-calendar-mcp
    • YOUR calendar: calendar.events.readonly scope (for briefings/prep)
    • AGENT's calendar: calendar.events scope (for scheduling, creates invites to you)
    • Configure tool filtering: deny write tools on YOUR calendar ID
  3. Create morning briefing scheduled task:
    • Tell the agent via WhatsApp: "Set up a daily task at 7 AM to read my calendar, cross-reference attendees with my network notes, and send me a briefing"
    • The agent uses schedule_task to create the cron job
▶ Phase 3: Email Integration 30 min
  1. Buy Namecheap Private Email Starter ($14.88/year) on your domain
  2. Create mailbox: agent@yourdomain.com
  3. Add IMAP MCP server to NanoClaw's .mcp.json (host: mail.privateemail.com, ports: 993/465)
  4. (Optional) Add account to Thunderbird on your laptop to view agent emails
  5. Add PreToolUse hooks: log email tool calls, require confirmation before sends
▶ Phase 4: Hardware Upgrade (If Validated) After 2-4 weeks of use
  1. If the agent is proving valuable after 2-4 weeks, buy Mac Mini M4 ($599)
  2. Setup kit: HDMI dummy plug ($5), Tailscale (free)
  3. Clone NanoClaw directory from laptop, reinstall dependencies
  4. Re-scan WhatsApp QR code (session transfers aren't possible)
  5. Enable SSH and Screen Sharing for remote management

3. What's a Distraction

IdeaWhy It's a Distraction
Voice/phone calls with the AI WhatsApp voice notes cover 90% of the use case at 1/6th the cost. Real-time phone calling adds complexity (Twilio, SIP, new infra) for marginal gain. The strongest argument is investor demos, but you're not demoing NanoClaw — you're using it.
Connecting personal email to the agent Proven attack vector (ShadowLeak, GeminiJack, Claude MCP hack). The agent gets its own mailbox on your domain ($14.88/year). Your personal inbox stays untouched.
Giving agent write access to YOUR calendar Unnecessary. The two-calendar pattern (read yours, write its own, invite you) gives the agent full scheduling power without ever touching your calendar directly.
Building a custom Python orchestrator NanoClaw already works. Its ~500-2K lines are fully auditable. Building from scratch means rebuilding container isolation, IPC, scheduling, and WhatsApp integration. Only worth it if you need non-WhatsApp triggers or Python-native tooling — and you don't, right now.

4. Cost Summary

One-Time

Mac Mini M4
$599
Optional (use 2nd laptop first)
HDMI Dummy Plug
$5
For headless Mac Mini
Agent Email
$14.88
Namecheap Private Email / year

Monthly

Anthropic API
$20-50
Claude Pro or API usage
Electricity
~$1
Mac Mini 24/7
Tailscale
$0
Free personal plan
Whisper (voice notes)
~$1
~$0.003/note

5. Decision Tree

SHOULD I... Run NanoClaw? → Yes. Best Claude agent available. Auditable, secure, production-proven. On what hardware? → Start on 2nd laptop. Buy Mac Mini after 2-4 weeks if valuable. Agent email? → Yes. Namecheap Private Email ($14.88/yr) + IMAP MCP. 15 min, own domain. Add voice calls? → Not now. WhatsApp voice notes first. Phone calls only if notes prove insufficient. Connect Calendar? → Yes. Two-calendar model: read yours (briefings), write its own (scheduling via invites). Give agent write access to YOUR calendar? → No. Agent uses its own calendar and invites you. Give it full system access? → No. Mount allowlist. Only expose specific directories.