ZeroClaw v0.7.3 — The Microkernel Release

Hey everyone,

A few weeks ago we published an RFC laying out why ZeroClaw couldn't stay a monolith. Today we're shipping v0.7.3, and that roadmap is done.

This is the largest structural overhaul in the project's history. If you've been following along, you know how much of it happened out in the open — in issues, PRs, and the Thursday roadmap reviews. Thank you for showing up.

The microkernel, shipped

ZeroClaw is now a proper Cargo workspace of multiple focused crates:

• zeroclaw-api
• zeroclaw-runtime
• zeroclaw-gateway
• zeroclaw-channels
• zeroclaw-tools
• zeroclaw-memory
• zeroclaw-providers
• zeroclaw-infra
• zeroclaw-config
• zeroclaw-tui
• zeroclaw-plugins
• zeroclaw-hardware

Every subsystem lives in its own crate with explicit dependency boundaries enforced by the compiler. Stability tiers are wired in at the workspace level: zeroclaw-api is the stable extension point, everything else is Beta or Experimental and labeled as such. If you're building against ZeroClaw, you now have a real contract to build against.

The agent-runtime feature flag gates the full agent loop, which means you can compile a kernel binary without it — useful if you're embedding the runtime or carving out your own topology on top.

Foundation binary: 6.6 MB

With --no-default-features, the foundation binary now builds clean at 6.6 MB. We got there honestly:

• TLS switched from aws-lc-rs to ring
• .eh_frame sections stripped
• schemars moved behind an optional schema-export feature flag — no longer a mandatory compile dependency
• 28 per-channel feature flags with forwarding chains — unused channels cost zero compile time and zero bytes
• Workspace-wide [workspace.dependencies] and [workspace.package] inheritance killed version duplication across every Cargo.toml

Pay for what you use. That's always been the promise — it now ships.

Also in this release

A lot landed on top of the structural work:

• OpenRouter streaming. Token-by-token responses, matching the experience of native providers.
• Web dashboard decoupled from the binary. Built separately, embedded at release time, bundled with cargo install, AUR, and Homebrew. New voice mode and plugins management page.
• LINE channel. LINE Messaging API is now a first-class channel.
• GitHub Copilot as a provider. Selectable in the onboarding wizard and zeroclaw config flow.
• Authenticated OTLP exporters. New otel_headers config key for Grafana Cloud, Honeycomb, and anywhere else you need bearer tokens.
• Matrix upgrades. Mention-only filtering, encrypted media download restored, outbound attachments, onboarding wizard settings preserved across restarts.
• Telegram inline keyboards for tool approval requests — interactive approve/deny buttons instead of plain text.
• Kubernetes and OpenShift sample manifests with hardened security context (non-root, read-only root FS, dropped caps, seccomp runtime default).
• Tighter command security. Dangerous interpreter flags (-e, --eval, -c) are now blocked by the command policy.

Full changelog is on the release page.

Thank you to the 26 contributors who made v0.7.3 happen

abhijeet117, aliasliao, ArgenisDLR, Audacity88, c98, DaBlitzStein, freeekanayaka, guitaripod, ilteoood, JordanTheJet, kunalk16, markuman, micookie, nayrosk, niedbalski, ninenox, pavelanni, singlerider, theonlyhennygod, titulus, tompro, UtopiaX, vernonstinebaker, WareWolf-MoonWall, wlh320, zavertiaev.

A release of this size doesn't happen without community. Some of you have been here since the first hundred stars. Some of you opened your first-ever open-source PR against ZeroClaw this cycle. Both matter equally. Thank you.

We need more of you

The microkernel split wasn't just an architectural exercise — it was about lowering the cost of contributing. You no longer need to understand the whole runtime to ship a useful PR. Pick a crate, own an area, go deep.

Places we'd genuinely love help right now:

• New channels. Discord, Bluesky, IRC, XMPP — if you live somewhere we don't, build the bridge.
• Providers. Local models, inference gateways, regional providers. The provider trait is stable enough that adding one is a weekend project.
• Plugins. zeroclaw-api is the stable extension point — it exists specifically so you can build on top of us without waiting for us to merge your idea upstream.
• Documentation. If you got tripped up onboarding, write down what you wished you'd known.
• Good first issues. Tagged on the issue tracker. We keep a running list.

Come hang out in Discord — that's where the weekly roadmap review happens (Thursdays, 8 PM EST) and where most of the real design conversations live. Introduce yourself, tell us what you're building, and we'll help you find somewhere useful to plug in.

ZeroClaw works because people outside Anthropic, outside our team, outside any one company, keep showing up and building. That's the project. Help us keep going.

— JordanTheJet

CEO, ZeroClaw Labs