Amid the ongoing popularity of the open-source AI agent OpenClaw, major internet companies are keen to capitalize on this opportunity. At the beginning of March, Tencent launched at least five "OpenClaw" agents in one go. These include the desktop AI agent WorkBuddy, OpenClaw integrated with WeCom, OpenClaw integrated with QQ, OpenClaw deployed via Tencent Cloud's Lighthouse service, and QClaw introduced by Tencent PC Manager.
The purpose of these tools is to help users automate tasks, but they target different user groups. For instance, WorkBuddy and QClaw cater to general users seeking out-of-the-box solutions for daily needs, emphasizing zero configuration and no deployment, positioning themselves as all-scenario office assistants. The Lighthouse OpenClaw, however, focuses more on "selling shovels," targeting geeks or enterprise users requiring 24/7 online operation and supporting single-account management of multiple "claws."
As a cloud provider and large language model developer, Tencent's goal is to attract developers into its own ecosystem, thereby promoting its AI infrastructure and generating sustained revenue through stable model calls and computing power consumption. The free OpenClaw installation activity held at Tencent's Shenzhen headquarters follows the same logic. According to Tencent's disclosed information, the number of developers and compute core calls on Tencent Cloud Lighthouse have repeatedly hit record highs, with the scale of "OpenClaw shrimp farmers" on the cloud exceeding 100,000 and continuing to grow.
Following the successive launch of multiple "claws," Tencent Holdings' stock price closed up 7.27% on March 10th, marking its largest single-day gain since March 2025. The market's renewed bet on Tencent is based on the competition for entry points in the era of AI applications. A ChinaAMC research report pointed out that accelerated user-side adoption of AI applications will be a key driver for the dual improvement of performance and valuation for internet companies, with leading platforms possessing comprehensive advantages in traffic, data, and technology being more resilient.
The opening of the WeChat entry point is particularly noteworthy. Among the five "claws" currently launched by Tencent, QClaw has garnered the most attention. According to its official introduction, QClaw can directly link with WeChat, allowing users to remotely operate the AI by issuing commands through WeChat. Currently, QClaw still requires an internal test invitation code for use. On secondary platforms like Xianyu, QClaw invitation codes have been resold for dozens of yuan each.
Observers view QClaw as a step in WeChat's Agent strategy. However, based on the team background, QClaw originates from the Tencent PC Manager team, backed by CSIG, and is not an official smart agent tool launched by the WeChat team. QClaw's product lead, Shu Yu, also mentioned on the AI community "Guan Cha" that the original intention behind creating QClaw was that after the "shrimp farming fever," there wasn't a product based on OpenClaw that met their own usage needs; it took only two weeks from planning to launch.
An internal Tencent source analyzed that QClaw is essentially an attempt by different Tencent teams regarding Agents, which relates to Tencent's traditional "horse racing" mechanism. It does not represent the direction of WeChat's Agent layout, but WeChat's integration can be seen as a positive signal. If progress is smooth, it can serve as experience. Notably, the official WeChat Agent's arrival is also approaching. According to a report by The Information, Tencent is developing a new AI Agent for WeChat that will connect millions of mini-programs running within WeChat, covering areas from taxi hailing to grocery ordering, aiming to surpass competitors like Alibaba and ByteDance. The report stated the project is a high-priority, confidential plan slated for gray box testing around mid-year and an official launch in the third quarter. Tencent has not responded to this news.
The aforementioned Tencent source stated that Tencent indeed began promoting the WeChat Agent project last year. "The model-level difficulty is not high, and WeChat's mature ecosystem is a natural advantage, but the biggest challenges lie in security and permissions. Furthermore, large-scale operation for a billion-level user base requires extremely high stability." It is understood that Tencent is currently advancing more Agent projects beyond the five already launched. Regarding AI-related projects, Tencent senior management has internally stated clearly: "As long as business teams can demonstrate that their project implements AI empowerment within a product or develops an independent AI tool product, the company will not impose computing power or manpower limits, provided resources are secured."
In fact, Tencent has reacted swiftly following multiple AI hype cycles. For example, after DeepSeek gained popularity during last year's Spring Festival, Tencent Yuanbao quickly integrated the full-strength DeepSeek-R1 version and subsequently conducted large-scale promotions, successfully boosting Yuanbao's momentum. However, judging from the current state of AI application competition among major internet firms, Yuanbao's user activity still lags behind Doubao and Qwen. Sources close to Tencent believe that the active layout of Agents also reflects Tencent's anxiety regarding its AI business. Although management has repeatedly mentioned that Tencent has a "rhythm" in its AI strategy, the absence of a killer app has forced Tencent to acknowledge that its pace is lagging.
The "shrimp farming fever" might not last. Previously, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology issued a warning stating that some OpenClaw instances pose high security risks under default or improper configurations. Simultaneously, more users are realizing that "shrimp farming" involves high costs, ranging from tens to hundreds of dollars per month, making it unsuitable for everyone at this stage. Nevertheless, "Agents are an inevitable trend" has become an industry consensus. Regardless of the method of participation, Tencent must secure a leading position.