OpenClaw creator Peter Steinberger has confirmed that users can be removed from the project’s Discord server for mentioning bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies.
In a post on X, a user said they were blocked after referencing bitcoin block height as a timing mechanism in a multi-agent benchmark, prompting Steinberger to state that members agree to “strict server rules” including a “no crypto mention whatsoever” policy.
Steinberger later offered to reinstate the user, asking them to email their username so access to the server could be restored.
The strict stance follows a rebranding episode in which scammers hijacked abandoned social media handles and promoted a Solana-based token called $CLAWD, which briefly reached a $16 million market capitalisation before falling more than 90% after Steinberger denied any involvement.
At the time, Steinberger warned that he would never launch a cryptocurrency and said any token claiming affiliation with him was fraudulent, while security researchers later identified hundreds of exposed OpenClaw instances and dozens of malicious plug-ins targeting crypto traders.
OpenClaw has grown rapidly since its late January launch, surpassing 200,000 GitHub stars within weeks and attracting developers focused on autonomous AI agents.
The ban comes as parts of the crypto industry continue to position blockchain as infrastructure for AI systems, with Circle chief executive Jeremy Allaire predicting stablecoins will be widely used by autonomous agents and Coinbase recently launching “Agentic Wallets” to enable AI-driven on-chain payments and asset management.
At the time of reporting, Bitcoin price was $65,497.07.