Deployment Modes

Compare pico, mini, and pro modes to choose the right setup

Overview

profClaw runs in three deployment modes that control resource usage, available features, and scaling behavior. Set the mode via the PROFCLAW_MODE environment variable.

export PROFCLAW_MODE=mini  # pico | mini | pro

Mode Comparison

Feature	Pico	Mini	Pro
RAM	512MB	2GB	8GB+
CPU Cores	1	2	4+
AI Providers	3	15	37
Chat Channels	2	10	27
Tools	15	50	77+
Skills	10	30	50
Queue	In-memory	In-memory	BullMQ + Redis
Max Concurrent	5	25	50+
Audit Logging	Basic	Standard	Full
Plugin Support	No	Basic	Full
MCP Servers	1	5	Unlimited
Backup/Restore	Manual	Scheduled	Continuous
Multi-device Sync	No	No	Yes
Clustering	No	No	Yes

Pico Mode

Designed for resource-constrained environments like Raspberry Pi, IoT devices, or personal use on older hardware.

export PROFCLAW_MODE=pico

Included providers: Ollama, OpenAI, Anthropic Included channels: Webchat, Telegram Docker image: profclaw/profclaw:pico (optimized, smaller image)

Pico mode disables plugins, multi-device sync, and advanced security features to minimize resource usage.

Mini Mode (Default)

The balanced option for small teams and home servers. Supports most features without requiring Redis.

export PROFCLAW_MODE=mini

Key features:

• 15 AI providers including all major cloud providers
• 10 chat channels including Slack, Discord, Telegram
• Background task processing with in-memory queue
• Standard audit logging
• Basic plugin support

Pro Mode

Full-featured production mode. Requires Redis for the BullMQ job queue.

export PROFCLAW_MODE=pro
export REDIS_URL=redis://localhost:6379

Key features:

• All 37 AI providers
• All 27 chat channels
• Redis-backed job queue with persistence and retry
• Full audit logging with compliance support
• Plugin marketplace (ClawHub) access
• Multi-device sync
• Horizontal scaling with clustering
• Continuous backup

Switching Modes

You can switch modes at any time by changing the environment variable and restarting:

# Upgrade from mini to pro
export PROFCLAW_MODE=pro
export REDIS_URL=redis://localhost:6379
profclaw serve

Switching from a higher mode to a lower mode may disable features that are in use. Run profclaw doctor after switching to verify your configuration.

Environment Detection

During profclaw onboard, the wizard detects your environment and recommends a mode:

Environment	Recommended Mode
Raspberry Pi / ARM SBC	Pico
Local development machine	Mini
Docker (limited resources)	Pico or Mini
VPS (2-4GB RAM)	Mini
VPS (8GB+ RAM)	Pro
Kubernetes cluster	Pro

Next: Configuration

Deep dive into environment variables and settings.