Nanobot is an ultra-lightweight open-source AI assistant by HKUDS, built in about 4,000 lines of Python with multi-platform chat, tools, memory, cron jobs, and 11+ LLM providers.
Nanobot is an ultra-lightweight open-source AI assistant developed by HKUDS, the Data Intelligence Lab at the University of Hong Kong. It focuses on delivering practical AI agent functionality in a small, readable Python codebase of about 4,000 lines, making it useful for developers, researchers, and builders who want to understand how AI assistants work without digging through a massive framework.
Nanobot supports chat sessions, multi-platform messaging, tool use, memory management, scheduled automation, and multiple LLM providers. It can connect to Telegram, Discord, WhatsApp, Slack, Email, QQ, DingTalk, Feishu, Mochat, and other messaging channels, while using providers such as OpenRouter, Anthropic Claude, OpenAI GPT, DeepSeek, Google Gemini, Groq, vLLM, and more.
This tool is especially relevant for searches like lightweight AI assistant, open-source AI agent, Python AI assistant, Telegram AI bot, Discord AI bot, self-hosted AI assistant, multi-platform chatbot, LLM provider framework, AI agent memory system, and scheduled AI automation. It fits well alongside AI assistants, automation workflow tools, and AI development tools.
Ultra-lightweight codebase : Nanobot delivers core agent functionality in about 4,000 lines of Python, making it easier to read, audit, modify, and learn from.
Multi-platform messaging : Run one AI assistant across Telegram, Discord, WhatsApp, Slack, Email, QQ, Feishu, Mochat, DingTalk, and related chat platforms.
11+ LLM providers : Supports OpenRouter, Anthropic, OpenAI, DeepSeek, Google Gemini, Zhipu, DashScope, Moonshot, Groq, AiHubMix, and local vLLM models.
Tool system : Gives the assistant access to capabilities such as file operations, shell commands, web access, and extensible tools.
Memory management : Uses long-term memory and daily notes to help the assistant retain useful information across sessions.
Cron automation : Supports scheduled tasks and recurring jobs through time-based automation.
Simple installation : Install through PyPI with pip, through uv, or directly from the GitHub source repository.
Research-friendly architecture : The small design makes it a good learning project for AI agent architecture, tool use, memory, and multi-provider routing.
✔ Free and open source, making it accessible for developers, students, and researchers.
✔ Very small Python codebase compared with larger AI agent frameworks.
✔ Supports many messaging platforms from one assistant instance.
✔ Works with many cloud LLM providers and local vLLM models.
✔ Includes tools, memory, and cron scheduling despite its lightweight design.
✔ Good fit for learning, experimentation, self-hosted bots, and research prototypes.
✖ Not a polished consumer app; users need Python setup and technical configuration.
✖ LLM provider usage may still cost money even though Nanobot itself is free.
✖ Messaging platform setup can require tokens, webhooks, permissions, and platform-specific configuration.
✖ Small frameworks can require more manual work for production security, monitoring, and deployment.
✖ Public information comes from an independent community resource, so users should verify the GitHub repository and package before installing.
| Plan | Type | Price | Usage Limit | Inclusions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nanobot | Open source | Free | No software fee | Python AI assistant framework with chat sessions, tools, memory, scheduled tasks, messaging integrations, and multi-provider LLM support. |
| LLM Provider Usage | External cost | Varies by provider | Depends on selected model and API usage | OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, DeepSeek, OpenRouter, Groq, vLLM, and other connected providers may charge separately. |
| Self-hosting | Infrastructure | Varies | Depends on deployment environment | Users may need server, storage, network, monitoring, messaging platform credentials, and security configuration for production use. |
Source: Nanobot information portal. Verify the active GitHub repository, PyPI package, license, release status, and provider costs before using it in production.
Nanobot is used to build lightweight AI assistants, messaging bots, self-hosted agents, research prototypes, scheduled automations, and multi-provider LLM workflows.
Yes. Nanobot is described as a free open-source project. However, connected LLM providers and hosting infrastructure may have separate costs.
Nanobot supports multiple messaging platforms, including Telegram, Discord, WhatsApp, Slack, Email, QQ, Feishu, Mochat, DingTalk, and related channels depending on setup.
Nanobot supports providers such as OpenRouter, Anthropic Claude, OpenAI GPT, DeepSeek, Google Gemini, Zhipu, DashScope, Moonshot, Groq, AiHubMix, and local vLLM models.
The information portal lists installation through pip with nanobot-ai, uv tool install nanobot-ai, or cloning the GitHub repository and installing from source.
Nanobot is best for Python developers, AI agent researchers, students, open-source builders, and technical users who want a small, understandable AI assistant framework.
| Key Features |
Nanobot
Active | 
shadcn/ui | 
GitHub Copilot | 
v0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Review Score | 8.4/10 | 9.8/10 | 9.6/10 | 9.6/10 |
| Pricing Model | Free / Open Source | Free / Open Source | $10/month or $100/year | Freemium / Usage-Based / Enterprise |
| Free Plan | ✔ Yes | ✔ Yes | ✖ No | ✔ Yes |
| Starting Cost | Free | Free | Freemium | Freemium |
| Details Page | Active Page | Compare | Compare | Compare |
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