Tag: ai agent

  • KimiClaw Review: Easy Setup but Is It Worth the $40?

    KimiClaw Review: Easy Setup but Is It Worth the $40?

    Kimi has introduced KimiClaw—a hosted version of OpenClaw powered by their Kimi 2.5 model. Promising seamless agent swarm capabilities for research and automation, it sounds like a dream for AI enthusiasts. But does it deliver? In this article, based on my latest video walkthrough, I’ll break down the quick setup process, run through live tests, highlight the limitations (including no X access and timeouts), discuss data privacy concerns, and compare it to cheaper alternatives.

    We also have a full video guide if you need visual assistance.

    Quick Setup: Launch in Under a Minute

    Getting started with KimiClaw is refreshingly straightforward, especially if you’re already in the Kimi ecosystem. It’s exclusively available on the Allegro plan, which costs $40 per month and unlocks the Kimi 2.5 model, agent swarms, and a 5x quota boost.

    Here’s the step-by-step from my demo:

    • Head to the Kimi dashboard.
    • Click to create or launch a KimiClaw instance—it’s that simple.
    • No need for local installs, server configs, or troubleshooting; everything is hosted.
    • Manage or delete instances with ease.

    In my video, I showed this taking less than a minute. It’s perfect for beginners who want to skip the technical hurdles of setting up OpenClaw locally. However, this convenience comes at a premium—more on that later.

    Live Tests: Agent Swarm in Action

    To put KimiClaw to the test, I ran a live agent swarm demo investigating a timely topic: “OpenAI’s acquisition of OpenClaw.” The swarm handled web searches and summarized key findings effectively, showcasing its potential for collaborative AI tasks like research or batch processing.

    Key highlights from the test:

    • Strengths: Solid web search integration and long-context handling. The agents coordinated well for basic queries.
    • Weaknesses: It timed out on more complex operations, exhibited basic behavior without advanced tweaks, and crucially, had no access to X (formerly Twitter). This is a big miss for real-time social media insights or trend analysis.

    I also checked for additional features, but found no full server or terminal control—limiting deep customization. Overall, it’s functional for entry-level agent swarms but doesn’t push boundaries.

    Limitations and Trust Issues: The Red Flags

    While the setup is a breeze, KimiClaw isn’t without flaws. Here’s what stood out in my evaluation:

    • No X Access: Can’t fetch posts or trends, which hampers tasks needing social data.
    • Timeouts and Basic Functionality: Extended runs often fail, and it lacks the sophistication of fully customizable setups.
    • No Full Control: You’re locked into Kimi’s hosted environment—no terminal access for mods.
    • Data Privacy Concerns: As a Chinese company (Moonshot AI), servers are hosted in China. This raises questions about data logging, retention, and potential monitoring. I advise caution if handling sensitive info.

    These aren’t deal-breakers for casual use, but they’re significant for power users. I spent the $40 to test it thoroughly—so you don’t have to!

    Alternatives: Better Value with Self-Hosting

    Why pay $40/month when you can get similar (or better) functionality cheaper? I compared KimiClaw to self-hosted options:

    • OpenClaw on Zebar: Set up for around $2/month. Full control, no subscriptions, and easy integration.
    • OpenRouter for Kimi Model: Access Kimi 2.5 directly at ~$0.50 per million input tokens and $2 per million output tokens. Pair it with your own OpenClaw for flexibility without the lock-in.

    These alternatives offer more customization, lower costs, and better privacy. If you’re not tied to Kimi’s dashboard, they’re the way to go. In my video, I emphasized that KimiClaw is “mid”—convenient for Allegro subscribers needing quick agent swarms, but overpriced otherwise.

    Conclusion: Convenience vs. Cost—You Decide

    KimiClaw shines in simplicity and integration for Kimi users, making agentic workflows accessible without setup headaches. However, its limitations in access, control, and privacy, combined with the $40 price tag, make it a tough sell compared to affordable self-hosted setups. If you’re deep in the Kimi ecosystem and value ease over everything, give it a shot. Otherwise, explore the alternatives for better bang for your buck.

    Tested it honestly in my video to cut through the hype—check it out for the full demo. Join our Discord community at https://discord.com/invite/boxtrading to discuss AI tools, share setups, and collaborate on agent swarms.

    Follow me on X at @boxmining or subscribe to the BoxminingAI Youtube channel for more no-BS reviews. Let’s optimize our AI game—see you in the next one!

  • You NEED to Update Your AI Agent with Cloudflare MarkDown Feature

    You NEED to Update Your AI Agent with Cloudflare MarkDown Feature

    Cloudflare has just rolled out a groundbreaking feature that converts web pages directly into Markdown format, slashing token usage for AI agents by up to 80% (and in some tests, even 94%). In this article, we’ll break down what this means, how to implement it on your bots, the real-world benefits, and why it’s a must-upgrade for anyone building AI systems.

    Drawing from my recent video demo, let’s explore how this could transform your setup.

    What is Cloudflare’s Markdown Conversion Feature?

    Cloudflare, a leader in web infrastructure, introduced this new tool to streamline how AI agents interact with websites. Traditionally, when an AI bot browses a page, it fetches bloated HTML full of scripts, ads, and unnecessary elements. This inflates the token count—those precious units that determine your API costs with models like GPT or Minimax.

    The Markdown feature acts as a smart filter: It strips away the junk and delivers clean, readable Markdown text. Think of it as a built-in summarizer that preserves the core content while ditching the overhead. To enable it, website owners simply toggle a setting in their Cloudflare dashboard. Once activated, any AI agent can append ?markdown to the URL (e.g., https://example.com/page?markdown) to get the optimized version.

    Not all sites support it yet—adoption depends on site admins—but major players like Anthropic, OpenAI, Vercel, GitHub, CoinDesk, TechCrunch, The Verge, and Hugging Face are prime candidates, as many already use Cloudflare. If you’re running a site, enabling this is a quick win to make your content more AI-friendly.

    Implementing the Feature on Your Bots: A Step-by-Step Demo

    In my video, I walked through a real-time implementation on my multi-agent Discord bot setup. It’s straightforward and takes just minutes:

    • Identify Compatible Sites: Start by checking if a site is on Cloudflare (tools like WHOIS or simply trying the ?markdown parameter can confirm).
    • Update Your Agent Code: In your bot’s web-fetching logic, modify the URL to include ?markdown. For example, in Python with libraries like requests:
      import requests
      response = requests.get("https://example.com/article?markdown")
      markdown_content = response.text

      This pulls the slimmed-down version directly.

      • Integrate into Workflows: Assign this to your AI agents for tasks like research or summarization. In my setup, agents like “Stark” (powered by Opus) delegate web browsing to cheaper models, now with even lower token burn.
      • Test for Savings: I demonstrated fetching a page both ways—HTML vs. Markdown—and saw a 94% reduction in content size. That translates to fewer tokens processed, meaning faster responses and lower bills.

        This isn’t just theoretical; I showed it live on sites that have enabled the feature. If you’re using frameworks like LangChain or custom Discord bots, plugging this in is seamless.

        Pro tip: Combine it with models that handle Markdown natively for even better results.

        The Benefits: Massive Cost Savings and Efficiency Gains

        Why bother? Let’s talk numbers. Running AI agents isn’t cheap—my daily token spend can hit hundreds of dollars on complex tasks. Cloudflare claims an 80% reduction, but my tests pushed it to 94% on dense pages. Here’s a quick breakdown:

        • Token Efficiency: Less input data means fewer tokens billed. For a model charging $1-75 per million tokens (depending on the provider), this adds up fast.
        • Speed Improvements: Smaller payloads process quicker, reducing latency in agentic flows like real-time research or automated reporting.

        Cost Breakdown Example:

        MetricHTML FetchMarkdown FetchSavings
        Content Size100KB6KB94%
        Tokens Used~75,000~4,50094%
        Cost (at $10/M)$0.75$0.045$0.705

        Even tools like OpenAI’s built-in web fetch convert to Markdown, but Cloudflare’s version is more optimized and site-controlled.

        The feature shines in agentic setups where bots chain tasks: Browse a page, summarize, then act. By cutting fluff early, you avoid cascading inefficiencies. It’s especially useful for crypto news aggregation (e.g., CoinDesk) or tech updates (TechCrunch), where timely, clean data is key.

        Potential Drawbacks and the Road Ahead

        It’s not universal yet—only Cloudflare-hosted sites can enable it, and propagation might take time. If a site hasn’t toggled it on, you’ll fall back to full HTML. Also, while great for text-heavy pages, it might not handle dynamic content perfectly. But as adoption grows (and I predict it will, given the AI boom), this becomes a standard.

        Encourage site owners you follow to enable it—it’s free and boosts AI compatibility.

        Conclusion: Upgrade Now and Slash Your AI Costs

        Cloudflare’s Markdown feature is a simple yet powerful upgrade for any AI bot builder. It turns web browsing from a token hog into an efficient powerhouse, saving you time and money while boosting performance. If you’re like me, juggling agents on Discord for crypto analysis, coding, or research, this is a no-brainer.

        Try it out: Append ?markdown to a compatible URL and see the difference.

        Join our Discord community at https://discord.com/invite/boxtrading to collaborate on bots and AI tweaks.

        Follow me on X at @boxmining or subscribe to the BoxminingAI Youtube channel for more demos. Let’s optimize the future—one Markdown page at a time!