Building a Persistent Personal Assistant
Mikhail Shcheglov created "Saul," a sophisticated personal assistant using the OpenClaw architecture with Claude Code as the primary brain. After frustrating experiences with human PAs who required constant handholding and made costly mistakes, he built an AI alternative that runs on a cost-efficient VPS server for just €24/month.
Comprehensive Workspace Integration
Saul has full access to Google Workspace including emails, calendars, and documents. The agent can book hotels, find flight tickets, handle check-ins, and manage complex scheduling across multiple time zones. All interactions happen through a Telegram interface, making it accessible from anywhere.
Self-Improving Architecture
The most impressive feature is Saul's ability to code and upgrade himself from a single Telegram message. Need Slack integration? Saul can implement it in three minutes. The agent has persistent memory that stores all conversations and elegantly compacts context when limits are reached, so you never have to repeat personal details like passport numbers.
Proactive Intelligence
Unlike reactive chatbots, Saul is proactive and reaches out first at agreed-upon intervals without being disruptive. This level of intelligence and autonomy typically costs thousands of euros monthly for human PAs. The system processes everything from meeting bookings to travel arrangements, transforming scattered tasks into seamless automation that feels like having a dedicated human assistant.