Oliver's Setup — ClawTutor in the real world

Architecture

Two Pis, one network

The main Raspberry Pi 5 runs Pi-hole and ClawTutor. A second Pi connects a USB MIDI keyboard and sends live note data via MQTT — so the Music tutor Melody can hear what the kids play.

Kids' phones
dedicated ClawTutor number

→

🖥️

ClawTutor Pi 5

Pi-hole + OpenClaw
ClawTutor agents + MQTT

→

📺 📱 🎮 🔌

Home devices

TV boxes, phones, consoles, smart plugs —
DNS + power · blocked until credits earned

🎹

MIDI Keyboard

USB connected

→

🍓

Musik-Pi

midi_sender.py
reads keys, sends via MQTT

→ MQTT

🎵

Melody Agent

music_receiver.py on ClawTutor Pi
live feedback via WhatsApp

What's running on ClawTutor Pi

Core services on the main Pi.

🕳️

Pi-hole

DNS-level ad blocker & device firewall. Controls what streaming boxes, consoles and phones can resolve — and when.

🦞

OpenClaw + ClawTutor

AI gateway running the tutor agents, managing screen time credits, and sending weekly reports.

🗄️

SQLite DB

Stores earned credits per child. Lightweight, local, no cloud required.

⏰

Cron jobs

Auto-blocks devices at bedtime, resets daily limits, triggers weekly report.

📡

Mosquitto (MQTT Broker)

Receives live MIDI data from the Musik-Pi. Topics: notes, session summaries, control commands.

🎵

Music Receiver

Listens to MQTT, processes practice sessions, calculates screen time rewards, and feeds data to Melody.

🏠

Home automation (optional)

ClawTutor can call Home Assistant or smart plug APIs to cut power — blocking even offline games and local play.

Channel

A number just for ClawTutor

A dedicated phone number keeps ClawTutor cleanly separated from any personal accounts. The Pi never touches personal messages. A pay-per-use SIM is enough — you only need it to register the number, not for active data or calls.

Active channel

WhatsApp via OpenClaw Gateway

ClawTutor has its own phone number registered with WhatsApp. Kids message their tutor just like messaging a friend — no app to install, no login, no friction. The tutors respond in seconds.

📱 Pay-per-use SIM · own number

💡 Why WhatsApp? Both kids already use it. No new app needed. Works on any phone. ClawTutor also supports other channels — WhatsApp is just what works best here.

Also works with:

Signal

Discord

Children & Subjects

Two kids, three subjects each

Each child gets their own AI tutor per subject — with a separate personality, curriculum, and progress tracking. More subjects are on the roadmap.

👦

Child 1

Dedicated WhatsApp thread · own credits

🧮 Maths /math

🇬🇧 English /english

🎵 Music + MIDI /music

➕ More coming… soon

👧

Child 2

Dedicated WhatsApp thread · own credits

🧮 Maths /math

🇬🇧 English /english

🎵 Music + MIDI /music

➕ More coming… soon

Each tutor adapts to the child's grade and curriculum. Progress is stored separately so the weekly report shows a clear picture per child per subject. The Music tutor Melody receives live MIDI data from a USB keyboard — she can hear what the kids play and give real-time feedback.

Device Control

Any device on the home network.
Locked by default.

Pi-hole is the DNS server for every controlled device. Each device has its DNS setting pointed at the Pi — either pushed automatically via the router's DHCP, or set manually per device. ClawTutor patches Pi-hole's blocklist per device, per child — no parental-controls app, no platform subscription needed.

📺

TV / Streaming box

Streaming blocked until credits earned. Oliver uses Apple TV — works equally with Fire TV, Chromecast, Android TV, Roku.

Active

📱

Kids' phones

YouTube, TikTok, games — blocked at the DNS level when on home WiFi.

WiFi

🎮

PlayStation

PSN, online gaming and the PS Store all go dark until credits are spent.

Active

🕹️

Nintendo Switch

eShop and online multiplayer blocked when credits run out. Local play still works — smart plug handles that.

Active

💻

Laptops / tablets

Block specific domains (gaming sites, streaming) while leaving school content open.

WiFi & LAN

🔌

Any networked device

WiFi or wired — as long as the device's DNS is pointed at the Pi (manually or via DHCP), Pi-hole controls it. By MAC address, by group, or per device.

DNS → Pi-hole

💡 How it works: Each controlled device has its DNS server set to the Pi's IP address — either configured manually on the device, or pushed to all devices via the router's DHCP settings. Once DNS points at Pi-hole, ClawTutor can block or unblock it by MAC address via the Pi-hole API. The device itself needs no app or agent.

Beyond DNS: home automation

DNS blocking only works for devices that need the internet. Local games, offline content, and cached apps slip through. A smart plug or home automation gateway closes that gap — ClawTutor can simply cut the power when credits run out.

🔌

Smart power plugs

Plug a TV, console or monitor into a smart socket. ClawTutor switches it off when credits hit zero — works even for offline and local-multiplayer games.

Power control

🏠

Home Assistant

Full home automation gateway. ClawTutor calls the HA REST API to toggle switches, scenes, or automations — lights, plugs, anything HA controls.

API

💡

Smart lights

Flash the room lights as a 5-minute warning before screen time ends. Subtler than a nagging message — and harder to ignore.

Signal

⚡

Any HTTP-controlled device

Shelly, TP-Link Kasa, IKEA Trådfri, Philips Hue, Apple HomeKit (via HA bridge) — if it has a local API, ClawTutor can reach it.

Local API

⚡ Why power plugs matter: DNS blocking stops Netflix. A smart plug stops everything — the TV, the console, the monitor. Combined, DNS + power control leaves no workaround for kids. Local games, offline mode, downloaded content — all go dark when time's up.

How the credit cycle works

🌙

Default (blocked)
All registered devices are on Pi-hole's blocklist. Streaming, gaming and social services return NXDOMAIN — the device simply can't connect.

✅

Credits earned via quiz
Child answers questions correctly → ClawTutor adds +10 min per question to the credit balance and removes their devices from the blocklist.

⏱️

Timer runs out
A cron job rechecks remaining credits every few minutes. When the balance hits zero, all of that child's devices go back on the blocklist automatically.

🌙

Bedtime hard cut-off
Regardless of remaining credits, all devices are blocked at a fixed time every night. No exceptions, no workarounds.

Reports

Sunday morning, inbox zero

Every Sunday ClawTutor sends a plain-language summary to the parent. No dashboard to log into. No app to check. Just a message — same as the kids get, but on your number.

📊 ClawTutor — Weekly Report · Sun 16 Feb 2026

👦 Child 1

Sessions this week9

Questions answered63

Correct answers54 (86%)

Screen time earned4 h 30 min

Best subject🧮 Maths

👧 Child 2

Sessions this week7

Questions answered49

Correct answers40 (82%)

Screen time earned3 h 20 min

Best subject🇬🇧 English

Next report: Sun 23 Feb · Reply HELP for commands

Roadmap

What's coming to this setup

Maths, English, and Music are live. Here's what Oliver is actively planning for the next months.

🎹 Music tutor + MIDI keyboard — Melody is live. A second Pi reads USB MIDI, sends notes via MQTT, and Melody gives real-time feedback. 1 min practice = 2 min screen time. Done ✓

🕹️ Gaming consoles under control — Nintendo Switch & PlayStation added. DNS blocks eShop & online; smart plug covers local play. Done ✓

🗺️ Geography tutor — capitals, flags, rivers Next

🔬 Science tutor — biology, chemistry basics Planned

📖 Reading comprehension challenges Planned

🏆 Sibling leaderboard — weekly challenge mode Idea

📅 School exam prep — timed quizzes before test dates Idea

🧹 Chore credits — earn screen time by completing household tasks. Empty the dishwasher, brush teeth, clean your room — each chore worth a configurable number of minutes. A parent confirms via WhatsApp to unlock the credits. Soon

Oliver's setup
in production.