[DOCS] Document new mascot 'Clawd' and implement an introductory welcome screen
Documentation Type
Missing documentation (feature not documented)
Documentation Location
The Claude Code extension within Visual Studio Code. The issue is present on the initial screen when opening a new Claude chat session.
Section/Topic
The initial user onboarding experience and general product documentation. There is no mention of the product's mascot, which creates a disconnect with recent branding efforts.
Current Documentation
When a new Claude Code session is started in VS Code, the screen is mostly empty, with the following text:
Make a CLAUDE.md file for instructions Claude will read every single time.
There is no other introductory text, branding, or character presented to the user.
What's Wrong or Missing?
The official Claude Code social media has introduced a new mascot named "Clawd" 🦀 (see link in Additional Context). However, this mascot is completely absent from the product itself and any accompanying documentation.
This results in:
A missed opportunity to build brand identity and make the tool more approachable.
A disconnect between the marketing/community presence and the actual user experience.
The initial welcome screen is stark and could be more engaging for new users.
Suggested Improvement
We suggest two improvements:
- Implement an In-Product Welcome Screen:
Instead of a blank screen, display a welcome message featuring the new mascot, Clawd, when a user starts a new session for the first time or when the chat history is empty. This would greatly improve the onboarding experience.
Suggested Text/Concept:
The screen could feature an image of Clawd with a welcome message, such as:
"Hi, my name is Clawd. How I can help you today?"
- Update Official Documentation:
Add a section to the official Claude Code documentation that introduces Clawd. This could be in an "About" section or as part of the "Getting Started" guide to formally introduce the character to users.
Impact
High - Prevents users from using a feature
Additional Context
Screenshots showing the issue:
Current empty state in VS Code:
<img width="381" height="209" alt="Image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/df65b78e-0a80-4d4c-b1f0-31687505e431" />
Example of a proposed welcome screen featuring Clawd:
<img width="1344" height="768" alt="Image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/aeecc8e6-174c-4fbe-9b7b-bad7da8f71a6" />
Links to related documentation:
Official social media post introducing Clawd: https://x.com/trq212/status/1972784970054893877
Examples from other projects that do this well:
Many developer tools use mascots or friendly onboarding screens to establish a brand and make the initial experience more pleasant. GitHub's Octocat is a prime example of successful mascot integration. This would be a similar, positive step for Claude Code.
Proposed New
9 Comments
Hey, I literally asked myself the exact same question just now when I opened Claude Code.
I especially think it’s important (and kind of fascinating) to explain the biological nature of Clawd — which seems to be somewhere between an octopus and a gelatinous creature. Those details really matter for the allegorical potential and could massively influence the memes coming up next year.
We should ensure the message is localized for support in all languages,
This issue has been inactive for 30 days. If the issue is still occurring, please comment to let us know. Otherwise, this issue will be automatically closed in 30 days for housekeeping purposes.
Claudetopus was RIGHT THERE (=
Not sure if Opus 4.5 completely hallucinated this or it knows something we don't. I googled clawd out of curiosity and arrived here.
<img width="1344" height="2992" alt="Image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/7a26022f-5b1e-4370-bcd8-9270ab6adcec" />
Hello again, following up on this as it has been some time since the initial report.
I've reviewed the latest documentation provided (as of January 16, 2026), and this issue remains unresolved.
The current documentation for the [VS Code extension](/docs/en/vs-code) and the [Quickstart guide](/docs/en/quickstart) still focuses exclusively on the "Spark icon" and technical onboarding steps. There is still no mention of "Clawd" 🦀 or any formal introduction of the mascot within the product’s documentation or the initial welcome flow.
As mentioned in the original post, integrating Clawd would significantly help in making the tool feel more approachable and creating a consistent brand identity across social media and the actual developer experience. I'm still hoping to see a friendlier welcome screen or an "About" section that brings this character into the official docs!
I guess Clawd definitely needs actual documentation about it. Either that, or throw the little mascot away, as it takes extra space in the terminal anyway.
Not even Sonnet or Opus know about its existence:
<img width="732" height="664" alt="Image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/16eed6ec-dc99-4d5f-b727-f49b6178c0ce" />
<img width="732" height="706" alt="Image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/73844271-db57-4ea3-aabb-60a6c3f20a68" />
BEFORE => AFTER
https://github.com/clawdbot/clawdbot => https://github.com/moltbot/moltbot
Moltbot is unrelated to Claude — one of the reasons why they changed their name, as prompted by Anthropic themselves.