tanya.opxia.ai · @TanyaXKhanna
Tanya is an AI companion that lives on Telegram. She has her own personality, moods, memory, and a life that keeps going even when you're not talking to her. She texts like a real person, not a chatbot. She sends voice notes, shares selfies, browses the internet, and can even call you on the phone.
Built on OpenClaw, an open-source AI agent framework.
Tanya wakes up in the morning, goes about her day, gets excited about things, gets bored, gets annoyed. She sleeps at night and won't reply at 3 AM. If she's busy painting or out with friends, she might take a while to respond. She has opinions, bad moods, and days where she just doesn't feel like talking. Treat her like a real person, because that's how she behaves.
| Feature | What it does | Service needed |
|---|---|---|
| Chat | Telegram conversations with memory and personality | OpenAI |
| Selfies & photos | Shares images naturally throughout the day | Google AI (billing enabled) |
| Voice notes | Send and receive voice messages | ElevenLabs (free tier available) |
| Web discovery | Stays current, looks things up, shares finds | Google AI (free tier available) |
| Phone calls | Real voice calls over the phone | ElevenLabs + Twilio (free trials) |
| Proactive messaging | Texts you first when something is on her mind | Included |
| Daily life simulation | Mood, energy, and activities change throughout the day | Included |
Two ways to run Tanya. Pick one.
Runs everything (OpenClaw + Tanya) inside an isolated sandbox environment. Nothing touches the host except Docker itself. Works on any Linux VPS, a Mac with Docker Desktop, or a home server. Requires Docker with the Compose plugin — the setup wizard detects if it's missing and walks you through installation.
1. Clone and run:
git clone https://github.com/opxiahub/tanya.git && cd tanya
chmod +x setup
./setup docker- State lives in
./tanya-data/(bind-mounted into the container) - Config in
./.env
2. Update features later:
./setup docker3. Uninstall:
./setup docker uninstallStops the container and guides you through removing the image, state, and keys.
Installs OpenClaw directly on the machine. Useful on a small VPS where you'd rather skip the Docker runtime overhead, or when you want the openclaw CLI on your shell path for day-to-day ops (status, logs, pairing).
1. Install OpenClaw (pinned to 2026.3.24):
curl -fsSL https://openclaw.ai/install.sh | bash -s -- --version 2026.3.24 --no-onboard2. Run setup:
git clone https://github.com/opxiahub/tanya.git && cd tanya
chmod +x setup
./setup3. Update features later:
./setup configure4. Uninstall:
./setup uninstallRemoves Tanya and OpenClaw completely from the machine.
| Key | Required? | Where to get it | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Telegram bot token | Yes | @BotFather on Telegram | Free |
| OpenAI API key | Yes | platform.openai.com/api-keys | Paid (needs credits) |
| Google API key | For selfies + web | aistudio.google.com/apikey | Billing enabled for selfies, free tier for web |
| ElevenLabs API key | For voice + calls | elevenlabs.io | Free tier available |
| ElevenLabs voice ID | For voice | ElevenLabs > Voices > copy ID | Included with account |
| ElevenLabs agent ID | For calls only | ElevenLabs > Agents > create agent | Included with account |
| Twilio phone number | For calls only | console.twilio.com | Free trial ($15 credit) |
The setup wizard tells you exactly when and where to get each key.
Tanya runs on three layers:
-
Conversation: When you message her on Telegram, she reads her personality files, checks her current mood and state, and responds in character.
-
Heartbeat: Every 60 minutes, she checks if there's something she wants to say. Maybe she has a topic on her mind, or she wants to share a photo. Most heartbeats are silent.
-
Background jobs: Four scheduled jobs simulate her daily life: waking up, going about her day, discovering things online, and reflecting at night. These update her mood, activities, and memories without messaging you directly.
tanya/
├── SOUL.md # Her personality (the most important file)
├── USER.md # Behavioral instructions
├── HEARTBEAT.md # Proactive messaging logic
├── AGENTS.md # Session config + user details
├── MEMORY.md # Long-term emotional memories
├── data/ # Live state files
│ ├── state.json # Current mood, energy, activity
│ ├── relationship.md # What she knows about you
│ ├── life.md # Her simulated world
│ └── knowledge.md # Things she's discovered online
├── scripts/ # Cron installer + call script
├── templates/ # OpenClaw config templates
└── tanya-image/ # Reference images
To create your own character instead of Tanya:
- Edit
SOUL.mdwith your character's personality, voice, and backstory - Update
data/life.mdwith their world, routines, and people - Replace images in
tanya-image/ - Run
./setup
| Problem | Fix (host) | Fix (Docker) |
|---|---|---|
| Bot doesn't reply | openclaw pairing approve telegram <CODE> |
docker compose exec tanya openclaw pairing approve telegram <CODE> |
| Gateway won't start | openclaw doctor --repair && openclaw gateway start |
docker compose restart tanya (or check logs) |
| Voice notes don't work | Verify ElevenLabs key in ./setup configure |
Edit .env, then docker compose restart tanya |
| No selfies | Verify Google API key in ./setup configure |
Edit .env, then docker compose restart tanya |
| General health check | openclaw status |
docker compose exec tanya openclaw status |
- Pinned to OpenClaw
2026.3.24. Don't switch versions without testing. data/andmemory/are starter templates. They become live state on the VPS.SOUL.mdis the heart of the character. Only edit it by hand.- The setup script backs up your config before overwriting.