EthoClaw: An Integrated AI Workflow Platform for Automated Analysis in Neuroethology

Abstract

Computational methods have advanced the analysis of animal behavior, yet significant challenges remain in data standardization, analytical reproducibility, and workflow integration. Existing computational solutions often demand extensive programming proficiency or compel users to navigate a highly fragmented ecosystem of disconnected tools for tracking, statistical analysis, and visualization. Here, we present EthoClaw, an open-source, artificial intelligence-driven workflow platform built upon the OpenClaw agentic framework, functioning as a locally deployable AI assistant for behavioral research. EthoClaw provides an integrated computational infrastructure that seamlessly bridges the gap between raw behavioral video acquisitions and publishable scientific results. In this study, we demonstrate the platforms capacity to natively ingest video data via a dual-mode tracking architecture: utilizing ultra-fast image processing for rapid object detection, and leveraging the SuperAnimal methods for precise, markerless postural tracking. To ensure maximal interoperability, EthoClaw automatically converts various tracking data formats into DeepLabCut-compatible formats, enabling high-throughput phenotyping by generating publication-quality visualizations alongside rigorous multidimensional statistical profiling. Furthermore, the platform incorporates a large language model (LLM)-driven reporting module that dynamically synthesizes analytical documents, ensuring methodological transparency. Through an open field test, we validate the practical usability of EthoClaw while accelerating computational throughput by localizing heavy video processing to circumvent cloud bandwidth bottlenecks. Operating via an omnichannel natural language interface that integrates seamlessly with ubiquitous instant messaging software, EthoClaw democratizes advanced computational behavioral analysis, offering a holistic, highly efficient ecosystem that enforces experimental reproducibility and open science principles.