Deepseek is powerful, but it's just a chat window. A true AI robot is an intelligent agent that can connect to platforms like WeChat, QQ, Telegram, and Lark, proactively participate in conversations, perform tasks, and remain "lurking" around you long-term.

In 2026, with the explosive growth of open-source AI frameworks, building your own mini AI robot has become an easy task even for beginners. You don't need to understand complex algorithms, write thousands of lines of code, or even spend a penny on expensive hardware—all you need is a VPS and a few commands.

This article will guide you step-by-step from scratch to build your own mini AI robot.

I. What is a Mini AI Robot? Let's understand the concept first.

A "mini AI robot" is not a specific product, but a general term for a type of lightweight, deployable, and interactive AI intelligent agent.

Its biggest difference from chat tools like deepseek is that it can "live" inside your chat software, existing long-term like a real group member.

Take the open-source project Bub as an example. It's designed as a "little robot that lurks in group chats"—it can see what everyone has been talking about and can participate based on the context. It's not a tool that simply answers your questions, but an intelligent partner with memory, personality, and the ability to understand context.

Another example is nanobot, a super lightweight AI agent. Running OpenClaw requires at least 2GB of memory, while running nanobot only needs 1GB. This means that even a low-spec VPS can run it easily.

II. Which Project to Choose? Comparison of Four Mainstream Mini AI Robots

In 2026, the open-source community saw a surge of excellent mini AI robot projects. Here are four of the most representative:

If you are a beginner, we recommend starting with Bub or AstrBot—active communities, comprehensive documentation, and the lowest learning curve. If your VPS configuration is low (1GB memory), nanobot is the best choice. If you want to learn AI Agent principles, Mini-Manus provides the simplest code implementation.

III. Step-by-Step Tutorial: Building Your First Mini AI Robot Using Bub as an Example

Below, we'll demonstrate the complete setup process step-by-step using the open-source project Bub as an example.

Step 1: Prepare a VPS

You'll need a Linux server with internet access (Ubuntu 20.04+ or Debian 11+ are both acceptable). Recommended configuration: 1 CPU core, 1GB or more of RAM, and 20GB or more of hard drive space.

If you don't already have a VPS, Jtti offers multi-node VPS plans in Hong Kong, the United States, and Singapore, with exclusive discounts for new users.

Step 2: Log in to your VPS and install the basic environment

Connect to your VPS via SSH. First, confirm your Python environment:

python3 --version

If your version is lower than 3.10, you need to upgrade first. Then install uv (Python package manager):

curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh

source $HOME/.cargo/env

Step 3: Clone the Bub project and install dependencies

git clone https://github.com/bubbuild/bub.git

cd bub

uv sync

Wait for the dependencies to complete. After installation, you can test if Bub is running normally:

uv run bub --help

If you see help information, the installation was successful.

Step 4: Create a working directory and configure the AI ​​model

cd ~

mkdir -p hello-bub

cd hello-bub

Next, write an `AGENTS.md` file, which is the robot's "personality setting":

cat > AGENTS.md << 'EOF'

You are the Bub robot in this group chat. You are friendly, humorous, and like to help others.

You will provide constructive responses based on the group chat context, rather than mechanically answering questions.

Then configure the AI ​​model API (using the OpenAI compatible interface as an example), creating a `.env` file:

cat > .env << 'EOF'

OPENAI_API_KEY=Your API key

OPENAI_BASE_URL=https://api.openai.com/v1

MODEL=gpt-4o-mini

EOF

If you don't have an OpenAI account, you can also use domestic large model APIs (such as DeepSeek, Tongyi Qianwen, Moonshot, etc.), the configuration method is similar.

Step 5: Start Bub

Return to the Bub directory and start the robot:

cd ~/bub

uv run bub --workspace ~/hello-bub

Seeing the message "Bub is ready" means your mini AI robot has been successfully running!

Step 6: Integrating with Chat Platforms (Using Lark as an Example)

To integrate Bub with Lark group chat, you first need to create a robot application on the Lark Open Platform, obtain the App ID and App Secret, and then add the Lark Channel configuration to Bub's configuration file. Refer to the official Bub documentation for detailed steps.

Integrating with QQ/WeChat is similar; using the AstrBot + NapCat combination, a QQ robot can be deployed within 5 minutes.

IV. Advanced Features: Making the Robot "Smarter"

1. Configuring a Memory System

Both Bub and nanobot have built-in long-term memory functionality. The robot can remember previous conversations and reference them in subsequent interactions, achieving truly "memorized" dialogue.

2. Integrating Tool Calls

Mini-Manus demonstrates how to allow the AI ​​robot to call external tools—calculators, file editors, Python executors, database queries, etc. You can add various practical tools to the robot according to your needs.

3. Multi-Platform Integration

nanobot supports simultaneous integration with multiple platforms including Telegram, Discord, WeChat, Slack, and Email. One bot, synchronized across multiple platforms, truly achieving "ubiquitous" functionality.

4. Scheduled Tasks and Automation

By configuring cron jobs, you can schedule the bot to perform specific operations at set times—such as sending a weather forecast every morning at 8 AM, or automatically generating a weekly report every Monday.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1: What VPS configuration is required?

Minimum 1GB of RAM is sufficient to run nanobot. If running OpenClaw or AstrBot, 2GB or more is recommended. Jtti Hong Kong VPS offers various configuration options, catering to both beginner and enterprise levels.

Q2: Is it necessary to use a foreign AI model API?

Not necessarily. You can use domestic large model APIs such as DeepSeek, Tongyi Qianwen, Moonshot (Kimi), and Zhipu GLM. The configuration method is similar to OpenAI; you only need to modify the `BASE_URL` and `MODEL` parameters.

Q3: Can the bot be online 24/7?

Yes. As long as the VPS is running, the bot will remain online. It's recommended to use `screen` or `tmux` to run the bot in the background, or configure it as a system service (systemd) to start automatically on boot.

Q4: How much does it cost to set up?

The open-source project itself is completely free. The main cost is the VPS fee, ranging from tens to hundreds of yuan per month, depending on the configuration chosen.

Q5: I have zero experience, can I learn it?

Absolutely. All operations in this article are "copy and paste" level—copy the command, paste it into the terminal, and press Enter. No coding or algorithm knowledge is required.

By 2026, the open-source AI bot ecosystem will be mature enough that anyone can have their own AI assistant within 30 minutes. From Bub's group chat companionship to nanobot's lightweight deployment, and AstrBot's multi-platform integration—you don't need to be a programmer, you don't need to understand deep learning, all you need is a VPS and the patience to follow the tutorials.

If you're looking for a stable, high-speed VPS suitable for deploying AI bots, Jtti Hong Kong VPS is a worthwhile option. The Hong Kong node offers extremely low latency for users in mainland China and Southeast Asia, with multiple flexible configuration options and Tb-level DDoS protection to ensure business security. Whether running Bub, nanobot, or AstrBot, you'll enjoy a smooth deployment experience. Visit the Jtti website now to get your customized configuration plan. New user discounts are currently available; please contact online customer service for details.