| name | openclaw-model-switch |
| description | Switch or repair the model configuration of an OpenClaw instance (e.g. Kimi k2p6 → k3): change the default model, add model definitions, and fix model-config failures — 401 "Invalid token", "No available channel / model not found", thinking-level rejections ("Thinking level X is not supported"), and config edits that don't take effect. Use whenever the user wants to switch/upgrade/rollback the OpenClaw model (切换模型/换模型/ 升级模型), or says the OpenClaw/龙虾 bot's model is misconfigured (模型配的错了), or the bot falls back / errors on LLM calls. |
OpenClaw Model Switch
Switch or repair an OpenClaw instance's model configuration by safely editing openclaw.json.
Diagnose before you edit. Model failures on OpenClaw are usually NOT the model id —
they are key routing (env hijack), provider-plugin restrictions, or endpoint/model mismatch.
Changing the model id without checking these first is how a 5-minute fix becomes a 2-hour
debugging session. The full trap catalog with discovery commands lives in
references/troubleshooting-model-config.md — read it
the moment anything errors.
Step 1 — Find the real config file(s)
Do NOT assume a hardcoded path. Candidate locations (check all, edit all that exist):
~/.openclaw/openclaw.json — the gateway's live config on most installs~/.kimi/kimi-claw/openclaw.json — Kimi Claw mirror, kept in sync on some installs~/.kimi_openclaw/openclaw.json — legacy desktop path
Confirm which one the gateway actually reads: openclaw gateway status prints
Config (service): <path>. If several exist, treat them as mirrors: edit all of them
identically, otherwise the next sync overwrites your fix.
Step 2 — Probe the endpoint + model BEFORE touching config
Never trust a relay's model listing (GET /v1/models on new-api style relays is frequently
incomplete — a model can be absent from the list yet serve fine). The only authority is a
real completion probe from the host that will run the bot:
curl -sS -o /tmp/probe.json -w "HTTP %{http_code}\n" \
-X POST "<baseUrl>/v1/messages" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer <apiKey>" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-H "anthropic-version: 2023-06-01" \
-d '{"model":"<model-id>","max_tokens":16,"messages":[{"role":"user","content":"hi"}]}'
Expected: HTTP 200 and a content array in the body. 401 Invalid token with a token you
just verified works elsewhere → the wire key is being hijacked (see trap #1 in the
troubleshooting reference). 503 No available channel → the model is not served for this
token/group from this network (trap #3) — pick a served model or fix the relay, don't
blind-switch.
Step 3 — Switch the model
python3 scripts/switch-model.py <model-id> --restart
python3 scripts/switch-model.py k3 --provider kimi-relay --restart
python3 scripts/switch-model.py k3 --config ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json --restart
The script: discovers and backs up every candidate config to <config-dir>/config-backups/,
adds the model definition if known, sets agents.defaults.model.primary, syncs mirror
files, and restarts the gateway with --restart.
Step 4 — Verify end-to-end (mandatory)
A restarted gateway proves nothing. Run one real agent turn and read the result metadata:
openclaw agent --local --json --agent main --session-id verify-$(date +%s) -m "ping"
Success looks like: "result": "success", "fallbackUsed": false, and the gateway log shows
agent model: <provider>/<model> (thinking=...). "result": "success" with
fallbackUsed: true means your target failed and a fallback saved the turn — the config is
still wrong.
Common failures → read the troubleshooting reference
| Symptom | Most likely trap |
|---|
LLM error new_api_error: Invalid token, but the token works in curl | Trap #1 — env KIMI_API_KEY hijacks the provider's wire key |
Thinking level "max" is not supported ... Use one of: off, on | Trap #2 — kimi-provider plugin hardcodes binary thinking; bypass with a custom provider |
Thinking level ... Use one of: off, minimal, low, medium, high | Trap #2 variant — anthropic-messages base profile; unlock via params.canonicalModelId |
503 No available channel for model X under group default | Trap #3 — model not served for this group/network; listing ≠ availability |
| Edit saved + gateway restarted, nothing changed | Trap #5 — edited the wrong file / mirror not synced |
Safety rules
- Always backup before editing (the script does this; manual edits: copy to
config-backups/ first)
- Preserve existing
apiKey, headers, plugin configs, and env blocks — retype only the fields you mean to change
- Validate JSON after manual edits:
python3 -m json.tool openclaw.json > /dev/null
- Do not commit config files containing API keys to version control
- After changing anything, redo the Step-4 verification — and if it fails, restore the newest backup before trying something else
Resources
- scripts/switch-model.py — model switcher with config discovery, backup, mirror sync, and restart
- references/kimi-models.md — known model specs (k3, k2p6, kimi-k2.7-code) and config snippets
- references/troubleshooting-model-config.md — the trap catalog: env key hijack, plugin binary thinking, canonicalModelId, relay availability, config discovery. Read on any error.
