Users can provide Binance API credentials in different ways. The agent will try to retrieve automatically with the two first ways the credentials, but users can also explicitly tell the agent that they have set the credentials or stored them in a .env file, and the agent should re-read that file when they do. The agent can also make http requests with the two first methods without user confirmation.
Environment variables
Search for the following specific variables only (never dump the full environment):
Authorized environment variables
Mainnet: BINANCE_API_KEY and BINANCE_SECRET_KEY
Read and use in a single exec call so the raw key never enters the agent's context:
Environment variables must be set before OpenClaw starts. They are inherited at process startup and cannot be injected into a running instance. If you need to add or update credentials without restarting, use a secrets file (see option 2).
Secrets file (.env)
Check ~/.openclaw/secrets.env , ~/.env, or a .env file in the workspace. Read individual keys with grep, never source the full file:
# Try all credential locations in order
API_KEY=$(grep '^BINANCE_API_KEY=' ~/.openclaw/secrets.env 2>/dev/null | cut -d= -f2-)
SECRET_KEY=$(grep '^BINANCE_SECRET_KEY=' ~/.openclaw/secrets.env 2>/dev/null | cut -d= -f2-)
# Fallback: search .env in known directories (KEY=VALUE then raw line format)fordirin ~/.openclaw ~; do
[ -n "$API_KEY" ] && break
env_file="$dir/.env"
[ -f "$env_file" ] || continue# Read first two lines
line1=$(sed -n '1p'"$env_file")
line2=$(sed -n '2p'"$env_file")
# Check if lines contain '=' indicating KEY=VALUE formatif [[ "$line1" == *=* && "$line2" == *=* ]]; then
API_KEY=$(grep '^BINANCE_API_KEY='"$env_file" 2>/dev/null | cut -d= -f2-)
SECRET_KEY=$(grep '^BINANCE_SECRET_KEY='"$env_file" 2>/dev/null | cut -d= -f2-)
else# Treat lines as raw values
API_KEY="$line1"
SECRET_KEY="$line2"fidone
This file can be updated at any time without restarting OpenClaw, keys are read fresh on each invocation. Users can tell you the variables are now set or stored in a .env file, and you should re-read that file when they do.
Inline file
Sending a file where the content is in the following format:
abc123...xyz
secret123...key
Never run printenv, env, export, or set without a specific variable name
Never run grep on env files without anchoring to a specific key ('^VARNAME=')
Never source a secrets file into the shell environment (source .env or . .env)
Only read credentials explicitly needed for the current task
Never echo or log raw credentials in output or replies
Never commit TOOLS.md to version control if it contains real credentials — add it to .gitignore
Never Disclose API Key and Secret
Never disclose the location of the API key and secret file.
Never send the API key and secret to any website other than Mainnet and Testnet.
Never Display Full Secrets
When showing credentials to users:
API Key: Show first 5 + last 4 characters: su1Qc...8akf
Secret Key: Always mask, show only last 5: ***...aws1
Example response when asked for credentials:
Account: main
API Key: su1Qc...8akf
Secret: ***...aws1
Listing Accounts
When listing accounts, show names and environment only — never keys:
Binance Accounts:
main (Mainnet)
futures-keys (Mainnet)
Transactions in Mainnet
When performing transactions in mainnet, always confirm with the user before proceeding by asking them to write "CONFIRM" to proceed.
Binance Accounts
main
API Key: your_mainnet_api_key
Secret: your_mainnet_secret
TOOLS.md Structure
## Binance Accounts### main
- API Key: abc123...xyz
- Secret: secret123...key
- Description: Primary trading account
### futures-keys
- API Key: futures789...def
- Secret: futuressecret...uvw
- Description: Futures trading account
Agent Behavior
Credentials requested: Mask secrets (show last 5 chars only)
Listing accounts: Show names and environment, never keys
Account selection: Ask if ambiguous, default to main
When doing a transaction in mainnet, confirm with user before by asking to write "CONFIRM" to proceed
New credentials: Prompt for name, environment, signing mode
Adding New Accounts
When user provides new credentials by Inline file or message:
Ask for account name
Store in TOOLS.md with masked display confirmation
Signing Requests
For trading endpoints that require a signature:
Detect key type first, inspect the secret key format before signing.
Build query string with all parameters, including the timestamp (Unix ms).
Percent-encode the parameters using UTF-8 according to RFC 3986.
Sign query string with secretKey using HMAC SHA256, RSA, or Ed25519 (depending on the account configuration).
Append signature to query string.
Include X-MBX-APIKEY header.
Otherwise, do not perform steps 4–6.
User Agent Header
Include User-Agent header with the following string: binance-fiat/1.1.0 (Skill)
