Using OpenAI in OpenClaw: API Keys and Codex Subscription

OpenClaw uses one provider id, openai, for both direct API-key auth and ChatGPT/Codex subscription auth. openai/* is the canonical model route. For embedded agent turns with runtime policy unset or auto, OpenAI's route facts decide whether OpenClaw may select the bundled Codex app-server runtime implicitly. The openai/* prefix alone does not select a runtime.

• Agent models - openai/* through the runtime selected by explicit agentRuntime config or OpenAI's implicit route policy. Sign in with Codex auth for ChatGPT/Codex subscription use, or configure an API-key auth profile when you want key-based billing.
• Non-agent OpenAI APIs - direct OpenAI Platform access, billed per use, through OPENAI_API_KEY or an openai API-key auth profile.
• Legacy config - codex/* and openai-codex/* refs are repaired to openai/* plus model-scoped agentRuntime.id: "codex" by openclaw doctor --fix.

OpenAI explicitly supports subscription OAuth usage in external tools and workflows like OpenClaw.

Usage and cost tracking

OpenClaw keeps subscription quota and Platform API billing distinct:

• ChatGPT/Codex OAuth shows the subscription plan, quota windows, and credit balance.
• OPENAI_ADMIN_KEY shows 30 days of provider-reported organization cost and completions usage in Control UI Usage, including daily spend, request/token totals, top models, and cost categories.
• OPENAI_PROJECT_ID optionally scopes Admin API history to one project.
• OpenClaw never sends OPENAI_API_KEY or an openai inference profile to organization APIs; those credentials may belong to custom, Azure, or agent-local endpoints.

An explicit Admin key takes precedence over OAuth. Provider-reported history is not merged with OpenClaw's session-derived estimated cost; it can include API activity from other clients and provider-side billing adjustments.

OpenAI's API Usage Dashboard documentation describes the organization-owner and explicit Usage Dashboard permission requirements for usage data.

Provider, model, runtime, and channel are separate layers. If those labels are getting mixed together, read Agent runtimes before changing config.

Quick choice

Naming map

Implicit agent runtime

When provider/model agentRuntime policy is unset or auto, OpenAI's provider-owned route policy chooses the implicit runtime from the effective endpoint and adapter:

An explicit non-default provider/model agentRuntime.id remains authoritative. For example, agentRuntime.id: "openclaw" keeps an otherwise Codex-eligible route on OpenClaw, while agentRuntime.id: "codex" requires Codex and fails closed when the effective route is not declared Codex-compatible. Runtime selection does not change credential type or billing: Platform API-key auth and ChatGPT/Codex subscription auth remain distinct.

openclaw doctor --fix migrates legacy codex/* and openai-codex/* model refs, legacy Codex auth profile ids, and legacy Codex auth-order entries to the canonical openai route. Migrated model refs receive model-scoped agentRuntime.id: "codex"; use auth.order.openai for new auth-order config.

Note

Fresh OpenAI setup applies a GPT-5.6 primary only when no primary model is configured. Adding or refreshing OpenAI auth preserves an existing explicit selection, including openai/gpt-5.5, unless you explicitly use models auth login --set-default or models set. Use an API-key auth profile only when you want API-key auth for an agent model.

GPT-5.6 limited preview

OpenClaw recognizes the exact openai/gpt-5.6-sol, openai/gpt-5.6-terra, and openai/gpt-5.6-luna model ids. All three expose xhigh and max reasoning in the current catalog. OpenAI describes Sol as the flagship tier, Terra as the balanced tier, and Luna as the fast, lower-cost tier. See the GPT-5.6 launch announcement and access guide.

With direct OpenAI API-key auth, the bare openai/gpt-5.6 id is an alias for Sol and is the fresh setup default. The native Codex catalog does not apply that direct-API alias client-side; depending on workspace access, it can show the exact Sol, Terra, and Luna ids. Fresh ChatGPT/Codex OAuth setup therefore uses openai/gpt-5.6-sol. Check the current account with:

openclaw models list --provider openai

API organization and Codex workspace access can differ. If GPT-5.6 is not available, select GPT-5.5 explicitly:

openclaw models set openai/gpt-5.5

OpenClaw surfaces the upstream access error and does not silently replace a GPT-5.6 selection with GPT-5.5.

Note

Eligible exact official HTTPS routes may select the bundled Codex app-server plugin when runtime policy is unset or auto; authored Completions routes, custom endpoints, and request-transport overrides remain on OpenClaw. Plaintext official HTTP endpoints are rejected. Explicit provider/model runtime config remains authoritative. Run openclaw doctor --fix to repair stale legacy Codex model refs, codex-cli/* refs, or old runtime session pins that were not set by explicit runtime config.

OpenClaw feature coverage

Note

OpenAI Realtime voice goes through the public OpenAI Platform Realtime API and requires a Platform API key. Codex OAuth tokens authenticate the ChatGPT Codex backend instead; they are not interchangeable with Platform API keys for the public Realtime endpoints.

If API-key auth reports missing billing, top up Platform credits at platform.openai.com/account/billing for the organization backing your realtime credentials when using API-key auth. Realtime voice accepts the openai API-key auth profile created by openclaw onboard --auth-choice openai-api-key, a Platform API key set via talk.realtime.providers.openai.apiKey for Control UI Talk, or plugins.entries.voice-call.config.realtime.providers.openai.apiKey for Voice Call, or the OPENAI_API_KEY environment variable.

In Control UI Video Talk, OpenAI WebRTC receives camera context on demand: when the model calls describe_view, the browser sends one bounded JPEG over the realtime data channel. OpenClaw does not attach a continuous camera track to the OpenAI session.

Memory embeddings

OpenClaw can use OpenAI or any OpenAI-compatible embedding endpoint for memory_search indexing and query embeddings.

{
  memory: {
    search: {
      provider: "openai",
      model: "text-embedding-3-small",
    },
  },
}

For OpenAI-compatible endpoints that require asymmetric embedding labels, set queryInputType and documentInputType under memory.search. OpenClaw forwards these as provider-specific input_type request fields: query embeddings use queryInputType; indexed memory chunks and batch indexing use documentInputType. See the Memory configuration reference for the full example.

Getting started

API key (OpenAI Platform)

Best for: direct API access and usage-based billing.

Get your API key

Create or copy an API key from the OpenAI Platform dashboard.

Run onboarding

openclaw onboard --auth-choice openai-api-key

Or pass the key directly:

openclaw onboard --openai-api-key "$OPENAI_API_KEY"

Verify the model is available

openclaw models list --provider openai

Route summary

Note

With runtime unset or auto, only an eligible exact official HTTPS native route may select the Codex app-server harness implicitly. For API-key auth on an agent model, create an openai API-key auth profile and order it with auth.order.openai; OPENAI_API_KEY remains the direct fallback for non-agent OpenAI API surfaces. Run openclaw doctor --fix to migrate older legacy Codex auth-order entries.

Config example

{
  env: { OPENAI_API_KEY: "example-openai-key-not-real" },
  agents: { defaults: { model: { primary: "openai/gpt-5.6" } } },
}

The bare direct-API gpt-5.6 id resolves to the Sol tier. If this API organization does not expose GPT-5.6, set the primary to openai/gpt-5.5 explicitly.

To try ChatGPT's current Instant model from the OpenAI API, set the model to openai/chat-latest:

{
  env: { OPENAI_API_KEY: "example-openai-key-not-real" },
  agents: { defaults: { model: { primary: "openai/chat-latest" } } },
}

chat-latest is a moving alias. Fresh OpenAI API-key setup instead uses openai/gpt-5.6, whose bare direct-API id resolves to Sol. Existing explicit primaries, including openai/gpt-5.5, remain unchanged. The chat-latest alias only accepts medium text verbosity; OpenClaw forces any other requested verbosity to medium for this model.

Warning

OpenClaw does not expose gpt-5.3-codex-spark on the direct OpenAI API-key route. It is available only through Codex subscription catalog entries when your signed-in account exposes it.

Codex subscription

Best for: using your ChatGPT/Codex subscription with native Codex app-server execution instead of a separate API key. Codex cloud requires ChatGPT sign-in.

Run Codex OAuth

openclaw onboard --auth-choice openai

Or run OAuth directly:

openclaw models auth login --provider openai

For headless or callback-hostile setups, add --device-code to sign in with a ChatGPT device-code flow instead of the localhost browser callback:

openclaw models auth login --provider openai --device-code

Use the canonical OpenAI model route

openclaw config set agents.defaults.model.primary openai/gpt-5.6-sol

No runtime config is required for this exact official HTTPS native route. It may select the Codex app-server runtime automatically, and OpenClaw installs or repairs the bundled Codex plugin when that runtime is chosen.

Verify Codex auth is available

openclaw models list --provider openai

After the gateway is running, send /codex status or /codex models in chat to verify the native app-server runtime.

Route summary

Warning

Fresh subscription-backed setup uses exact openai/gpt-5.6-sol; the native Codex catalog may also expose exact Terra or Luna refs. If the account does not expose GPT-5.6, select openai/gpt-5.5 explicitly. Older Codex GPT refs are legacy OpenClaw routes, not the native Codex runtime path; run openclaw doctor --fix to migrate them without upgrading an existing explicit GPT-5.5 selection. gpt-5.3-codex-spark stays limited to accounts whose Codex subscription catalog advertises it; direct OpenAI API-key and Azure refs for it stay suppressed.

Note

New config should put OpenAI agent auth order under auth.order.openai; doctor migrates older legacy Codex auth-order entries.

Config example

{
  plugins: { entries: { codex: { enabled: true } } },
  agents: {
    defaults: {
      model: { primary: "openai/gpt-5.6-sol" },
    },
  },
}

With an API-key backup, keep the selected model under openai/* and put the auth order under openai. OpenClaw tries the subscription first, then the API key, while staying on the Codex harness:

{
  plugins: { entries: { codex: { enabled: true } } },
  agents: {
    defaults: {
      model: { primary: "openai/gpt-5.6-sol" },
    },
  },
  auth: {
    order: {
      openai: [
        "openai:user@example.com",
        "openai:api-key-backup",
      ],
    },
  },
}

Note

Onboarding no longer imports OAuth material from ~/.codex. Sign in with browser OAuth (default) or the device-code flow above; OpenClaw manages the resulting credentials in its own agent auth store.

Check and recover Codex OAuth routing

openclaw models status
openclaw models auth list --provider openai
openclaw config get agents.defaults.model --json
openclaw config get models.providers.openai.agentRuntime --json

For a specific agent, add --agent <id>:

openclaw models status --agent <id>
openclaw models auth list --agent <id> --provider openai

If an older config still has legacy Codex GPT refs, or a stale OpenAI runtime session pin without explicit runtime config, repair it:

openclaw doctor --fix
openclaw config validate

If models auth list --provider openai shows no usable profile, sign in again:

openclaw models auth login --provider openai
openclaw models status --probe --probe-provider openai

Use --profile-id for multiple Codex OAuth logins in the same agent, then control them via auth ordering or /model ...@<profileId>:

openclaw models auth login --provider openai --profile-id openai:ritsuko
openclaw models auth login --provider openai --profile-id openai:lain

Run openclaw doctor --fix to migrate older legacy OpenAI Codex prefix profile ids and order entries before relying on profile ordering.

Status indicator

Chat /status shows which model runtime is active for the current session. The bundled Codex app-server harness appears as Runtime: OpenAI Codex when an eligible implicit route or explicit provider/model runtime policy selects it.

Doctor warning

If legacy Codex model refs or stale OpenAI runtime pins remain in config or session state, openclaw doctor --fix rewrites them to openai/* with the Codex runtime unless OpenClaw is explicitly configured.

Context window defaults and long-context opt-in

OpenClaw treats native model capacity and the active runtime budget as separate values:

• contextWindow declares the provider's total model window.
• contextTokens caps how much of that window OpenClaw uses for active input.

ChatGPT/Codex OAuth follows the live Codex account catalog. The current catalog commonly advertises a 272000 token active window for GPT-5.6. Direct API-key GPT-5.5 and GPT-5.6 models also default to 272000 contextTokens, even though the Platform API exposes a larger native window. This keeps the normal latency, quality, and cost profile consistent across auth modes. A configured agents.defaults.contextTokens value can lower that budget further, but it cannot raise a model above its configured contextTokens cap.

For direct API-key GPT-5.5 and GPT-5.6, OpenAI documents a 1050000 token provider window and 128000 maximum output tokens. Reserving the full output allowance leaves 922000 tokens for input. This is a derived operating budget, not a separate provider-published input limit. See the official model comparison and GPT-5.5 model page. The following example opts one Terra model into that allowance and asks OpenAI to compact at 700000 active tokens:

{
  models: {
    providers: {
      openai: {
        models: [
          {
            id: "gpt-5.6-terra",
            name: "GPT-5.6 Terra",
            contextWindow: 1050000,
            contextTokens: 922000,
            maxTokens: 128000,
          },
        ],
      },
    },
  },
  agents: {
    defaults: {
      model: { primary: "openai/gpt-5.6-terra" },
      models: {
        "openai/gpt-5.6-terra": {
          agentRuntime: { id: "openclaw" },
          params: {
            responsesServerCompaction: true,
            responsesCompactThreshold: 700000,
          },
        },
      },
    },
  },
}

agentRuntime.id: "openclaw" is deliberate here. It demonstrates that the embedded OpenClaw Responses path uses the model metadata and server-side compaction settings described above. A native Codex harness thread manages its own context budget in Codex config instead; see Codex harness long context.

Warning

OpenAI applies higher long-context pricing once a GPT-5.5 or GPT-5.6 request exceeds 272000 input tokens: the entire qualifying request is billed at 2x input and 1.5x output rates. Large prompts are resent or compacted across turns, so an opt-in session can cost substantially more than the default even when the visible reply is short. See OpenAI API pricing. The API remains authoritative for account access, actual limits, and billing.

Catalog recovery

OpenClaw uses upstream Codex catalog metadata for gpt-5.5 when it is present. If live Codex discovery omits the gpt-5.5 row while the account is authenticated, OpenClaw synthesizes that OAuth model row so cron, sub-agent, and configured default-model runs do not fail with Unknown model.

Native Codex app-server auth

The native Codex app-server harness uses openai/* model refs when an eligible exact official HTTPS route selects it implicitly, or when provider/model agentRuntime.id: "codex" selects it explicitly. Its auth is still account-based. OpenClaw selects auth in this order:

1. Ordered OpenAI auth profiles for the agent, preferably under auth.order.openai. Run openclaw doctor --fix to migrate older legacy Codex auth profile ids and auth order.
2. The app-server's existing account, such as a local Codex CLI ChatGPT sign-in. For the default isolated agent home, OpenClaw bridges that native CLI account into the app-server through its login RPC; it does not share the CLI's config, plugins, or thread store.
3. For local stdio app-server launches only, and only when the app-server reports no account: CODEX_API_KEY, then OPENAI_API_KEY.

A local ChatGPT/Codex subscription sign-in is not replaced just because the gateway process also has OPENAI_API_KEY for direct OpenAI models or embeddings. The env API-key fallback applies only to the local stdio no-account path; it is never sent over WebSocket app-server connections. When a subscription-style Codex profile is selected, OpenClaw also keeps CODEX_API_KEY and OPENAI_API_KEY out of the spawned stdio app-server child and sends the selected credentials through the app-server login RPC instead.

When that subscription profile is blocked by a Codex usage limit, OpenClaw marks the profile blocked until Codex's advertised reset time and lets auth ordering rotate to the next openai:* profile, without changing the selected model or dropping out of the Codex harness. Once the reset time passes, the subscription profile is eligible again.

Image generation

The bundled openai plugin registers image generation through the image_generate tool. It supports both OpenAI API-key and Codex OAuth image generation through the same openai/gpt-image-2 model ref.

{
  agents: {
    defaults: {
      imageGenerationModel: { primary: "openai/gpt-image-2" },
    },
  },
}

Note

See Image Generation for shared tool parameters, provider selection, and failover behavior.

gpt-image-2 is the default for OpenAI text-to-image generation and image editing. gpt-image-1.5, gpt-image-1, and gpt-image-1-mini remain usable as explicit model overrides. Use openai/gpt-image-1.5 for transparent-background PNG/WebP output; the current gpt-image-2 API rejects background: "transparent".

For a transparent-background request, call image_generate with model: "openai/gpt-image-1.5", outputFormat: "png" or "webp", and background: "transparent"; the older openai.background provider option is still accepted. OpenClaw also protects the public OpenAI and OpenAI Codex OAuth routes by rewriting default openai/gpt-image-2 transparent requests to gpt-image-1.5; Azure and custom OpenAI-compatible endpoints keep their configured deployment/model names.

The same setting is exposed for headless CLI runs:

openclaw infer image generate \
  --model openai/gpt-image-1.5 \
  --output-format png \
  --background transparent \
  --prompt "A simple red circle sticker on a transparent background" \
  --json

Use the same --output-format and --background flags with openclaw infer image edit when starting from an input file. --openai-background remains available as an OpenAI-specific alias. Use --quality low|medium|high|auto to control OpenAI Images quality and cost. Use --openai-moderation low|auto to pass OpenAI's moderation hint from either image generate or image edit.

For ChatGPT/Codex OAuth installs, keep the same openai/gpt-image-2 ref. When an openai OAuth profile is configured, OpenClaw resolves that stored OAuth access token and sends image requests through the Codex Responses backend; it does not first try OPENAI_API_KEY or silently fall back to an API key. Configure models.providers.openai explicitly with an API key, custom base URL, or Azure endpoint when you want the direct OpenAI Images API route instead. If that custom image endpoint is on a trusted LAN/private address, also set browser.ssrfPolicy.dangerouslyAllowPrivateNetwork: true; OpenClaw keeps private/internal OpenAI-compatible image endpoints blocked unless this opt-in is present.

Generate:

/tool image_generate model=openai/gpt-image-2 prompt="A polished launch poster for OpenClaw on macOS" size=3840x2160 count=1

Generate a transparent PNG:

/tool image_generate model=openai/gpt-image-1.5 prompt="A simple red circle sticker on a transparent background" outputFormat=png background=transparent

Edit:

/tool image_generate model=openai/gpt-image-2 prompt="Preserve the object shape, change the material to translucent glass" image=/path/to/reference.png size=1024x1536

Video generation

The bundled openai plugin registers video generation through the video_generate tool.

OpenAI image-to-video requests use POST /v1/videos with an image input_reference. Single-video edits use POST /v1/videos/edits with the uploaded video in the video field.

{
  agents: {
    defaults: {
      videoGenerationModel: { primary: "openai/sora-2" },
    },
  },
}

Note

See Video Generation for shared tool parameters, provider selection, and failover behavior.

The OpenAI provider declares supportsSize but not supportsAspectRatio or supportsResolution. OpenClaw's shared normalization layer converts a requested aspectRatio into the closest matching OpenAI size before the request reaches the provider, so aspect-ratio requests generally still work. resolution has no size fallback and is dropped, surfaced to the caller as Ignored unsupported overrides for openai/<model>: resolution=<value>.

GPT-5 prompt contribution

OpenClaw adds a shared GPT-5 prompt contribution for GPT-5-family models on the openai provider (including legacy pre-repair Codex refs that normalize to openai/*). Other providers that also serve GPT-5-family model ids, such as OpenRouter or opencode routes, do not receive this overlay; it is gated on provider id openai, not on model id alone. Older GPT-4.x models never receive it.

The native Codex app-server harness does not receive the persona/tool-discipline behavior contract or the friendly interaction-style overlay through developer instructions; native Codex keeps Codex-owned base, model, and project-doc behavior, and OpenClaw disables Codex's built-in personality for native threads so agent workspace personality files stay authoritative. OpenClaw contributes only runtime context to native Codex threads: channel delivery, OpenClaw dynamic tools, ACP delegation, workspace context, and OpenClaw skills. The heartbeat-guidance text from this same contribution is the one exception: native Codex heartbeat turns do get it, injected as dedicated collaboration instructions rather than through the shared prompt-contribution hook.

The GPT-5 contribution adds a tagged behavior contract for persona persistence, execution safety, tool discipline, output shape, completion checks, and verification on matching OpenClaw-assembled prompts. Channel-specific reply and silent-message behavior stays in the shared OpenClaw system prompt and outbound delivery policy. The friendly interaction-style layer is separate and configurable.

Config

{
  agents: {
    defaults: {
      promptOverlays: {
        gpt5: { personality: "friendly" },
      },
    },
  },
}

CLI

openclaw config set agents.defaults.promptOverlays.gpt5.personality off

Tip

At runtime, values are case-insensitive, so "Off" and "off" both turn off the friendly style layer.

Note

The legacy plugins.entries.openai.config.personality setting is still read as a compatibility fallback when the shared agents.defaults.promptOverlays.gpt5.personality setting is not configured.

Voice and speech

Speech synthesis (TTS)

The bundled openai plugin registers speech synthesis for the tts surface.

Available models: gpt-4o-mini-tts, tts-1, tts-1-hd. Available voices: alloy, ash, ballad, cedar, coral, echo, fable, juniper, marin, onyx, nova, sage, shimmer, verse.

extraBody is merged into the /audio/speech request JSON after OpenClaw's generated fields, so use it for OpenAI-compatible endpoints that require extra keys like lang. Prototype keys are ignored.

{
  tts: {
    providers: {
      openai: { model: "gpt-4o-mini-tts", speakerVoice: "coral" },
    },
  },
}

Note

Set OPENAI_TTS_BASE_URL to override the TTS base URL without changing the chat API endpoint. Both OpenAI TTS and Realtime voice use an OpenAI Platform API key; OAuth-only installs can still use Codex-backed chat models, but not OpenAI live talk-back.

Speech-to-text

The bundled openai plugin registers batch speech-to-text through OpenClaw's media-understanding transcription surface.

• Default model: gpt-4o-transcribe
• Endpoint: OpenAI REST /v1/audio/transcriptions
• Input path: multipart audio file upload
• Used wherever inbound audio transcription reads tools.media.audio, including Discord voice-channel segments and channel audio attachments

To force OpenAI for inbound audio transcription:

{
  tools: {
    media: {
      audio: {
        models: [
          {
            type: "provider",
            provider: "openai",
            model: "gpt-4o-transcribe",
          },
        ],
      },
    },
  },
}

Language and prompt hints are forwarded to OpenAI when supplied by the shared audio media config or per-call transcription request.

Realtime transcription

The bundled openai plugin registers realtime transcription for the Voice Call plugin.

Note

This uses a WebSocket connection to wss://api.openai.com/v1/realtime with G.711 u-law (g711_ulaw / audio/pcmu) audio. For an openai API-key profile, the Gateway mints an ephemeral Realtime transcription client secret before opening the WebSocket. This streaming provider is for Voice Call's realtime transcription path; Discord voice currently records short segments and uses the batch tools.media.audio transcription path instead.

Realtime voice

The bundled openai plugin registers realtime voice for the Voice Call plugin.

Available built-in Realtime voices for gpt-realtime-2.1: alloy, ash, ballad, coral, echo, sage, shimmer, verse, marin, cedar. OpenAI recommends marin and cedar for the best Realtime quality. This is a separate set from the Text-to-speech voices above; a TTS-only voice such as fable, nova, or onyx is not valid for Realtime sessions. Set the model explicitly to gpt-realtime-2.1-mini when you prefer the smaller, lower-cost Realtime 2.1 variant.

Note

GPT-Live (upcoming). OpenAI's full-duplex gpt-live-1 and gpt-live-1-mini models replaced ChatGPT voice mode in July 2026; the developer API is rolling out to early-access organizations. OpenClaw recognizes the model family but does not run it yet: GPT-Live sessions are WebRTC-only, own their turn-taking (no VAD), and delegate agent work through a handoff event protocol that OpenClaw's realtime transports do not implement yet. Configuring a gpt-live-* model fails closed with guidance on both the WebSocket bridge and Talk browser sessions instead of silently connecting audio without agent access. API access is also gated per OpenAI organization during early access. Keep gpt-realtime-2.1 (the default) until GPT-Live support lands.

Note

Backend OpenAI realtime bridges use the GA Realtime WebSocket session shape, which does not accept session.temperature. Azure OpenAI deployments remain available via azureEndpoint and azureDeployment and keep the deployment-compatible session shape (including temperature). Supports bidirectional tool calling and G.711 u-law audio.

Note

Realtime voice is selected when the session is created. OpenAI allows most session fields to change later, but the voice cannot be changed after the model has emitted audio in that session. OpenClaw currently exposes the built-in Realtime voice ids as strings.

Note

Control UI Talk uses OpenAI browser realtime sessions with a Gateway- minted ephemeral client secret and a direct browser WebRTC SDP exchange against the OpenAI Realtime API. The Gateway mints that client secret with the selected openai credential. Configured keys, API-key profiles, and OPENAI_API_KEY take precedence; an openai OAuth profile or external Codex login is the fallback. Gateway relay and Voice Call backend realtime WebSocket bridges use the same credential order for native OpenAI endpoints. Maintainer live verification is available with OPENAI_API_KEY=... GEMINI_API_KEY=... node --import tsx scripts/dev/realtime-talk-live-smoke.ts; the OpenAI legs verify both the backend WebSocket bridge and the browser WebRTC SDP exchange without logging secrets. Pass --openai-only to run those two legs without Google credentials.

Azure OpenAI endpoints

The bundled openai provider can target an Azure OpenAI resource for image generation by overriding the base URL. On the image-generation path, OpenClaw detects Azure hostnames on models.providers.openai.baseUrl and switches to Azure's request shape automatically.

Note

Realtime voice uses a separate configuration path (plugins.entries.voice-call.config.realtime.providers.openai.azureEndpoint) and is not affected by models.providers.openai.baseUrl. See the Realtime voice accordion under Voice and speech for its Azure settings.

Use Azure OpenAI when:

• You already have an Azure OpenAI subscription, quota, or enterprise agreement
• You need regional data residency or compliance controls Azure provides
• You want to keep traffic inside an existing Azure tenancy

Configuration

For Azure image generation through the bundled openai provider, point models.providers.openai.baseUrl at your Azure resource and set apiKey to the Azure OpenAI key (not an OpenAI Platform key):

{
  models: {
    providers: {
      openai: {
        baseUrl: "https://<your-resource>.openai.azure.com",
        apiKey: "<azure-openai-api-key>",
      },
    },
  },
}

OpenClaw recognizes these Azure host suffixes for the Azure image-generation route:

• *.openai.azure.com
• *.services.ai.azure.com
• *.cognitiveservices.azure.com

For image-generation requests on a recognized Azure host, OpenClaw:

• Sends the api-key header instead of Authorization: Bearer
• Uses deployment-scoped paths (/openai/deployments/{deployment}/...)
• Appends ?api-version=... to each request
• Uses a 600s default request timeout for Azure image-generation calls. Per-call timeoutMs values still override this default.

Other base URLs (public OpenAI, OpenAI-compatible proxies) keep the standard OpenAI image request shape.

Note

Azure routing for the openai provider's image-generation path requires OpenClaw 2026.4.22 or later. Earlier versions treat any custom openai.baseUrl like the public OpenAI endpoint and fail against Azure image deployments.

API version

Set AZURE_OPENAI_API_VERSION to pin a specific Azure preview or GA version for the Azure image-generation path:

export AZURE_OPENAI_API_VERSION="2024-12-01-preview"

The default is 2024-12-01-preview when the variable is unset.

Model names are deployment names

Azure OpenAI binds models to deployments. For Azure image-generation requests routed through the bundled openai provider, the model field in OpenClaw must be the Azure deployment name you configured in the Azure portal, not the public OpenAI model id.

If you create a deployment called gpt-image-2-prod that serves gpt-image-2:

/tool image_generate model=openai/gpt-image-2-prod prompt="A clean poster" size=1024x1024 count=1

The same deployment-name rule applies to any image-generation call routed through the bundled openai provider.

Regional availability

Azure image generation is currently available only in a subset of regions (for example eastus2, swedencentral, polandcentral, westus3, uaenorth). Check Microsoft's current region list before creating a deployment, and confirm the specific model is offered in your region.

Parameter differences

Azure OpenAI and public OpenAI do not always accept the same image parameters. Azure may reject options public OpenAI allows (for example certain background values on gpt-image-2) or expose them only on specific model versions. These differences come from Azure and the underlying model, not OpenClaw. If an Azure request fails with a validation error, check the parameter set supported by your specific deployment and API version in the Azure portal.

Note

Azure OpenAI uses native transport and compat behavior but does not receive OpenClaw's hidden attribution headers. See the Native vs OpenAI-compatible routes accordion under Advanced configuration.

For chat or Responses traffic on Azure (beyond image generation), use the onboarding flow or a dedicated Azure provider config; openai.baseUrl alone does not pick up the Azure API/auth shape. A separate azure-openai-responses/* provider exists; see the Server-side compaction accordion below.

Advanced configuration

The per-model params examples below shape OpenClaw's embedded provider request. Configuring them is authored request behavior, so an otherwise eligible auto route stays on OpenClaw instead of selecting Codex implicitly. The native Codex app-server harness owns its own transport and request settings; explicit agentRuntime.id: "codex" fails closed when the effective route is not declared Codex-compatible.

Transport (WebSocket vs SSE)

OpenClaw uses WebSocket-first with SSE fallback ("auto") for openai/*.

In "auto" mode, OpenClaw:

• Retries one early WebSocket failure before falling back to SSE
• After a failure, marks WebSocket as degraded for 60 seconds and uses SSE during cool-down
• Attaches stable session and turn identity headers for retries and reconnects
• Normalizes usage counters (input_tokens / prompt_tokens) across transport variants

{
  agents: {
    defaults: {
      models: {
        "openai/gpt-5.5": {
          params: { transport: "auto" },
        },
      },
    },
  },
}

Related OpenAI docs:

• Realtime API with WebSocket
• Streaming API responses (SSE)

Fast mode

OpenClaw exposes a shared fast-mode toggle for openai/*:

• Chat/UI: /fast status|auto|on|off
• Config: agents.defaults.models["<provider>/<model>"].params.fastMode

When enabled, OpenClaw maps fast mode to OpenAI priority processing (service_tier = "priority"). Existing service_tier values are preserved, and fast mode does not rewrite reasoning or text.verbosity. fastMode: "auto" starts new model calls fast until the auto cutoff, then starts later retry, fallback, tool-result, or continuation calls without fast mode. The cutoff defaults to 60 seconds; set params.fastAutoOnSeconds on the active model to change it.

{
  agents: {
    defaults: {
      models: {
        "openai/gpt-5.5": { params: { fastMode: "auto", fastAutoOnSeconds: 30 } },
      },
    },
  },
}

Note

Session overrides win over config. Clearing the session override in the Sessions UI returns the session to the configured default.

Priority processing (service_tier)

OpenAI's API exposes priority processing via service_tier. Set it per model in OpenClaw:

{
  agents: {
    defaults: {
      models: {
        "openai/gpt-5.5": { params: { serviceTier: "priority" } },
      },
    },
  },
}

Supported values: auto, default, flex, priority.

Warning

serviceTier is forwarded only to native OpenAI endpoints (api.openai.com) and native Codex endpoints (chatgpt.com/backend-api). If you route either provider through a proxy, OpenClaw leaves service_tier untouched.

Server-side compaction (Responses API)

For direct OpenAI Responses models (openai/* on api.openai.com), the OpenAI plugin's OpenClaw stream wrapper auto-enables server-side compaction:

• Forces store: true (unless model compat sets supportsStore: false)
• Injects context_management: [{ type: "compaction", compact_threshold: ... }]
• Default compact_threshold: 70% of contextWindow (or 80000 when unavailable)

This applies to the built-in OpenClaw runtime path and to OpenAI provider hooks used by embedded runs. The native Codex app-server harness manages its own context through Codex and is not affected by this setting.

Enable explicitly

Useful for compatible endpoints like Azure OpenAI Responses:

{
  agents: {
    defaults: {
      models: {
        "azure-openai-responses/gpt-5.5": {
          params: { responsesServerCompaction: true },
        },
      },
    },
  },
}

Custom threshold

{
  agents: {
    defaults: {
      models: {
        "openai/gpt-5.5": {
          params: {
            responsesServerCompaction: true,
            responsesCompactThreshold: 120000,
          },
        },
      },
    },
  },
}

Disable

{
  agents: {
    defaults: {
      models: {
        "openai/gpt-5.5": {
          params: { responsesServerCompaction: false },
        },
      },
    },
  },
}

Note

responsesServerCompaction only controls context_management injection. Direct OpenAI Responses models still force store: true unless compat sets supportsStore: false.

Strict-agentic GPT mode

For openai provider GPT-5-family models run through OpenClaw's embedded runtime, OpenClaw already defaults to a stricter execution contract called strict-agentic. It auto-activates whenever the resolved provider is openai and the model id matches the GPT-5 family, unless config explicitly opts back out:

{
  agents: {
    defaults: {
      embeddedAgent: { executionContract: "default" },
    },
  },
}

Setting "strict-agentic" explicitly is a no-op on a supported lane (it is already the default) and inert on unsupported provider/model pairs.

With strict-agentic active, OpenClaw:

• Auto-enables update_plan for substantial work
• Retries structurally empty or reasoning-only turns with a visible-answer continuation
• Uses explicit harness plan events when the selected harness provides them

OpenClaw does not classify assistant prose to decide whether a turn is a plan, progress update, or final answer.

Note

This contract lives entirely in OpenClaw's embedded agent runner. It does not apply to the native Codex app-server harness, which manages its own turn and plan behavior; the harness selection matters more than the execution-contract setting for native Codex runs.

Native vs OpenAI-compatible routes

OpenClaw treats direct OpenAI, Codex, and Azure OpenAI endpoints differently from generic OpenAI-compatible /v1 proxies:

Native routes (openai/*, Azure OpenAI):

• Keep reasoning: { effort: "none" } only for models that support the OpenAI none effort
• Omit disabled reasoning for models or proxies that reject reasoning.effort: "none"
• Default tool schemas to strict mode
• Attach hidden attribution headers on verified native hosts only (Azure OpenAI does not get these headers, even though it is a native route)
• Keep OpenAI-only request shaping (service_tier, store, reasoning-compat, prompt-cache hints)

Proxy/compatible routes:

• Use looser compat behavior
• Strip Completions store from non-native openai-completions payloads
• Accept advanced params.extra_body/params.extraBody pass-through JSON for OpenAI-compatible Completions proxies
• Accept params.chat_template_kwargs for OpenAI-compatible Completions proxies such as vLLM
• Do not force strict tool schemas or native-only headers

Related

• Model selection, Choosing providers, model refs, and failover behavior.

• Image generation, Shared image tool parameters and provider selection.

• Video generation, Shared video tool parameters and provider selection.

• OAuth and auth, Auth details and credential reuse rules.