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Qianfan Provider: Access Baidu Models via OpenAI-Compatible API

Learn how to use the Qianfan provider in OpenClaw to access Baidu's MaaS platform. This guide covers installation, authentication, and setup for developers using the unified API.

Read this when

  • You want a single API key for many LLMs
  • You need Baidu Qianfan setup guidance

Qianfan is Baidu's MaaS platform. It provides a unified, OpenAI-compatible API that directs requests to multiple models through a single endpoint and API key. OpenClaw includes it as the official external plugin @openclaw/qianfan-provider.

PropertyValue
Providerqianfan
AuthQIANFAN_API_KEY
APIOpenAI-compatible (openai-completions)
Base URLhttps://qianfan.baidubce.com/v2
Default modelqianfan/deepseek-v3.2

Install plugin

Install the official plugin, then restart Gateway:

openclaw plugins install @openclaw/qianfan-provider
openclaw gateway restart

Getting started

Create a Baidu Cloud account

Sign up or log in at the Qianfan Console and make sure Qianfan API access is enabled for your account.

Generate an API key

Create a new application or pick an existing one, then generate an API key. Baidu Cloud keys follow the bce-v3/ALTAK-... format.

Run onboarding

openclaw onboard --auth-choice qianfan-api-key

Non-interactive runs read the key from --qianfan-api-key <key> or QIANFAN_API_KEY. Onboarding writes the provider config, adds the QIANFAN alias for the default model, and sets qianfan/deepseek-v3.2 as the default model when none is configured.

Verify the model is available

openclaw models list --provider qianfan

Built-in catalog

Model refInputContextMax outputReasoningNotes
qianfan/deepseek-v3.2text98,30432,768YesDefault model
qianfan/ernie-5.0-thinking-previewtext, image119,00064,000YesMultimodal

The catalog is static. Live model discovery is not available.

Tip

Override models.providers.qianfan only when you need a custom base URL or model metadata.

Config example

{
  env: { QIANFAN_API_KEY: "bce-v3/ALTAK-..." },
  agents: {
    defaults: {
      model: { primary: "qianfan/deepseek-v3.2" },
      models: {
        "qianfan/deepseek-v3.2": { alias: "QIANFAN" },
      },
    },
  },
  models: {
    providers: {
      qianfan: {
        baseUrl: "https://qianfan.baidubce.com/v2",
        api: "openai-completions",
        models: [
          {
            id: "deepseek-v3.2",
            name: "DEEPSEEK V3.2",
            reasoning: true,
            input: ["text"],
            cost: { input: 0, output: 0, cacheRead: 0, cacheWrite: 0 },
            contextWindow: 98304,
            maxTokens: 32768,
          },
          {
            id: "ernie-5.0-thinking-preview",
            name: "ERNIE-5.0-Thinking-Preview",
            reasoning: true,
            input: ["text", "image"],
            cost: { input: 0, output: 0, cacheRead: 0, cacheWrite: 0 },
            contextWindow: 119000,
            maxTokens: 64000,
          },
        ],
      },
    },
  },
}

Note

Model refs use the qianfan/ prefix (for example qianfan/deepseek-v3.2).

Transport and compatibility

Qianfan uses the OpenAI-compatible transport path, not native OpenAI request shaping. Standard OpenAI SDK features work, but provider-specific parameters might not be forwarded.

Troubleshooting

  • Confirm your API key starts with bce-v3/ALTAK- and that Qianfan API access is enabled in the Baidu Cloud console.
  • If models do not appear, verify that the Qianfan service is activated on your account.
  • Only modify the base URL if you are using a custom endpoint or proxy.